Image via Autotopia LA/YouTube
A reworked late-1960s Mercury Cougar wearing a fastback roofline offers an intriguing glimpse of a styling direction the model never officially pursued. Back in its heyday, the thinking may have been that such a silhouette belonged exclusively to its Mustang sibling, but this custom build dares to explore what might have been.
Speculative what-if creations like this are a beloved corner of the custom scene, letting builders rewrite history one panel at a time. Applying a fastback profile to the elegant Cougar produces a look that feels both familiar and refreshingly novel. It is a thought-provoking reminder that design decisions made decades ago left room for alternatives, and that imagination can still bring those roads-not-taken vividly to life.
About the Author
I owned a 68 Cougar back in about 1981 during college. I paid $125 for it. I always wanted to get a 68 Mustang Fastback and swap the parts to make a 68 Cougar Fastback. I was very happy that someone else did this and it looks great. I would have kept it as close to a stock version as possible but of course with the big engine performance. Still miss my 70 Pontiac GT37 but now have a 92 Mustang GT with some bolt-on upgrades to get the adrenaline going.