1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 427/390 HP

[Dan Bennett]

Originally Posted by Paul Ceasrine

It is apparent that Mercury was attempting to make this car, an 'Executive Performance Sports Car',,,

I always thought that was a great idea, but from production figures I must have been one of the few. Though a drag racer at heart, putting up with all the drawbacks became less and less desirable for a daily driver.

One of our crowd had a good job as a pipefitter in a manufacturing plant. He bought a new 427/425 Corvette convertible in 66 and was the talk of the town. But three years later he was dating the woman he's still married to and things were looking a bit different. Constant valve adjustments, rough ride, 100 degree summers, and insurance costs seemed to be more important than the thrill of performance.

He bought a loaded 69 Caprice 2 dr with a 427, air conditioning, etc. It had gauges, decent gears and every performance option GM would allow on their "luxury" car. I guess you could call it a Caprice SS.

But it was still a full size car and there were quite a few like it - Ford 7 Litre, Pontiac 2+2, and Mercury Marauder were mostly the same size and perfomance.

Other than the Cutlass SX, which was a combination of 442 and Supreme, I can't think of another smaller car which could give great performance along with comfort. Monte Carlos, Rivieras, Grand Prixs, and Thunderbirds don't count - they were too big and heavy and never got the good engines.

Maybe they were just too expensive. I remember a Buick ad for the Riviera calling it "an iron fist in a velvet glove". Shame it never fit the bill and no one produced a gentlemans' hot rod like an Aston Martin was at the time.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Detroit News (December 1967)

1968 Mercury GT-E 427/390 HP

Not built as a 'drag strip racer'. Designed for the 'sports car enthusiast',
with raw Ford 427 Power.

A well-equipped and stylish sports car, that comes complete with
all the 'bells and whistles' of style. A smooth performer, that is designed
for open road performance.

[Hemi Moose]

[Paul Ceasrine]

Some general specifications,,,,

* Car Weight #3616 lbs.
* 123 lbs. of added 'Sound Deadener'
* The 427 engine weighed in at a heavy 675 lbs.
* Expensive to build
* Regular 390 GT Exhaust manifolds
* Single-point distributor
* Simulated hood scoops
* Nose-heavy car (Bumper, Hide-Away Light Assembly, Die-Cast Hood)

* Camshaft (Hydraulic) .481/.490 lift - 270*/290* Duration - 46* Overlap

* Rating = 390 HP @ 5600 RPM
* Torque = 460 Foot/Pounds @ 3200 RPM

Performance complaint. The car wouldn't rev near the numbers the factory stated. The valves started to float at 4600 RPM's.

Recommendation (For Street Applications)
* 3.91 Traction-lock gears (at a minimum)
* TRW .515 Lift - 300* Duration (Hydraulic Camshaft)
* Higher-rate valve springs
* Adjustable rocker arms

[gt350hr]

Not to mention the 600cfm Holley. The CJ GTE's ran circles around them in a lower class!

[Paul Ceasrine]

Ford #C8AF-AD.......Model #4150.....List #4088.....600 CFM

Specific for the 1968 Cougar GT-E 427/390 HP (Automatic Transmission)

[Paul Ceasrine]

From the factory,,,,,,

Ran 15.10 @ 93 MPH

But, 'GT Performance' out of Frankfort, Kentucky ran one in C/SA in 1968, and was able to get their car into the 12.70's @ 111 MPH.

I'll see if I can find what they did to the car.

[Jack Parris]

Here are some pics of one I saw at a car show in Vancouver, WA back in 2009.

[Paul Ceasrine]

The 1968 427/390 HP really got 'trashed' by the critics, as 'too expensive' and a 'non-performer'.