A Rare 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator is 1-of-3 with a Super Cobra Jet 428
There are rare vintage muscle cars, and then there are really rare vintage muscle cars. Take Steve Hornbaker’s 1969 Mercury Cougar, for example. It’s really, really rare. One of three rare!
Why? Because it is a 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator equipped with the Super Cobra Jet 428c.i. big block V8, four-speed manual transmission, and the Drag-Pak option that included a Traction Lok rearend with 3.91 gears. That package makes his car one of just three Cougars equipped with the SCJ 428 engine.
Steve didn’t start out 24 years ago to buy such a rare Cougar. He’d ridden in one as a high school freshman and wanted to recreate that experience. In 2000 he found one advertised in Hemmings Motor News. It was in Illinois, so he brought it back to his Maryland home to begin the restoration.
As the process got underway, Steve asked friend Mike Kline to research the VIN to learn more about the car. That’s when he realized he possessed a true rarity. The data from Marti Reports showed that his car was one of just 81 Cougars (out of the 100,000 produced in 1969) with the Eliminator package; 33 were painted Competition Orange; and just three had the Super Cobra Jet V8. For context, Cougar was outsold by Mustang, Camaro, and Firebird for the 1969 model year.
Mike Kline’s shop – Rockhill Restorations – completed the restoration in 2008, although Steven says he has continued to make minor improvements and adjustments since then. Date-code-correct parts were used throughout the rebuild and restoration.
The Super Cobra Jet 428 engine was rated at 335 horsepower but probably produced more, given the factories’ fudging on true horsepower in that era. A 750cfm Holley four-barrel carburetor sits between stock heads. All other powertrain components are stock, including the close-ratio four-speed transmission. The stock manual steering and power front disc and rear drum brakes take care of the handling needs.
After restoring the Cougar’s sheet metal, Mike Kline treated it to a fresh finish in its original Competition Orange. Noteworthy exterior features include the signature Eliminator side graphics as well as front and rear spoilers, a fresh-air hood scoop, and hood pins. Stock steel 14-inch sport wheels are wrapped in reproduction Goodyear Polyglas F70 tires.
The white comfort-weave interior includes original high-back seats, black carpet, and a wood-trimmed steering wheel. There’s also a push-button AM radio and optional tachometer, rallye clock and remote-control driver’s side mirror.
Steve is the third owner of this rare 1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator, and he says he plans to keep it in the family. “I’m just the blessed guy that has the privilege owning, driving and preserving it for now,” he says.
Photos by Damon Lee
