Ring Brothers based in Wisconsin are known for their resto mods. Mike and Jim Ring specialize in taking old cars and reviving them with modern components. Their latest project is a 1968 Mercury Cougar.
The license plate may say ‘Cougar’, but there’s a Coyote under the hood, as in Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8. It delivers 460 hp and drives the rear wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission of a Ford F-150 Raptor.
The car has restored a frame, with new floor panels and a new transmission tunnel, as well as a new front bumper, grille and license plate. A performance suspension by DSE has been installed, as well as modern brakes. The Cougar rides on forged three-piece alloy wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport tires on the HRE series C1 C103.
Ring Brothers 1968 Mercury Cougar
While some of Ring Brother’s previous buildings had flashy paintwork and heavily modified sheet metal, the Cougar looks largely stocky. The most important gifts are the above forged wheels on the outside, the F-150 accelerator on the inside.
Launched in 1967 as a companion to the Ford Mustang, the Cougar never escaped Ford’s shadow. The Cougar eventually shifted to a platform shared with the Ford Thunderbird, which became larger and more luxurious in the process, and then re-introduced as a compact front-wheel-drive coupe. The final generation ended production in 2002, and the Mercury brand followed it into oblivion a few years later.
“We’ve never done a Cougar before, so it was a fun build-up,” Mike Ring said in a statement. “I like working with new shapes and coming up with new ideas. Ring Brothers would normally unveil a newly completed car at the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas, but that was not possible due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Mike Ring said he hopes the car can be shown to the public soon.