1970 Concept Car By Mercury ~ El Gato

El Gato! A 1970 Mercury Concept Car.

The 1970 El Gato concept was developed as a racier version of the Cougar,
but meanwhile, the Mercury product planners were sending the production
Cougar in an entirely different direction.

Unveiled to the public at the Chicago Auto Show in February of 1970, El Gato (Spanish for “the cat,” of course) was a production 1970 Mercury Cougar,
but barely recognizable as such, as it was radically restyled from front to rear.

Sporting a bold lime green paint job, El Gato was produced
as a styling exercise for a futuristic-looking Cougar.

Note the shaved door handles, chopped roof, and ultracool three-spoke
16" wheels with new-at-the-time Goodyear Polyglass radials.

To say this Cat was before its time would be a serious understatement.

While the front end merged styling from both the Cougar and the GTO, it still projected an evil stance.

Note how the limited flat black striping ends inside the molded-on hood scoop.

Also, the front and rear pans were rolled a very advanced looking feature
in an era of chrome bumpers.

This was the first ever fastback Cougar.
At the rear, LTD-style taillamps were broken at the left
by the racing-style gas filler cap.

The square center-exit exhaust tips lended a very unique air to the car.

This car has never been seen since the 1970 Detroit Auto Show.

It is presumed to have been destroyed, which was the standard Ford practice for show vehicles at that time.

Source: coolcats.net