Attention, Ringbrothers Has Let Loose Its First Ever Cougar

Even though there was no SEMA show to take it to last fall, Wisconsin’s famous customizing shop, Ringbrothers, has just unveiled its latest creation, a rather restrained 5.0-liter Coyote-powered 1968 Mercury Cougar.

The shop stuck the 460 hp Mustang V8 into the Cougar and hooked it up to a Ford 10-speed automatic transmission. That all makes sense since the Cougar was the upmarket version of the Mustang.

Ensuring that it doesn’t sound too refined for its own good, though, is a Flowmaster exhaust system, which should give this Cougar a very sinister growl.

To make sure it can handle all the extra grunt there’s a new performance suspension by DSE and, of course, there are the wheels. Made by HRE, these three-piece C1 C103 wheels are wrapped in Michelin rubber.

Also Read: 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback From Ringbrothers Is A True Work Of Art

Besides the new parts, this Cougar was also given a frame-off restoration. That meant new floor pans and a new transmission tunnel as well as new bumpers, grille, badging, and paint to round out the look.

“We put our heart into each car we build, and this Cougar is no exception,” said Jim Ring, Ringbrothers co-owner. “This finished product is mild and classy, yet any enthusiast instantly knows it’s not stock. I imagine this is what Mercury designers would have come up with if they were building the Cougar today.”

In fact, this is pretty mild by Ringbrothers standards. One need only look at the shop’s 700 hp 1969 Mustang Mach 1 or its 1,000 hp AMC Javelin to get an impression of how much restraint it showed with its latest car.

“While we couldn’t bring the car to the SEMA Show, we hope it can be shown to the public soon,” said Mike Ring, co-owner. “We had never done a Cougar before, so this was a fun build. I love working with new shapes and coming up with new ideas.”