Ah yes, the Cougar. Nowadays of course the word means something entirely different, and we're not talking about spotty cats here. Well, not the ones that move around on all fours. At least... oh, never mind.
Back in the late '90s Ford fancied the notion of reviving the Capri. They'd already had a go with the Probe, and the Mazda MX-6 before that. The idea with the Cougar was to make something that looked like a million dollars, or a few hundred anyway, with a decent motor bunged under a smoothly Brylcreemed body and some comfy leather seats in the cabin.
The recipe sounded good, and it should have worked, but the Cougar's disappointingly uninspiring drive (and perhaps its Mondeo heritage) dragged it down from the word go. Rather than a million dollar motor it had about as much contemporary appeal as a barrowload of Weimar Republic Papiermarken. After receiving a frosty reception from the gentlemen of the press, it trooped sadly off the stage in 2002 after only four years in production.
Still, time moves on, and tastes change. As a marker for the early days of Ford's New Edge styling and an alternative to the spine-splinteringly hard-riding motors we're being fed by today's carmakers, the leather-lined Cougar should have a more than passing interest to Shedmen - especially one like this privately owned specimen sporting a healthy service history.
The Cougar we were intending to feature was a very nice £990 one in Melina Blue with 84K miles and a fat history file, but it sold just as Shed was writing about it. Fortunately, PH Classifieds came to the rescue with this equally nice (and similarly well cared for) option, albeit with a few more miles.
The V6 Cougar is actually a pretty reliable old thing. Apart from the usual rubbishy Ford air-con it did have an issue with the IMRC control unit atop the front cylinder bank that managed the secondary inlet butterflies. When the gears inside the box became sticky (as they did, through heat build up) you'd end up with insufficient power to pull the skin off custard at engine speeds above 3,200rpm or so. Cougar aficionados fixed it by removing the plastic cover to boost cooling to the box and doshing a dod of graphite lube in there to keep the wheels a-spinning.
Early V6 water pumps suffered from plastic impeller failure, resulting in cooked heads. All-metal pumps are of course available today so this is not a problem. Nor is cambelt failure as the cams are chain driven. ST Mondeo V6s used to chomp through front lower wishbones but the Cougar was not burdened with these tinfoil items. Tyre wear on the specifically made Pirelli and Michelin 215/50 16 OE tyres was a bit heavy, but you can cut your costs by switching to more affordable 205/50s. It's all good really.
For more speed you can swap in the ST200 motor entire, or just the ST200 inlet system comprising of the throttle body and upper and lower inlet manifolds, plus the injectors or an adjustable fuel pressure regulator to keep the mix rich enough. Losing the main cat or the pre-cats in the exhaust manifolds is of course completely illegal and must never be done under any circumstances. Leave it like it is and you might get mpg in the mid-30s if you lounge it around, which is arguably the best approach.
The Cougar is not a sporting car. Think of it as a big Puma and you'll be disappointed. Think of it as a reliable and surprisingly comfortable coupé and you won't be. There are certainly worse alternatives to the Alfa GTV, Fiat Coupé or Peugeot 406 Coupe. The speedy sale of that blue one might be telling us something.
FORD COUGAR 2.5 24V GHIA X SPECIFICATION, EXCELLENT CONDITION INSIDE AND OUT Highly Maintained with FULL SEVICE HISTORY. FULL 12 MONTH MOT (With No Advisories) TAXED end MAY. Book Pack, Service Record Showing 11 Service Stamps ( 8 x Ford Dealer ) Massive history file of Ford Invoices Drives Absolutely Superb, Without Fault. Fantastic Spec Including - Full Leather Interior, Auto Air Con, Drivers Powered Seat, Electric Tilt and Slide Sunroof, Rear Parking Sensors, Quickclear Heated Windscreen and Heated washer jets, Electric Windows / Mirrors, 17'' Alloy Wheels with good tyres, 6000 RDS EON CD + Boot mounted CD Auto-Changer, Rear Spoiler. Any Trial / Inspection Welcomed, Please Call For any further information required. Thank You.