May Car of the Month - 1970 Mercury Cougar Boss 302 Eliminator

The Mercury Cougar was introduced in 1967 as a more upscale and luxurious alternative to the Ford Mustang. It was based on the same platform as the Mustang but featured a slightly longer wheelbase and unique styling elements such as hidden headlights and a more refined interior. It was positioned as a “gentleman’s muscle car” offering a more sophisticated and luxurious driving experience than the wildly popular Mustang. Mercury offered the 1970 Eliminator with three engine options. The 351 @ 290 h.p., the 428 @335 h.p. and the Boss 302 @ 290 h.p. The Boss had less horsepower than the 428 Cobra Jet but Ford engineered the Boss 302 with special canted-valve heads to breathe at high rpm to win on racing circuits in the new Trans-Am series.

The Boss 302 was rpm limited to 6150 rpm but was capable of much more. The engine was created by Larry Shinoda as a racing engine and featured a high rise aluminum intake manifold, a Holley 4 barrel carburetor, high flow cylinder heads and a solid lifter camshaft. From the factory it produced 290 bhp and 290 lb ft of torque, impressive figures for the era.

The Eliminator also featured a competition suspension, power disc brakes and a close ratio 4 speed transmission with Hurst shifter. The Eliminator package included a rear deck spoiler, front air dam, special graphics, high back bucket seats and a special gauge package. Ford pulled the Mercury’s from the Trans Am series in 1968 to lessen competition for the much more popular Mustangs. Overshadowed by the Boss 302 Mustang’s racing fame, the Boss 302 Eliminator was dropped after one year. Only 469 Boss 302 Eliminators were produced and an unknown small number of them exist today.