This Cougar Eliminator has been with its current owner for nearly ten years and is finished in Competition Yellow, sometimes called the Orange Grabber on Ford vehicles. And he made the best of that time by using the muscle car as a daily driver. And considering the old paintwork, repairs from previous problems, and the large patch of color that has disappeared from the B-pillar on the left, this Mercury has received a lot of action in its 50 years of public traffic. Definitely more than the typical Eliminator.
One of the rarest variants of the first generation Cougar, the Eliminator has been on the hunt for collectibles for several years now. So owners most of the time want to keep them in a heated garage. At least seeing someone like this, still enjoying the road as intended, is amazing.
And, no, this Eliminator isn’t powered by a Boss 302-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) or a Cleveland 351-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) V8. This is a full-fledged Super Cobra Jet variant, powered by a 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) FE engine. This Merc is the most powerful Cougar ever made, with 335 hp at the rear.
It’s also quite rare, as Mercury only sold 2,268 Cougar Eliminators for the 1970 model year. Not convinced? Well, you should know that only 182 units with 428 V8s and 4-speed manual transmissions, like this one here. And only 85 of them are Super Cobra Jets. It can be said that less than ten people have completed the Gold Contest.
Should the owner restore this Cougar to its former glory or keep it that way? Honestly, I would choose the second option, but that’s just me. Either way, this Eliminator not only looks like a piece, but it also sounds great, so check out the video below.
That’s me and my Eliminator. Mercury called it Competition Gold (not comp yellow), while Ford called it Grabber Orange.