Mercury's a brand we haven't heard anything about since its death thirteen years ago. Nonetheless, while this company may sit six feet under the ground, its rides live on and keep attracting enthusiasts of all ages.
One model that still keeps petrolheads up at night is the Cougar. This muscle car first rolled out towards the end of the '60s as a re-bodied Ford Mustang featuring a front engine and rear-wheel drive. Power came from several V8s, and the vehicle was available with automatic and manual transmissions.
Mercury kept it in production for eight generations, with the final one hitting the assembly line in 1998. Unlike some of its predecessors, it had front-wheel drive, as it used the same platform as the era's Ford Mondeo (Fusion). There was no V8 firepower available here, as it was only offered with a V6 and a straight-four.
Production ended altogether four years later, leaving a gap in Mercury's lineup that was never filled. Subsequent to the last Cougar rolling off the line, several reports spoke about a possible ninth generation. However, it was crystal clear that it would never happen when the Blue Oval pulled the plug on this brand at the beginning of 2011.
Photo: Instagram | Jlord8
Mind you, while Mercury is indeed dead, some of its models have been given a new digital lease on life in Fantasy Land over the years. The Cougar is but one such ride that has managed to attract the attention of several pixel manipulators worldwide, and the latest virtual take on it came from Jlord8, who took to social media a few hours ago to present this controversial project.
Why is it controversial, you ask? Well, a hypothetical brand-new Mercury Cougar would use the latest Ford Mustang's nuts and bolts, launching with the four-pot EcoBoost and the Coyote V8. However, in this instance, it doesn't have anything in common with the Dearborn company's muscle car. Instead, it builds on the all-new Dodge Charger Daytona.
Yes, you read that right; it is a digitally re-bodied new-gen Charger with different front and rear ends and a tweaked rear quarter design. It sports a blue paint finish and rides on five-spoke alloys. The first-generation Cougar inspired its entire face, and we've got to admit that we are fans of the design despite the questionable approach that the petrolhead crowd may consider unorthodox.
As we already told you, Ford does not intend to resurrect the Mercury brand, but if they did, then we reckon a hypothetical ninth-gen Cougar should boast a similar face, which would tie it to the original one. The platform would be identical to the latest Mustang, and V8 firepower would be the only one available for it – in a perfect world, that is. But would you buy it?
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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