The 1960s saw the rise of a unique automotive segment: the pony car market. Named after Ford’s 1964 ½ Mustang, the cars in this category all followed the same “long hood/short deck” design set by the Mustang. At its peak, the pony car segment represented nearly 10 percent of automotive sales, making it a crucial and profitable part of Detroit’s offerings. By the late 1960s, every carmaker, except Cadillac and Lincoln, had entered the market. Ford largely dominated the segment, with the Plymouth Barracuda as its only competitor, until 1967 when Chevrolet and Pontiac launched the Camaro and Firebird. Not only did GM join the pony car race in ’67, but Ford also decided that Mercury, its corporate sibling, should compete as well.
This decision led to the creation of the Mercury Cougar, an upscale version of the Mustang. The Cougar featured hidden headlamps, sequential tail lamps, a more luxurious interior, and refined styling. In essence, the Cougar shared little with the Mustang. While the Ford Mustang was a blue-collar sports car, the Mercury Cougar aimed to be a luxury GT touring machine. The top-tier XR-7, introduced in mid-1967, offered wood-grain instrument panels, upgraded upholstery, and a four-speed gearbox. A GT package was also available, featuring a 320-horsepower 390 cubic-inch engine with low restriction exhaust, power disc brakes, a handling package, and wide oval tires. While not exactly a muscle car, the GT package was a well-rounded performance vehicle.
Mercury was initially hesitant to push the Cougar into the muscle car market, an arena already claimed by competitors like the SS396 Camaro and Ram Air 400 Firebird. By 1969, Ford’s Mustang was engaging in battle with these rivals, thanks to the 428 Cobra Jet Mach 1. Mercury could no longer remain on the sidelines. Midway through the year, the division entered the muscle car scene with the Eliminator. The name was borrowed from both a Cougar show car and the 1968 Cougar Eliminator funny car driven by “Dyno” Don Nicholson. The company believed that racing exposure would boost Mercury’s appeal with younger, performance-oriented buyers, the demographic most likely to drive high-performance cars.
Sporting bright colors, blacked-out grilles, body stripes, spoilers, and decals, the Eliminator was based on the standard Cougar but offered a variety of engine choices, ranging from moderate to powerful. The standard engine was a 351 cid V8, delivering 290 horsepower at 4800 rpm. Other options included the high-revving Boss 302, as well as two 428 cubic-inch Cobra Jets, both producing 335 horsepower at 5200 rpm, with or without ram air induction. The 390 engine, now in its final year, was available as well, producing 320 horsepower at 4600 rpm. Despite its performance pedigree, sales were modest, with only 2,250 units produced for the remainder of the 1969 model year.
Mercury ramped up the performance for the 1970 model year. The standard engine was a 351 four-barrel V8, either the Windsor or Cleveland, depending on availability. The Cleveland was the preferred option due to its canted valve design, which allowed for better cylinder flow. The Windsor engine produced 290 horsepower at 4800 rpm, while the Cleveland offered 300 horsepower at 5400 rpm. Also standard was a 3.25:1 rear axle and a performance handling package, which included F70x14 white-lettered tires.
For 1970, the Boss 302 engine was available as an option, the same engine used in the Boss 302 Mustang, producing 290 horsepower at 5800 rpm. The top-tier engine option was the Cobra Jet 428, delivering 335 horsepower at 5200 rpm. The cold air package Cobra Jet was rated the same as the non-ram air CJ. In a rare instance, at least one Eliminator was equipped with the Boss 429 engine, which had been installed in a limited number of Mustangs to homologate the engine for NASCAR racing. Regardless of engine choice, a floor-mounted three-speed manual transmission was standard, with the C6 automatic or a four-speed manual transmission available as options.
The Eliminator’s interior saw some updates in 1970, offering buyers 10 color choices, up from seven the previous year. Options included standard vinyl, Comfort-Weave vinyl, or black vinyl with white houndstooth check. The interior also came with high-back bucket seats, a black grain instrument panel, a 6,000-rpm tachometer (or 8,000 rpm for Boss 302 models), an “elapsed time” clock, and full instrumentation. For manual transmission models, a Hurst shifter with an aluminum “T” handle was standard, while automatic transmission cars came with a simulated wood-grain shift knob when the floor-mounted transmission was selected.
For 1970, the Eliminator’s exterior received several modifications. The grilles were blacked out, and a black center stripe ran from the grille split, up the center of the hood, and into the blacked-out hood scoop. Below the front bumper, a full-length black fiberglass chin spoiler was added. Along the upper beltline, three stripes extended from the front fender to the end of the quarter panel. The standard dual outside rearview mirrors had a racing-inspired design. Near the rear side marker lamp, an “ELIMINATOR” decal was placed on both sides. The deck lid featured a muscle car-style stand-up wing, which had a stripe with “ELIMINATOR” in the center, painted in the body color. The heavier deck lid required a stronger torque rod in the hinges to prevent it from slamming down and potentially causing injury. Additionally, the tail lamp surround was blacked out to draw attention.
While the Eliminator had the necessary performance features to qualify as a muscle car—or a muscular pony car—it struggled with its image. Image wasn’t built through graphics or flashy paint schemes; it was earned on the streets and at the local drag strip. It was established through victories, whether it was at the lights on Woodward Avenue in Detroit, on Van Nuys Boulevard in Southern California, or in the winner’s circle as Top Eliminator. This was territory dominated by the Mustang, Camaro, Firebird, and ’Cuda, with an occasional AMX making an appearance. The Eliminator’s problem was that it couldn’t quite capture that same image.
Mercury’s top pony car, the Eliminator, had the right name but struggled with the image. Despite its solid performance, the market didn’t give it the respect it deserved. Super Cars magazine tested an Eliminator 428 CJ with a four-speed transmission and recorded a quarter-mile time of 14.4 seconds at 99.88 mph, with a 0-60 time of 7.2 seconds. In comparison, the 1970 ½ Pontiac Trans Am, equipped with a 400 Ram Air engine producing 345 horsepower, ran the quarter in 14.1 seconds at 103.2 mph and had a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds, according to Car & Driver magazine. The AMX with a 402 cubic-inch engine generating 325 horsepower completed the quarter in 14.46 seconds at 95.61 mph, as tested by Super Stock & Drag Illustrated in September 1970. While these numbers showed the Eliminator was a decent performer, it lacked the image to break into the muscle car market. The public agreed, with only 2,267 Eliminators sold in 1970, while the more upscale XR-7 model sold 33,946 units.
The 1970 Eliminator marked Mercury’s last attempt at total performance with the Cougar. In 1971, the Cougar was restyled to resemble a smaller Thunderbird, with an emphasis on luxury. In that model year, 97 percent of all Cougars came with automatic transmissions, 75 percent had air conditioning, 80 percent featured front disc brakes, and 78 percent had tinted glass. If the saying “water finds its own level” holds true, the Cougar had found its place in the personal luxury market, where it would remain successful for many years.
The Competition Gold 1970 Cougar Eliminator pictured here is considered one of the best in the country. Greg Fritz bought it in September 2004 from Bill Quay, the head judge for the Cougar Club of America. Quay had fully restored the car in 1980, using as many NOS parts as possible. For the next 24 years, Quay showcased the Eliminator, helping establish the high standards for judging that the CCOA is known for.
Although the Eliminator is impeccably preserved, Greg isn’t afraid to drive it in Ramsey, Minn., from May to October before the snow arrives. In June, he drove it to the SAAC Midwest Meet in Tulsa, Okla., where he fitted racing tires and ceramic disc pads for some hot laps at Hallett road course. He then made his way to the drag strip, recording a 14.58-second quarter-mile at 97 mph. Afterward, he cleaned up the Eliminator and entered it in the Sunday show at the SAAC meet, where it won First Place in the Cougar class.
Greg’s Eliminator is well-equipped, featuring the 428 Cobra Jet with ram air, power steering, power disc brakes, styled steel wheels, and a four-speed gearbox with a 3.50:1 Traction Lok rear. The original black houndstooth interior, which reflects the car’s low 66,000 miles, includes an AM radio and sports console. While it’s hard to determine how many 1970 Eliminators are still in existence, Greg’s is undoubtedly one of the finest.