Photo: abandoned_classics/instagram
Those of you who identify as purists will probably find this tale to be a bit of an emotional roller coaster, so you can consider this a warning. The story revolves around a 1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 427, which makes for one of the rarest Blue Oval muscle cars.
The Cougar, which can be considered the upscale sibling of the Ford Mustang, could be configured in ways that granted it access to the muscle car realm (as opposed to its more or less natural plush pony car nature).
Well, the GT-E fitted with the monster that is the 427ci (7.0-liter) definitely qualifies for big muscle. Production for the GT-E kicked off halfway through the 1968 model year, only reaching 393 units: 356 of these came with the said 427, while the remaining 37 were fitted with the 428 Cobra Jet.
Nevertheless, those hunting for 427s back in the 1970s and the 1980s seems to have ruined quite a few Cougars, using their motors for Cobra kit cars.
Fortunately, the example sitting before us seems to have survived and recently showed up for grabs. An aficionado named Shaney Jenkins, who uses the Abandoned_Classics Instagram nickname, posted the Mercury on his page.
And, as it turns out, it didn't take long before Richard Rawlings approached the said gearhead. While nothing has been officially confirmed, this should mean we'll get to see the Cougar on the Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud show.
Now, as mentioned in the intro, old-school muscle car fanatics might not be too happy about this, since the Gas Monkey Garage crew delivering the said show has a fetish for restomods. And, if we factor in the said rarity of the GT-E 427, this potential build can quickly turn into an opinion splitter. Then again, we can be certain that this Mercury Cougar will receive all the attention such a slab of America needs.
Well, the GT-E fitted with the monster that is the 427ci (7.0-liter) definitely qualifies for big muscle. Production for the GT-E kicked off halfway through the 1968 model year, only reaching 393 units: 356 of these came with the said 427, while the remaining 37 were fitted with the 428 Cobra Jet.
Nevertheless, those hunting for 427s back in the 1970s and the 1980s seems to have ruined quite a few Cougars, using their motors for Cobra kit cars.
Fortunately, the example sitting before us seems to have survived and recently showed up for grabs. An aficionado named Shaney Jenkins, who uses the Abandoned_Classics Instagram nickname, posted the Mercury on his page.
And, as it turns out, it didn't take long before Richard Rawlings approached the said gearhead. While nothing has been officially confirmed, this should mean we'll get to see the Cougar on the Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud show.
Now, as mentioned in the intro, old-school muscle car fanatics might not be too happy about this, since the Gas Monkey Garage crew delivering the said show has a fetish for restomods. And, if we factor in the said rarity of the GT-E 427, this potential build can quickly turn into an opinion splitter. Then again, we can be certain that this Mercury Cougar will receive all the attention such a slab of America needs.
Google News