1967 Mercury Cougar and Ford Mustang Compared

Ford's late, somewhat lamented Mecury brand seldom produced cars that I find interesting from a styling perspective.  The one true gem was "Bob" Gregorie's 1949 design.  Another that was quite good was the initial Mercury Cougar that I wrote about here in my post "Mercury Cougar: The First, Best Generation."

It was a brief post that I want to elaborate upon here with reference to its Ford Motor Company "Pony Car" stablemate, the Mustang.  Mustang was launched with great success during the 1964 model year, and Cougars appeared for 1967 and maintained its same design with minor detail changes for 1968.  Model year 1969 saw a lesser Cougar design that I might discuss another time.

Early Mustangs and Cougars shared key body structure elements despite having different wheelbases (108.0 inches, 2743 mm for Mustang, 111.0 inches 2819 mm for Cougar).  Much of the brands' sheetmetal differed, providing sufficiently unique identity for marketing purposes.

As mentioned in the post linked above, I prefer Cougar's styling to Mustang's.

Images below are of cars listed for sale.

Gallery

Mustangs were facelifted for 1967.  They received a restyled, slightly longer front end and different side sculpting.  These changes were in the spirit of the original design, so the average viewer in 1967 might have considered Mustang design as "freshened," but still very Mustang-like.

A 1967 Cougar.  Comparing this photo with the one above, I have trouble finding where the difference in wheelbase length appears.  Usually such differences are forward of the firewall/cowling, but here I wonder if some might be between the aft door cutline and the rear wheel opening.  Similarities are the A-pillars and door cutlines.  Otherwise, body cladding essentially differs.  The most distinctive '67 Cougar feature is the fenderline's "kickup" by the leading edge of the C-pillar: I always liked it.

The grille opening is larger and better integrated than that of the original Mustang, but maintains its character.

The Cougar's grille is less fussy than the Mustang's -- especially that of the original Mustang.  Grille bars are vertical, like those on 1946-1958 Mercurys.  Whereas the early Mustangs had a "sporty" character, the new Cougar seemed more refined.

The Cougar's rear, like its front, has greater overhang than Mustang's.  The vertical grille bars motif is echoed in the taillight assembly zone.  Both cars' trunk lids were nested between tops of fenders -- or in the Cougar's case, a minimal sail panel.