1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator Coupe

Cougars were raced in the SCCA Trans-Am Series with success during 1967, with Parnelli Jones, Ed Leslie, Peter Revson, David Pearson, and Dan Gurney among those who piloted them — including a famous 1-2 finish at Green Valley Raceway in Texas. That racing heritage spawned a succession of special models, culminating in the Eliminator package debuting for 1969. More than just a paint-and-tape kit, checking the Eliminator option box meant substantial performance-flavored upgrading inside and out: a front spoiler, hood scoop, rear deck wing, passenger-side mirror, distinctive black stripe package, and blackout treatment of the front grille and rear taillight fascia.

The recipient of a complete restoration in the early 2010s, this Cougar was subsequently placed and displayed in the Lingenfelter Collection in Brighton, Michigan, among some of the most desirable and fastest sports and supercars in the world. The Grand Rapids Classics Auto Museum took ownership in the spring of 2024. Following the guidance of its Deluxe Marti Report, original window sticker, and original build sheet during the restoration, this example was finished in Competition Blue — the same as when it rolled out of the Dearborn plant.

, it was equipped with the Eliminator Package, three-speed manual transmission, middle console, AM/8-track stereo radio, and competition suspension, and has since been upgraded with a desirable 4-speed manual transmission. Its menacing muscle car look is rounded out by concealed dual headlights that appear with the pull of a knob. Equipped with a 300-horsepower 351-cubic-inch OHV V-8 engine, this well-maintained 1970 Cougar Eliminator represents everything the muscle car era was all about.