In 1967, the Mercury division of Ford introduced the Cougar, which many people took to referring as the “gentleman’s muscle car.” With many more standard features than the Mustang, with which it shared a platform, the Cougar offered a step up from the more pedestrian pony cars of the era. Alas, with Mercury now just a memory, the hopes for a revived Cougar are forever gone. 

But there are still plenty of classic Cougars in need of a good home. The foremost supplier of Cougar parts in America, West Coast Classic Cougars, has come across a 1967 Cougar GT that they are giving away to a good home. The Cougar needs work, and you’ll have to write an essay on why you deserve this prize. But the effort would be well worth it.

This post over at the Classic Cougar Community forums lays out all the details of the contest. Basically you have to convince WCCC why you can and should be given this Cougar for free to restore. The ‘67 GT was originally due to go to the crusher, but WCCC decided it was too nice to destroy. That said, there’s still lots of work to do.

There is no motor or transmission, so a proper restoration will require hunting down a code-correct 390 V8. While the Cougar is rough, it is also pretty solid, and aside from the missing engine and transmission, it is mostly there. You have until July 4th to enter your essay into the contest, so we suggest you get on it if you want to win this cool project car.