Mercury’s top pony car had the right name but not the image. No one had to apologize for the hardware; there just wasn’t enough respect for a hotted up Cougar, even though Super Cars magazine tested an Eliminator 428 CJ with four-speed transmission and clipped the quarter in 14.4 at 99.88 mph and recorded a 0 – 60 time of 7.2 seconds. All these numbers indicated the Eliminator was a decent performer, but it didn’t have the image to muscle in on the market. The public agreed, turning out for just 2,267 Eliminators in 1970. The upscale XR-7 model faired much better, selling 33,946 copies. The 1970 Eliminator was Mercury’s last attempt at total performance with the Cougar. After that, the 1971 Cougar was restyled into the image of a pocket Thunderbird with the emphasis on luxury.
