Mercury Cougar V8 engines covered a wide spread in just seven model years. Between 1967 and 1973, a buyer could order anything from a 195-hp 289 to a 390-hp 427 with racing roots. Nine V8 families made the order sheet, and the lineup changed almost every season.
This list counts only engines Mercury actually offered. So it leaves out the 429 promised for 1969, because only one or two were built, and those went to drag racing. Each entry also gives the years, the ratings and one detail from the records.
1. 1967–1968 Mercury Cougar 289 V8
The first Cougar started out with small-block power. For 1967, the engine choices began with two 289-cubic-inch V8s, one rated at 200 bhp and one at 225 bhp. Mercury built 150,893 Cougars that first year, and 27,221 of them were XR-7s.
Those figures come from Hagerty’s 1967 Cougar guide. The 289 also made a brief comeback. According to Hagerty’s 1968 Cougar profile, a 195-bhp 289 became available for the base car later in 1968.
2. 1968 Mercury Cougar 302 V8
For 1968, the 302 took over as the base engine. Hagerty lists it at 210 bhp with a two-barrel carburetor, while a four-barrel brought 230 bhp.
The Over-Drive Magazine 1968 Cougar fact sheet carries the same two ratings. Meanwhile, demand slipped that year. Hagerty counts 113,726 Cougars for 1968, and 32,712 of them were XR-7s.
3. 1967–1969 Mercury Cougar 390 V8
The 390 Marauder V8 sat at the top of the 1967 list with 320 bhp. It came in the $325.85 GT performance package, which also brought heavy-duty suspension, dual exhaust and disc brakes. Motor Trend timed a 390 Cougar from 0 to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds, as Hagerty notes.
Then the 390 split into two tunes for 1968: 280 bhp with a two-barrel and 325 bhp with a four-barrel. Oddly, the 280-bhp version came only with an automatic. By 1969 the two-barrel was gone, and Hagerty’s 1969 profile says only the 320-bhp four-barrel remained.
4. 1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 427 V8
No Cougar engine carried a higher rating than the 427. Hagerty calls it the NASCAR-based 390-bhp 427 and says it came only in the high-performance GT-E. In addition, it came only with a three-speed automatic.
The GT-E was also a small run. The Over-Drive fact sheet counts 394 GT-E models for 1968. Of those, 357 carried the 427, while the other 37 got the 428 Cobra Jet.
5. 1968–1970 Mercury Cougar 428 Cobra Jet V8
The 428 Cobra Jet replaced the 427 partway through 1968. Its 335-hp rating was lower on paper. However, Over-Drive notes that a four-speed manual became available once the Cobra Jet arrived.
For 1969, the Over-Drive 1969 fact sheet lists the 428 CJ across the entire line. A ram-air option added a hood scoop and F70x14 tires. Hagerty says the Super Cobra Jet version was good for about 400 bhp, and it also got GT40 forged connecting rods and an oil cooler. The 335-bhp Cobra Jet was still on the 1970 list.
6. 1969–1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator Boss 302 V8
Ford’s high-revving Boss 302 reached the Cougar through the Eliminator, which Hagerty says arrived in March 1969. Over-Drive rates the engine at 290 hp at 5,800 rpm and 290 lb-ft at 4,300 rpm. It was an Eliminator-only option, so no other Cougar could get one.
Hagerty adds that the Boss was rated at 290 bhp but made quite a bit more in reality. For 1970, the solid-lifter engine came only with a four-speed, according to Hagerty’s 1970 Cougar profile. That year it also had a functional hood scoop, and Over-Drive lists its compression at 10.5:1.
7. 1969–1970 Mercury Cougar 351 Windsor V8
The 351 Windsor became the Cougar’s base V8 for 1969. In two-barrel form, it made 250 hp at 4,600 rpm and 355 lb-ft at 2,600 rpm, according to Over-Drive’s 1969 specs.
A four-barrel version made 290 hp at 4,800 rpm and was standard on the Eliminator. Hagerty credits high compression and dual exhausts for its extra 40 bhp. The two-barrel Windsor stayed on the 1970 list. By then, however, it shared its 250-hp rating with a new two-barrel Cleveland.
8. 1970–1973 Mercury Cougar 351 Cleveland V8
The 351 Cleveland joined the lineup for 1970, and Hagerty points out its angled valves, like the 302’s. The Over-Drive 1970 Cougar fact sheet rates the four-barrel at 300 hp at 4,800 rpm. It was also the Eliminator’s base engine that year.
For 1971, Hagerty lists 240 bhp with a two-barrel and 280 bhp with a four-barrel, which brought a high-lift cam and four-bolt mains. Later the ratings switched to net horsepower. The Cougar club’s 351 Cobra Jet records rate that engine at 266 net hp and count 3,560 of them for 1972 and 3,288 for 1973. For 1973, the club notes, the only other 351 left was the base two-barrel.
9. 1971 Mercury Cougar 429 Cobra Jet V8
A 375-bhp Boss 429 had appeared on the 1970 list, but Hagerty says reports indicate only two cars got one. For 1971, the big-block option became the 429 Cobra Jet. According to Hagerty’s 1971 Cougar profile, it made 370 bhp with or without Ram Air.
It lasted only that one year. Hagerty’s 1971–73 Cougar notes put 429 CJ production at 448, including 47 convertibles. Mercury also sold just 723 Cougar GT coupes for 1971.
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