At the end of every model year (usually around late June or the beginning of July), automakers typically shut down their plants for retooling. This is to get the lines ready for any changes that may be in place for that particular vehicle line. Sometimes, though, things get mixed up in the transfer and they'll show up in vehicles for sale. This is not as uncommon as you may think. For the 1983-88 Cougars there have been a handful of oddities that have cropped up, including the following:

1984 Cougars with 1985 taillights. Here is a 1984 Cougar that should have had the 3-tier taillamps, but instead had the flat 1985 lamps:

LEFT: The interesting part is that the metal taillight panels between the two model years are totally different. In other words, you can't just swap taillights on a whim---neither perfectly fits the other car without major cutting. And the wiring harnesses are also very different between the model years. So this is considered a legitimate oddity, since Ford would obviously be aware of the changes. What probably happened was that the Lorain, OH plant ran out of 1984 taillights and made an early running change to insall the new 1985 taillights.

1985 Cougars with third brake lamps. In accordance with then-new regulations set forth by the US government, all passenger cars sold in the US beginning in 1986 had to have a third brake light (or center high mount stop lamp--CHMSL). Ford issued a light for the inside of the rear window on both the Cougar and Thunderbird, which necessitated a few new parts (rear package tray carpeting, updated metal support in that area, the lamp housing, and a wiring harness from the brake pedal, among others). Possibly in anticipation for the new law, Ford apparently installed the CHMSL in some late 1985 Cougars (June '85 and later).

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