Congratulations Rocket!
As It turns out, when I started to research this car for the ROTM write up, I ended up reading my own words. When Rocket fiorst unvelied this car I wrote this:
What If: The G Car That Could Have Been
In 1967 the Trans Am championship came down to the final race in Kent Washington at the Seattle International Raceway. Bud Moore Engineering prepared three Cougars for 1967 and two of them were in the race: #98 driven by Dan Gurney, and #15 driven by Parnelli Jones. When the final flag fell, Team Cougar finished second behind The Mustangs and, by only two points, came in second in the Manufacturers Championship.
What If Team Cougar had won that last race in 1967 and become the Trans Am series Champs?
It would have been difficult for Ford to pull the plug on Team Cougar. Perhaps Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, and Ed Leslie would have gone on to win again in 1968. We will never know of course, but for certain, Mercury would have tried to make the most of the victory, and the best way to do that would have been with a commemorative vehicle.
This brings us to the G-Force Cougar. The G-Force Cougar is the creation of Rocket, as he is known on MC.Net. Rocket describes himself like this: Born Canadian car crazy, single, in love with Ford racing, owner of one of the coolest collections of rare Cougars anywhere. Rocket keeps his cat collection in Surrey, BC, Canada. I think his work speaks for itself.
This is one man’s vision of what just such a car would have been. Even before the Cougar was introduced a collection of performance parts was assembled to “Sharpen the Cats Claws.” These parts were used to assemble a Group Two street Cougar that was tested by both Road & Track and Motor Trend magazines.
The G Force Cougar features some of the most rare Cougar parts imaginable: Weber downdraft intake manifold, XR7-G style FUNCTIONAL hood scoop, and much more. In addition, Rocket created custom versions of the grill and side marker emblems as well as the trunk lock cover that all feature the XR7-G Force logos. Look closely, the emblems are so good that you will swear they must have come from the factory.
The original story can be found here: https://classiccougarcommunity.com/what-if-the-g-car-that-could-have-been/
