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1970 Mercury El Gato

Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Mercury El Gato, 1970
Images: Concept Car Central
Rating:  65    -65    +130
Sporting a bold lime green paint job, El Gato (Spanish for "The Cat") 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. It is not known if El Gato still exists but it’s presumed to have been destroyed (standard Ford practice for show vehicles at the time).
Source: www.coolcats.net
Comments
Don Skinner
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Dear Carstyling,
I'm the editor for the Cascade Cougar Club and just came across the El Gato concept car on your website. This time next year I will be starting a year-long series of articles on the 1970 Cougar. At the end of that series these articles will be published in a magazine form and offered for sale with all proceeds going to our club.
I'd like to use your pictures of the El Gato. If possible could I obtain good quality jpgs of the pictures to be used in the article I plan on writing. Carstyling will get full credit for the use of the pictures.

Thank you,
Don Skinner
Editor
Cascade Cougar Club
visit our website at cascadecougarclub.com
Joe
Monday, July 21, 2008
Hi, I came across your website, and wanted to link your site on mine, is that OK?
If interested please send me your web address and I'll post it,

www.classiccarservice.net

Thank you
Joe

lee
Thursday, January 21, 2010
i want to buy mercury el gato!
were can i get it???
please send an answer to kloy071@yahoo.com
kalu63
Sunday, May 2, 2010
You can get it only by modifying a cougar,i don't know if it still exist.

whatever,sure it's one of the best mercury's concept.it should be product,i'm pretty sure people would buy it with its handsome shape ...
kalu63
Sunday, May 2, 2010
i've forgot,you can add in the text that the engine is a 289,it's not a big information but it's still good to know. (i forgot where i read this but i'm sure it's a small block 289,some website says it's a 287 but i've never heard about a 287 ci engine in the fomoco group)

and another pic,add it if you want (found on mercurycougar.net)
http://www.mercurycougar.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=13861&d=1238287499
mojo1961
Sunday, May 2, 2010
This should have been the 1971-1973 production cougar!
FreeDummy
Friday, June 18, 2010
"It is not known if El Gato still exists but it’s presumed to have been destroyed"

It wasn't just the car they crushed... I only recently discovered the El Gato, and it's heart-wrenching to hear that such marvelous concept cars were routinely destroyed.
Louis
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
I came across El Gato only 2 days, and wonder just how many cars ford produced as concepts and never made. It wasn't just the El Gato, there was also a mustang, built and designed in 1970, that was never realised. It's typical of ford going down the cheap route, and not producing cars such as these. i still think to this day that from 1967 to 1973, car styling was at it's height, not just in america, but also in europe, and australia. WHERE HAS CAR STYLING GONE WRONG, and someone needs to build the El Gato again, and reintroduce passion in car design.
CougarMike68
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
What a sharp car - it would even be 2010 the ultimate eyecatcher ...
wxnjxn
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
THis car was built at Barris Kustom in calif. for Ford..it had a mustang roof. chopped 4 inches. they sen out the car and roof and bucket seats made out of wood and woven strap.it was one of my favorite cars that came out of the shop while Iworked there.I did the interior in the car. i dont know what happened to it after it went back to Ford. I didnt see it in any magazines or any thing. It wouldnt be hard to duplicate..get out the sawzall..
m lander
Sunday, July 24, 2011
trying to replicate car.body almost done would love to know more about interior and others who worked on it .i only have a dozen or so photos .cheers mike
mmmggg
Sunday, August 14, 2011
very nice car!
Krashdavus
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
My first thought was "this has Barris written all over it". @wxnjx confirmed my suspicions.
Mark
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
This care WAS NOT built by Barris. It was built by the Alexander Brothers in Detroit. The famed "A-Bros." build several concept cars for Ford in the mid to late Sixties.

Barris shouldn't get the credit for everything!
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