As mentioned in several other threads here, the ex Don Nicholson Boss 429 Cougar currently owned by Ed Meyer is finally undergoing restoration and will be making an appearance at next month’s Carlisle Ford Show. Ed is still gathering information on this extremely rare Cougar (one of only two) so the car will be in a state of mid-restoration at Carlisle. Now that the car is back together and being shown, the flow of new information has increased as past drivers, Kar Kraft and Ford/Lincoln-Mercury employees and even photographers make contact with Ed in order to share what they have and know.
If you are planning on attending Carlisle, be sure to pick up an event program and check out the detailed article on the history and restoration of the B9 Cougar. Ed tapped me to help him with the article and it has been very exciting learning about the Cougar. Over an 8 week period Ed was able to locate and purchase the vast majority of the Cougar so that all that was needed from a rust-free (California) 1969, properly date-coded, Dearborn-build donor car were it’s floor pans and fire wall.
As many of you know, I often create a commemorative t-shirt for the Carlisle show so this was the perfect excuse to sit down and draw one of the coolest Cougars on the planet. It’s also been awhile since I’ve put a '69 on a shirt so there is that too.
I’m finishing up the design but below is a tight preliminary sketch of the Boss 429 Cougar artwork. I work out the drawing with felt-tip pens and blue pencil first, then once I am happy with that I create the final, color art. Since this will ultimately be screen printed on a t-shirt, I create the final, vector based art with that in mind. Along with the color car illustration, the front of the shirt will have bold “Boss 429 Cougar” text, along with the Cougar’s KK (Kar Kraft) number. On the back will be a large vintage “Mercury’s Got It!” logo which was used by the race teams back in the late '60s and early '70s.
This will be a limited run and only available at Carlisle, so if you want one be sure to pick it up or if you can’t attend, have a friend score one for you. And just as an added caveat lest this sound like a crass commercial, I am providing the artwork for free and the hope is to generate enough sales to pay for the printing (which is not cheap) - so in the end I get to have fun AND I get a cool t-shirt for myself. As you all know, not a lot of quality vintage Mercury Cougar swag out there now
I’ll post the final, color design when it is complete.
Since I can’t make it to Carlisle, I was wondering how I might be able to get a copy of the article for our club newsletter? A shirt would be super cool too… So maybe you could offer the Cougar Community a way of purchasing them?
I am going to flesh out the article with lots of added content and photos and it will be in an upcoming issue of Legendary Cougar Magazine. The plan is to pick up the bonus material from Ed at Carlisle plus take some nice picks of the Cougar. I haven’t seen it in person yet.
I had hoped to have the t-shirts done well before Carlisle so that I could take some orders on the forum, get an idea of how many shirts might be needed and ship them out but regular work backed me up and then it has been slow going with Ed - he is a stickler for details and so am I. I am humping now to get the artwork to the printer so that the shirts will be ready for Carlisle - looks like I will be throwing them into the trunk of my Cougar just before I head out for the show.
There should be shirts left over (if we get the quantities right) and either Ed or I will take mail orders.
Phil, please put me down for an XL shirt if there happens to be any “left over” after the show! P.S. I dunno if you have contacted me about our other business but I have been out of work since 5/19 when I shattered my left femur. If yes, please PM me for my home email address. Otherwise, I am still standing by!
Thanks so much guys - this art was created with a silk screened t-shirt in mind, so it is vector based (Illustrator) and the fewer colors used the cheaper it is to print - so I limited the art to four; black, red, orange and blue.
I’ve worked up a general design celebrating the B9 Cougar’s appearance at Carlisle. Show is approaching fast and I hope the Cougar contingent shows up in force
According to Carlisle’s last e-blast, it is looking like this years Ford Show will to be the largest gathering in the event’s history. Should be interesting - and a great opportunity for the B9 Cougar to get lots of exposure.
Rest assured I am going to take lots of pics plus I am hoping to get access to lots of never before seen vintage pics.
