You hear a lot of whining from Mustang aficionados about the terrible things that Ford did to the Mustang starting in '74. But what about the Mustang's long-suffering sibling, the Cougar? A hastily rebadged Torino for '74 through '76, then a hastily rebadged Thunderbird for the '77-'79 models, the Cougar's incoherent branding and third-fiddle status became a cherished Ford tradition lasting into the 21st century. Still, the '77 Cougar has a certain malaise-era decadence about it; it's easy to picture Debbie Harry rolling in the back of one, stubbing out her smokes on the Simu-Leather upholstery and cursing drunkenly at the driver. – Murilee Martin

1977 Mercury Cougar [murrayco.com]

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