The Mercury Cougar and the Oldsmobile 442 both have strong lineages. Both cars were meant to be the upscale variation of their platform, the one with the luxuries and amenities that would appeal to those who has a few extra bucks laying around that could afford to step up past Chevrolets and Fords. The Cougar was the formal Mustang, with its elegant waterfall grille, hideaway headlights and full-width taillights. All of the Mustang, but with a little something extra for your money. The 442 was the GM A-body in a Mad Men suit…it wasn’t overstuffed like a Cadillac, it wasn’t a juvenile delinquent like the GTO Judge, but it was powerful enough and angry enough that it could grab you by the throat if it wanted to.
By the end of the 1970s both of the nameplates had been on the weight roller coaster and were finally starting to ditch the bloated bodies and shape up. Engine power was a joke, quality control was a buzzword more than anything, and most of the peers that they had competed with were dead and gone, but somehow Cougar and 442 managed to live on into the depths of the Malaise Era. And that’s where this time warp will take you. You know the game…you are stuck with one choice, and two options. There is no backing out, there is just A…or B.
Option A: 1979 Oldsmobile 442
If this car was newer than 1981, I guarantee this decision would be too easy. If this was a similar vintage Hurst/Olds, it would be the same conclusion. But the 442, for the first few years of life on the new-for-1978 GM A-body platform, found it’s way onto one of GM’s most awkward body designs ever. Shared with the similarly unfortunate Buick Century, the 442 got the “Salon Coupe” body shell, which was supposed to mimic European hatchbacks. It didn’t work, to put it mildly. It wasn’t even a hatchback, either…instead it looked like the designers took a look at an AMC Gremlin and decided that the semi-Kammback look would work well. It didn’t. On the plus side, the A/G platform has great aftermarket support and the asthmatic lump of a 4.3 V8 under the hood can be excised in favor of whatever your sick and twisted heart desires.
Option B: 1980 Mercury Cougar XR7
We are now aware of one individual who can look past the outside and sees the true beauty of the 1980-82 Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar. That’s one…so far. Now, a quick lesson: the Cougar XR7 became a semi-separate model in 1977 when what had been the Montego sedan and wagon merged with the Cougar. The 1977-1979 XR7 had been the best-selling Cougar yet, selling over 160,000 units in 1978 and 1979. Then 1980 happened…the Cougar line moved to the Fox platform and sales went down by two-thirds. The XR7 was the best chance at getting a likable Cougar…the plain two-door Cougar was a sorry sight. Again, there are bright sides here: Fox platform, V8 and manual trans were available, and…well, I’m out of ideas.
Yeesh, this is a tough one. Gonna have to go with the Cougar. The styling isn’t great but at least it isn’t awful. Can’t say the same for the 4-4-2 there.
Ok I’ve see the olds made fast ( Canadian car at Drag Week) . But I bleed Desrborn blue and it IS a Fox body so a bottle fed 347 w/ a tremec or aod, mini tubs and a beefed 8.8 in a fairly light package seems like a win to me, bottle feed it and you could make a lot if people upset on the street and strip.
I have to go with the 442. The styling is unique, but I don’t think it’s horrible. I’d drop in a full tilt Olds gas V8 based on the 350 diesel block. And install some super wide IMSA style fender flares, NASCAR wheels and tires, race tuned suspension, and a cage. I think it could work.
I’d go with the 442. The styling doesn’t seem quite as painful to look at as the Cougar (at least with the color schemes shown) and it would be fairly straightforward to put something reasonable from GM’s V8 lineup in there. Or a clone of the Syclone V6…
I’m pretty much a Ford / Merc guy, but of those two, I think that I’d go with the 4-4-2 with a nice healthy 403 swapped in. The fastback styling doesn’t bug me that much.
that Cougar is pretty light. They’re both sinful, like somebody took a block of cheese and cut some off for lunch, then said “Wow, it’s our new flagship midsize”
sigh.
The Cougar gets my vote on a weight bias.
Cougar. Fox upgrades fit, and it could be taken seriously as a sleeper.
How can you not like the black and gold? This car is ripe for a front wheel drive conversion. I’m seeing GT/FA as an option.or not
Remember those Cougars so well . I sold them new in Florida and felt sorry for the customer every time I delivered one . I felt bad until Friday when I cashed that pay check !
I’ll take teh 442…Kinda dig them…And I like that gold and black scheme….
I’ll just walk.
Always liked the body style of the 442, yes called me weird. Remember back in the early 80’s, either Hot Rod or Car Craft did a feature with that year 442 with the engine in the back!
Before I saw it I said 442. It’s ugly but I still have to go with it.
Id have to go with the 442. Better Olds motor and it would be all set.
Fox Chassis. ‘Nuf said.