Lucas Bell 
The original Mercury Cougar has never enjoyed the same amount of love and attention as its Ford Mustang stablemate. The Cougar arrived in 1967 as a more luxurious pony car, with a longer wheelbase, loads of sound deadening, and Jaguar-inspired interior treatments. And while the car was offered exclusively with a trio of V8 engines, it never became a performance icon like its platform-shared sibling. By the time Mercury went away in 2010, the nameplate was better associated with a FWD coupe than the V8-powered muscle car of the 1960s. Thanks to the team over at Ringbrothers however, this view might just change. That is because this Ringbrothers Mercury Cougar XR7 is a seriously beautiful pro-touring pony car.
This 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7 built by Ringbrothers is a bit different from most of their pro-touring creations. Unlike the shop’s other projects which feature intensely modified bodywork, this car retains its factory sheet metal. That might be one of the only bits that can be traced back to the 1960s however, as the car has undergone a thorough makeover. Under the hood sits a 5.0L Coyote V8 engine, which produces 460 horsepower. The engine is mated to 10-speed automatic transmission, which can be found in the Ford F-150 Raptor. Detroit Speed provided an upgraded Quadra-Link suspension setup, which works in tandem with a set of forged HRE Series C1 wheels. Those wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and hide a set of 14-inch Baer Pro+ brakes at all four corners. She might look like an old girl, but this Cougar can surely get down.
The Ringbrothers Mercury Cougar is finished in Ford’s Augusta Green Metallic, which was supplied by the folks at BASF. It’s a unique color choice, which complements the vintage-style tan interior nicely. That said, we could have done without the modern shift lever situated in the console. Overall this car might not be as extreme as other Ringbrothers projects, but it is a genuine stunner nonetheless. In fact, this might just be one of the coolest Mercury Cougars we’ve ever seen. Not that we’d expect anything less from Ringbrothers.
