Ford Cougar (Europe)
| Ford Cougar (Europe) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford Europe |
| Also called | Mercury Cougar (United States) |
| Production | 1998–2002 |
| Assembly | Flat Rock, Michigan, United States/Köln, Germany |
| Designer | Darrell Behmer |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Sport coupe |
| Body style | 2-door coupe |
| Layout | Front engine, front-wheel-drive |
| Related | Ford Mondeo |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine |
2.0 L Zetec 2.5 L Duratec V6 |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual 4-speed automatic |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 2,704 mm (106.5 in) |
| Length | 4,699 mm (185.0 in) |
| Width | 1,769 mm (69.6 in) |
| Height | 1,308 mm (51.5 in) |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Probe |
| Successor | Ford Mustang |
The Ford Cougar is a coupe that was produced and sold in the European market between 1998 and 2002, and sold in Canada and the United States from 1999 to 2002 as the Mercury Cougar. The car was originally intended to be the third generation Probe, but after a rationalization of the three coupés available in the United States, the Probe name was dropped in favor of the Cougar. It is an example of a sports coupe/liftback.
The Cougar was Ford's second attempt to reintroduce a sports coupe in Europe, in the same vein as the successful but long absent Capri – the first attempt having been the Mazda MX-6 based Probe. Just as the Capri had been based on the Cortina, the Cougar was based on the large family car available at the time, the Mondeo.
It premiered in December 1998 to mixed reviews, partly due to the then new and controversial New Edge styling, a crisp style which was subsequently applied to most of the Ford range. Unlike its famous forebearer, the Capri, Cougar sales were never brisk, despite good reports of the model as a "driver's car".
Like its (indirect) predecessor, the Ford Probe, the 1998 Cougar was sold and built in the United States. Cars destined to be sold in Europe and the United Kingdom were finished in Ford's Köln plant in Germany, where the cars had European specification lighting installed, Ford badges applied (and in the case of United Kingdom and Australian cars, converted to RHD); in the United States, it had different branding, in this case being branded as the Mercury Cougar, while in Europe and Australia, it was known as the Ford Cougar.
In the United Kingdom, Ford unveiled the car in July 1998, at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone. The television advertisements featured the silver model driven by Dennis Hopper due to his appearance in the film Easy Rider. At the same time, Steppenwolf's hit from 1968, "Born To Be Wild" played, as this was featured in the film and the same scene the advertisement recreated.
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