1968 Mercury Cougar Features A Unique Fastback Design

This is what could have been but wasn’t.

Steven Symes February 17, 2025

This custom 1968 Mercury Cougar as a fastback gives a glimpse of what could have been but wasn’t. Perhaps back in the day it was understood that only the Mustang could have such a design, but one has to wonder had Mercury created such a thing, how would it have fared on the market. We’ll never know for sure.

This ’64 Ford Galaxie punches hard with a Shelby big block.

What we do know is this creation from JF Kustoms out of Canada sure looks amazing. The designer said he wanted to build such a car for a long time, he just needed a client who wanted it. When that finally happened, the guy unleased his creative energies and pure magic ensued.

He tells Autotopia LA that he wanted to build the car as a believable concept from the late 60s, from the engine to the paint and interior, but with a bit of modern flair. We think he nailed that vibe.

Under the hood is a Boss 9 big block V8, which pushes about 770-horsepower naturally aspirated. Backing it is a Tremec 5-speed, which is great to see since even a lot of custom classic muscle cars feature automatics these days. There’s also a Ford 9-inch, the same thing Chevy guys use.

Interestingly enough, the Cougar has been kept as a unibody. But there chassis has a lot of reinforcing elements, adding torsional rigidity to improve handling. The suspension and subframe were fabricated by the shop, as was the stainless steel, polished exhaust system.

The interior’s design shows surprising restraint, considering this build could’ve been opulent. There are nice details, but it does look like something Mercury might have done in that era, including using wood trim and the same green as on the body. They even added small details like an ashtray.