Last month, my essay featuring a Jaguar XJ6 from the mid-’80s prompted memories of one of the cats in my childhood household, a tiger-striped tom named Chester. In that piece, I had loosely compared that Jaguar to a black cat, and even though Chester didn’t have black fur, many recollections posted from commenters about the cats they had known and loved made me think of Chet. My brother had named him, but it took little time for me to realize how perfectly his name seemed to fit him. He was a Chester. When I think of characterizations of house cats in popular culture, the word “aloof” often comes to mind. I have been around cats for much of my life and have known many that needed to approach you instead of being approached. Chester was not like that at all. He was almost dog-esque in his demonstrative nature, boisterous personality, and loudness, being very capable of projecting his meow.
Chester would reciprocate your affection immediately, rewarding you with a loud purr that sounded like a small diesel engine, and with the “slow blink” by which he showed you that the two of you were cool. Chester was there with me during the completion of many homework assignments and the compiling of mixtapes in my lower-level bedroom, sometimes forcing his way through the door that was partially wedged shut with just his pointy face and the fully-thrust weight of his body. There was no way to expel him once he had basically invited himself into your room. It’s like he had decided for both of you that he was supposed to be there, and you couldn’t argue. As I had also mentioned in that Jaguar essay, he seemed to possess a certain skill with sensing when I wasn’t feeling my best, either physically or emotionally, and he would sometimes tone down his antics and simply be present with me without doing a thing. I loved him.
1994 Mercury Cougar XR7 brochure page, as sourced from www.oldcarbrochures.org.
In that picture above, he was in early adolescence in cat-years. He wasn’t a little kitten anymore, but he wasn’t quite an adult. He looks lean, spry, and alert, and he was. Once he had hit adulthood, though, he was a whole lot of cat. I am not body shaming Chester for what could be characterized as a big-boned appearance, nor was he the in-the-fur embodiment of Garfield, but at some point, his lean appearance in that photo was gone. He was still a cat, though, so he was plenty graceful, balanced, and fascinating to watch when he would leap onto things. It’s just that he was so… big. One of my brothers had said he was “oaf-like”. That seemed harsh (it still does, actually), but the truth is that I couldn’t completely disagree. Chester could still jump onto the mantle of our fake fireplace in the living room, but it was as if he wasn’t aware anymore of how big he was, and the occasional thing would go crashing to the floor. His heart was still as big as he was.
Chester’s metamorphosis reminds me a little bit of that of the Mercury Cougar. A recent online purchase of a 1:18 scale die cast model of a first-year ’67 Cougar XR-7 (pictured above and below) has had me reevaluating and re-appreciating the brilliance of that car’s combination of style, performance, and distinctive personality. Even at CC, at least one writer has heralded the first Cougar as Mercury’s “greatest hit”. The Cougar is one of those nameplates that was eventually affixed to an unusually wide array of vehicles and body styles, ranging from two- and four-door sedans, a front-drive compact hatchback, a midsize personal luxury coupe, and even a station wagon for just one year. At least by the time that our featured ’95 was built, the Cougar was again exclusively a two-door coupe offered in different trim levels. It was so much less confusing by the mid-’80s to know what a Mercury Cougar was.
Visually, the ’95 looks like a much bigger car than the ’67, but how much so was it in reality? I was surprised to learn that the size of the newer car isn’t as far off from the original as I had assumed. The ’67 was 190.3 inches long on a 111.0″ wheelbase, 71.2″ wide, 51.8″ tall, and had a starting weight in base form of almost exactly 3,000 pounds. The ’95, by contrast, was just under 200.0″ long on a 113.0″ wheelbase, 72.7″ wide, and 52.5″ tall, weighing about 500 lbs. more. The only significant difference in dimensions is in the length of both cars, much of which could be attributed to larger bumpers. Unlike the V8-only original, the ’95 came standard with a 140-horsepower, 3.8 liter V6, with a 205-hp 4.6L V8 being optional. (The standard 289 in the ’67 had 200 horsepower.) Sales of 60,200 for ’95 seem pretty good to me for a car that was in the seventh year of this basic design. The interior had been given a redo in ’94 to great effect, as depicted in the brochure page featured earlier.
I think there was still plenty of cat-like flavor in this ’95 Cougar, and absent the idiosyncratic, reverse-slant of the C-pillars of the previous design, some of these Cougars could be quite attractive, formal rear window and all. Just like Chester had grown from a spry, agile kitten to a big cat with thick, luxurious fur, the Cougar had also grown and changed many times. The handling benefits of its four-wheel independent suspension likely offset some of the disadvantages of its extra weight relative to the ’67. By ’95, the Cougar had traded its original athletic, lithe physique for something just a little thicker in a car that, while still powerful with a V8, seemed like it just wanted you to feel good above all else. This is and was the most Chester-like thing possible.
Pilsen, Chicago, Illinois.
Saturday, April 27, 2024.
I briefly had a base model Cougar of this generation as a company car. The V6 was a reasonable performer for the times. The car was well made and I remember thinking Ford had gotten it together with quality. Ride and handling were impressive and overall I really liked it. It would be fun to find a well preserved survivor and see if my memory matches reality.
Nice! I haven’t read anything about the initial quality of these cars, but I’d like to think that by this time this ’95 was built, any issues would have been sorted out. I always like reading of positive experiences with featured cars.
Sitting right next to a fire pĺuùg waiting for a ticket.
Where? I don’t see a fire pluug.
I don’t see any fire hydrant (what’s a fire plug? Is that a regional term?) but it does seem to be pretty far from the curb, and sticking out into what looks like a bike lane. Fail.
For me, Mercury’s “greatest hit” was the ‘49; that’s before I was born but it remained an iconic sled through much of my youth. The ‘67-68 Cougar wasn’t bad … but by this generation the formal roofline just took away much that I liked about the Thunderbird. And still so much better than the last gen Cougar …
I had a new 94 in this very 90s color scheme with the v8. It had a host of problems, mostly loose rattling things that drove me crazy. The transmission wasn’t quite matched to the engine either. I should have gone with my gut at the time and got a tbird SC, oh well.
Sorry to read. It sounds like you and HondaDriver (above) had different experiences with these. And I agree – this whole pine green, “Eddie Bauer” thing was a very ’90s color scheme.
Along with teal and that pink/purple color.
I always liked it even more than the Mustang. One of the best American cars in history.
It’s really a shame that Ford decided to end Mercury. In addition to having better cars, it was always superior to Lincoln in sales, even in its last years.
I did appreciate that little extra “Mercury spice” the brand had to offer most of the time. I only wish the brand had been more clearly differentiated toward the end of its run.
My parents bought a ’95 Cougar in late ’95. It was one of those “program cars” one could easily get at the time…I suppose saying “program car” sounds better than saying “former rental”.
Theirs had the V6. I had read a review about a 3.8 powered Cougar or T-Bird which said that engine made a lot of commotion but not much locomotion. Yes, it was a touch too vocal but it did okay with acceleration. It was enough to earn my mother a couple of speeding tickets during her 35 mile rural commute. This was why that car went away within about two or three years, something that had never happened with such low mileage with my parents.
That red Cougar also had a moonroof, which was intrusive enough for me to avoid such when I got my Thunderbird in 1996.
About cats…I think we are taking an extended hiatus from them at our house.
Jason, I hadn’t realized that a sunroof would have cut into headroom that significantly. We’re the same height, IIRC. Touching the headliner of any car with my shiny, bald head would be a dealbreaker, I think. I’d probably just rake the seat back a little further.
I’m surprised that with all the sound deadening I’d presume these cars to have that the NVH from the engine would be a thing.
I don’t think I ever sat in one of those Cougars, certainly they were never common even when new. Worth mentioning is those fibreglass 1950 Ford nose kits that are available to fit the Cougar.
Our cat hiatus is going on 20 years now. We always had a cat when I was growing up but somehow I have become fantastically allergic to them in adulthood.
I’ve lived with 16 cats over the years and each one had a more interesting personality than a Cougar of this vintage.
That’s a lot of cats! Which is great. These may not be the most memorable right now (this generation stayed in production for a really long time), but I’ll bet these Cougars rate highly compared to a few other iterations on the daily liveability scale.
I’ve had two MN12(s), both were T-Birds though. The ’94 had the 4.6L-V8 and the ’97 had the 3.8L-V6.
Regarding the Essex engine, I agree with the assessment mentioned above by Jason that “[the] engine made a lot of commotion but not much locomotion.” Although I will say that the ’97’s V6 was a whole lot better MY 1983’s V6.
The 4.6L-V8 in the 1994 T-Bird was great, but sometimes I felt that my ’88 5.0 T-Bird was faster. Most likely it was just a perception thing.
All of these T-Birds were more reliable than my ’88 Turbo Coupe however.
Yes, I’ve had a lot of T-Birds, but never a Cougar, although I do like them. ’67-’69 being my favorites.
Sometimes my Cairn Terrier Molly acts like a cat, but this is common with terriers as they were bred to do the same job… chase rodents. I once had a very large Ragdoll Cat that acted like a dog. He’d play fetch and even walk on a leash. Much like your cat Joseph, he started out lithe and we named him Fireball. Later in life, he got very large as happens with this breed when you ‘fix’ them. Butterball would have been a more appropriate name. 🤣
Rick, I had to look up the Ragdoll cat breed (I learn many things at CC), and wow – I had no idea that was an actual breed. There are lots of friendly cats out there – just as many that are more independent. Which is also fine.
I did like the 1970 restyle of the ’69 overhaul which gave the Cougar a slightly more prominent nose. The ’71 lost me a little bit, but I can find something to like about most generations.
In the early 80’s, I liked the Thunderbird more than the Cougar and that lasted till 1988 models. In 1989 when they changed the body style, it flipped and I then liked the Cougar more. I’ve never owned one (of either), but I did try to buy one around 1995. It was brand new, white pearl with the tan leather and loaded with V8 as well. I loved the way those cars drove and felt. I wasn’t able to make the deal at that time and 2 doors have now gone into the trash bin for me now that I have 2 kids. Who knows. Maybe some day I’ll stumble upon one just like that used in really nice shape.
Dan, I do hope you find a nice example when the time is right for you. Who knows? My favorite of this Cougar generation was right after its first tweaking for 1992 (?). The little details like the taillamps, etc. seemed just right. I also thought the monochrome XR7s from the early years looked particularly attractive.
I always liked this generation Cougar, although I thought the “grille” insert was a bit cheesy. They could have done better with that. The ’94 interior redesign was a homerun in my mind.
Can’t believe I’m adding this tidbit, but the Cougar was available as a wagon two distinct times – in ’77, and again in ’82.
Love what you said about Chester – my cat relates to someone strictly on her time and terms. Has no regard to what you’re doing. It’s MY time, buster.
Dave, I completely forgot about the Fairmont-based Cougar wagon. Completely. Oops!
That independence thing with cats can be a double-edged thing. On the one hand, they take care of their own business and all you have to do is clean the litter box. On the other hand, being used to doing things for themselves, some of them can take or leave their hunan roommates where company is concerned. They’ll find us when it’s time for a meal.
I’ll go “plus 1” with Honda Driver and say that my similar-generation T-Bird with the V6 was pretty much faultless. I thought of it as a “for-purpose” vehicle. I bought it in the early nineties one-year-old as a business ride in SoCal. It was perfect for that. I’m pretty sensitive to car rattles and this one had almost none. The only criticism was from a couple of friends in car-conscious Cali who insinuated that I was driving a rental.
I’ll bet your Thunderbird was way more comfortable than some of the cars that car-conscious California car people would have considered acceptable.
Cool cat! I know you say that Chester was tiger-striped, but at least in your photo he looks a bit cheetah-spotted. Which of course brings to mind Chester Cheetah (aka Chester Cheeto).
Jeff! When I was writing this, I had to pause and wonder if my brother had inadvertently named Chester for delicious junk food mascot Chester Cheetah. “It ain’t easy bein’ cheesy.” Golden.
I always preferred the Thunderbirds to Cougars in the 80s, but I liked that Ford made the two so distinctive from one another. As for the cats, I will enjoy them while visiting children.
I agree that Ford the parent company did a great job with differentiating the Thunderbird and Cougar – much moreso than with other common-platform examples in the brand’s umbrella.
It was 1969, I was a senior in high school, and I wanted a 1969 Cougar XR7 convertible something bad. But I had my T-Bird so was happy. Still want that Cougar but have my current 1966 T-Bird conv., so still happy.
I have had cats my entire life and so many travel stories I could write a book. My black cat found me one night in Houston when I was at a local club for happy hour. After a few cocktails I came out to my Eldo conv., top down in the parking lot, and there in the front seat was this little black kitten. I named her Mehitabel from a 1930 story, “Archie and Mehitabel”. The story is narrated by Archie a very literate cockroach where he writes about his cat friend Mehitabel, a French lady cat of questionable morals. After all, my Mehitabel picked me up outside of a bar. She was with me for 21 years and we traveled to more states and countries than most people experience in a lifetime. We were only separated for a short time in 2001, when I went to teach for only one semester in the Middle East (turned into two years). I had a condo in Dallas, and Mehitabel and two other cats (and my car) stayed with my other half in our NYC apt. Well 9/11 happened, did not turn out well. The apt. was wrecked because windows left open, but cats were quickly rescued. I was on the second flight out of the Middle East to NYC, thanks to the US embassy, and I was back to the ME in 24 hours with three cats. I had adopted two Arab cats so now I had five. Hit and miss with security alerts the following year, so when we hit a concerning security level, me and five cats just flew to Bangkok and no customs issues, again thanks to the US embassy. Time came to return to Dallas with five cats. Of course I had an accident just days before returning to the States, I was on crutches and required a wheelchair at airports. My employer, helped with the first class arrangements for me and fur babies. When traveling with pets from the ME to States, layover best in Amsterdam where they have an airport pet hotel.
Many more stories, so many beloved cats have passed. I ended up in Canada for 18 years and after all my US cats passed, I adopted two older Canadian cats, now with me in the US.