1978 Mercury Cougar Brougham 4-door

Let's see better than one terrible pic.

https://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/6182724004.html

 

Pretty sure this is the same Cougar.

http://www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/threads/1978-mercury-cougar-brougham-4-door.42619/

 

It is, I just verified it.

 

Many more pics - looks incredible.

https://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/6182724004.html

 

All I would change is the styled steel wheel or cast aluminum turbine wheels. Whatever it has now is not correct.

 

Man, that is clean. Usually the woodgrain is worn at the edges of the steering wheel horn pad where it meets the wheel. That area looks to be in pristine condition. Was color keyed side trim an option? I don't remember seeing that before.

 

Part of the Décor Group option.

 

If it's a fourdoor, it's neither a Cougar nor Thunderbird anymore. Phoney cars should go cheap. Bargain hard, on these.
Nice car, nevertheless. It just bugs me that these relabeled intermediates get undeserved legendary badges. Shame on you, FoMoCo.

 

Well, I would have to say that since it's titled as a Mercury Cougar, and it has nameplates that say the same thing, that it IS a Cougar. Note though, that they did not attach the 'XR-7' name to the 4-door. That was reserved for the coupe.

Also, I'm pretty sure this 4-door vehicle I owned at one time was a Thunderbird: (sample pic)

 

I think it is really nice and priced quite well at $4000.

 

At least, that Thunderbird you owned had its own charachter and didn't share its underpinnings with other Fords. Since Mustangs and Cougars originated from the 1960 Falcon, I thought it underderving for Ford's rebadging it into another league. I don't know if the XR-7 was built simultaneous along side that "Cougar" which is the thread subject. But, how would you react to Ford rebadging some intermediate into a fourdoor Mustang, not forgetting that both Mustangs and Cougars originated from a compact vehicle?
In my book, the following is a Cougar. The one featured on this thread was accidently designed for the other Cougar. Namely, aging women chasing young guys:

 

While the original Mustang can trace it's lineage to the Falcon, the Cougar can not. The first Cougar, a 1967 model, was actually based on the mid-size '66 Fairlane / Comet platform. Still some original Falcon DNA in there, but both the '67 Mustang and Cougar were a bit larger (particularly wider) than the 1st-gen Mustang. They also had room in the engine bay for the big-block Ford engines (390, et al), which the original Mustang did not.

 

The 1969 Lincoln Continental Mark III was built from the 4-d00r Thunderbird chassis. There was over capacity for the 4-door Thunderbird (which was a longer wheelbase from the 2-door) hence the Mark III. It was Lee Iacocca's idea. History shows there a re very few totally original auto ideas or platforms.

 

Down to $3695 - looks incredible.

https://appleton.craigslist.org/cto/d/1978-mercury-cougar-4/6628413000.html