"You just don't see these, they're just not around," remarked Jay Leno as he looked at this restored 1969 Mercury Cougar. This particular Cougar is an Eliminator with the largest engine available, the potent 428 Cobra Jet V8. Of the 2,250 Cougar Eliminators produced that year, only 302 were optioned with the (heavily underrated) 335-horsepower 428, so there aren't many survivors still around today. Leno spoke to the owner, Emmett Abner, and took the car out for a spin to truly enjoy it.
Restored Cougar Eliminator on Jay Leno's Garage
Jay Leno says he used to refer to cars like the Cougar Eliminator as "banker's hot rods — cars for the young hip guy who likes some power, but [wants something] a cut above the Mustang." While any Cougar Eliminator was a cool car, the 428 Cobra Jet with Ram Air was the cream of the crop, and this one is a great example.
Abner, the owner, says this car was restored with some mild modifications. Although it was originally a Bright Blue Metallic car with blue vinyl interior, it was repainted Competition Blue and the interior upholstery was changed to black. Many of the moldings and trim are still original to the car.
The original steel wheels and hubcaps were replaced with a set of Magnum 500 wheels with Cougar center caps, and these fit the look of this car perfectly. They're wrapped in white-letter BF Goodrich Radial T/A tires.
This car is powered by the legendary 428ci V8, specifically an R-Code Ram Air equipped model. Abner added dual radiator fans for improved cooling in the California heat, and a bigger cam to boost horsepower to nearly 500hp. It's paired with a C-6 three-speed automatic transmission.
Check out the full 24-minute episode below to hear more of Leno's thoughts on this very cool Mercury Cougar:
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