In 1967 Ford was missing the street performance boat in a big way. Almost 700,000 high performance cars were sold and Ford, the “Total Performance” company, was getting about 7% of that market. Loyal owners were unhappy, dealers were unhappy, and Hot Rod Magazine called Ford performance cars “counterfeit.”
Bob Tasca was the youngest Ford dealer principal in America. He was operating in the smallest state of the union, Rhode Island. His first showroom was leveled by a hurricane months after being completed. In spite of it all, Tasca Ford had become the second largest Ford dealership in the country. When his mechanic blew up the 390 in Tasca’s daily driver Mustang, the recipe for the Cobra Jet was created straight out of the Ford parts inventory.
What came next was no less than Ford’s performance salvation. Read the rest of the story in Issue 2 of Legendary Cougar Magazine.
In This Issue
Features
- The First Cougar Cobra Jet– The first Cobra Jet Cougar ever sold is still in the hands of the original owner, and it can still burn rubber with the best.
- Dream Drive – The ultimate 1969 Cougar XR-7 has a Super Cobra Jet under the hood and a sunroof on top.
- Cougars In France– What did you do on your summer vacation? Andrew Chenovick can top that. Classic Cougars in words and pictures from Paris.
- Patience Is a Virtue for This Cougar – It was a long time coming, but this 1971 429CJ powered XR-7 has been restored to perfection.
- C’mon Baby, Light My Fire – Installing the Pertronix Ignitor in any Cougar, made easy.
- Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday – The Cobra Jet Story: How an Editor at Hot Rod Magazine and a Ford dealer in Rhode Island made history.
Regulars
- Cat Tracks – An Interview with Eric Dahlquist reminds us of how it used to be.
- Event Coverage – Legendary Cougar Magazine at the Stray Cats/Cougar Club of America Western Regionals.
- Mercury Archeology – Looking back at the dealers who sold the Cougar with vintage postcards.
