1-in-3 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator Asks Hellcat Widebody Jailbreak Money and Then Some

In 1967, the Mercury Cougar emerged as the more luxurious and well-mannered version of the Ford Mustang. In 1969, the Cougar received its ultimate arsenal when the horsepower wars called for all cars fit for duty to honor their high-compression allegiances. Enter the Eliminator, a performance package produced for just two model years (just like the Boss 302 and its heavy-weight 429 brother) on top of the Mercury Cougar pony car.

The Eliminator was a true fighting machine covered with all the war paints. Ticking the special performance box on a Cougar ordering form brought significant upgrades to the go-fast kind inside and out. Exterior changes were loud and proud, from the front spoiler, air-grabbing hood scoop, rear deck wing, and dual side mirrors. A simple black stripe and ‘Eliminator’ scripting continued the blackout treatment of the front grille and rear taillight fascia.

Inside, fake wood was replaced by black trim on the dash, with a full instrument cluster, including a tach and a clock, coming as standard. The Eliminator was a true-performance car, so leather upholstery was kept out of its seats. But that didn’t matter to a discerning buyer looking for something to trim the rear tires faster—what was really important was lurking beneath the hood.

In the version’s first year, 1969, the standard motor was a four-barrel 351 Windsor, which was ditched in favor of the more apt 300-horse 351-Cleveland 4-V in 1970. The newly introduced Boss 302 sat a step above, grafted right out of the eponymous Mustang. Rated at 290 horsepower, the high-winding, solid-lifter 302 cubic-inch (4.9 liters) engine sported an 8,000-RPM tach instead of the standard 6,000-RPM clock.

But the cheery on top was the 335-horse 428 Cobra Jet, offered in either a locked-up package or with a Ram Air induction system that sucked cold air and shoved it straight into the air cleaner. The nefarious 428-big-inch (seven liters) Cobra Jet was already a staple of performance after the Winternationals triumph of 1968, particularly after the Shelby GT500KR. In the Cougar, the cut-throat engine was paired with a four-speed manual or a C6 three-speed automatic.

A beefed-up handling package with power disc brakes and styled steel wheels complemented the firepower (allegedly 335 horses and 440 lb-ft / 340 PS, 597 Nm). Not many customers checked the Eliminator box on their papers despite the Cougar’s high popularity.  100,085 Mercury Cougars were assembled for the 1969 model year, but just 2,250 were Eliminators. A finer mesh would sieve the 302 examples armed with the big-block 428 four-barrel Cobra Jet. Two hundred forty-three had a functional hole in the hood to ram air into the thirty motor, and 162 came with an automatic.

Four color tones—Competition Orange, Bright Yellow, Bright Blue Metallic, and White—were applied to the Cougar Eliminator in 1969. The first two shades were the most popular, with 83 of each. The most popular combo was a Bright Yellow livery with black hi-back bucket seats and automatic transmission (53 examples). Still, just 30 had the performance telltale sign on the hood—the tie-down pins.

Three of those 30 deleted the AM Radio option; of the remaining 27, three were optioned with Manual Steering and Manual Drum Brakes. All three were identical copies and came to a district sales office in Atlanta, Georgia. Apart from the Eliminator Equipment package, the trio was fitted with the Eliminator Decor Group and the Competition Handling Package.

All in all, the window sticker of either of the three was a healthy $4077.10, roughly equivalent to $34,902.53 at the July 2024 purchasing power of the American currency. Triple that number, and you’re in the market for one – the one in the photo gallery. 79,967 miles on the clock (128,694 km) is quite the road experience for this street brawler, but it doesn’t show its age – courtesy of the miracles of a restoration job. (The dial numbers’ lack of alignment makes me wonder if this car doesn’t have almost 180,000 statute miles / about 290k kilometers).

The car has been through several hands, as evidenced by a quick look-up of its VIN, but whoever had it knew how to protect the investment and performed preventive maintenance regularly. Shock dampeners, belts, hoses, and tires aren’t original anymore (it would have been suspicious if they were claimed as such at that mileage). Nonetheless, the critical aspect is that the 428 Cobra Jet quad-venturi Ram Air V8 engine works just fine – play the video at the bottom and hear it burble.

The selling dealership presents this 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator as a good investment and an equally good opportunity to win prizes at car shows or just attract a crowd. The car is no stranger to either, as it has a grille emblem to boast its 2006 Antique Automobile Club of America Senior National First Prize. The car is offered for sale on eBay, with a $99,000 price, but it's not an open bid for it, so whoever wants to test the waters needs to contact the seller directly.