Upscale Muscle

The first Mercury cars were introduced to the public in October 1938, where they offered an interim step between the Ford De Luxe models and the Lincoln-Zephyr. The Depression was beginning to wind down and Americans were at long last starting to do more than simply survive. The middle-priced Mercury was the right car for that time. When the upsized 1974 Mercury Cougar debuted 35 years later, the upheaval in the world made it the right car for its time.

Imagine it’s the late fall of 1973. You walk into the Mercury dealer, perhaps drawn in by “The Sign of the Cat.” The feline slogan advertising Mercury was inspired by the Cougar’s popularity and,