Due to the stunning success of the Cougar from 1983-86 (almost 600,000 units sold), Ford was certainly making money off the new car's design. Not resting on its laurels, Ford ordered a "freshening" of the Cougar for the 1986 model year. But sales were so good that the Cougar got an additional year with the older body style. The revised Cougar was ready for the 1987 model year...and what an amazing transformation it was. Still unclear is whether this was a mild reskin or a complete makeover. Whatever the consensus, Ford designers addressed nearly every part of the car and made it inherently better. The only panels not touched from the previous model were the hood and windshield. In short, the car got a little rounder but lost none of its lithe, muscular presence...although it was a tad bit more of a "jellybean" now.

With the aero Thunderbird being so successful in NASCAR and drag racing in the mid-1980's, Ford was learning very quickly about its stunning aerodynamic properties. Making a bold move, and adapting some principles from the newly-released Taurus/Sable twins, Ford designers added such amenities as flush-mounted window glass, aerodynamic headlamps and front end, a revised air dam, and a more rounded roof. All of these factors helped to push the Cougar's drag coefficient down to .36, outstanding for a coupe at the time (although still behind the Thunderbird's .32). The added advantage was slightly improved fuel economy, although better engine management systems and components also played a role with that. This was now the quietest Cougar ever, too, with more insulation to help with cabin noise.

Since the XR7 model now sported the 5.0 V8 in place of the previous turbo-4, the key to this body design was to be traditional and low-key. Basically both models (LS and XR7 alike) were very formal-looking and even conservative; the aggressive sporty appearance of the previous XR7's seemed to take a back seat. Still, the 1988 XR7 brought back a lot more sport. Also, features that were optional on the previous model were becoming standard or more popular, so this allowed Ford to package the cars more tightly than ever before.

It was clear that Ford had bigger plans beyond even this revamp, so despite what a lot of owners think about their 1987-88 cars, there were definitely a few corners cut on this model. Had its life been extended one more year into 1989, these issues probably would have been addressed from the start. However, with a $2 billion budget earmarked for the new MN12 RWD chassis, Ford made sure that the 1987-88 Cougar and Thunderbird, already great cars, would get a fair shake with money from Ford's profits on the previous models. It's just that they could have used a few minor things to make them just about perfect. Still, sales increased dramatically with the all new look and to this day, when people think of a 1980's Cougar, most refer to this body style. It clearly captured the essence of the original Cougar even more while maintaining a thoroughly modern flavor.

ROOF

1 A stretch of the roof panel rearward gave the Cougar a much more refined look. Still maintaining the same rounded shape, the roof panel now flowed much more smoothly into the new double-curved rear window. A full power moonroof option was popular with the luxury-oriented theme of the car.

FRONT FASCIA

The most major change on the Cougar was the adoption of the aero front end, which has become the car's signature look. Ford's first aero front end, the 1984 Lincoln Mark VII, was highly successful and was quickly adopted by the 1986 Taurus/Sable and 1986 Tempo/Topaz. Across the board, most 1987 Ford and Mercury cars got the same treatment.

2 A wraparound side marker flowed into the rectangular low/high beam headlamp and into the parking lamp. Designers paid attention to little details here: the gap between the outer marker and headlamp aligns perfectly with the gap between the hood and fender, allowing the eye to subconsciously follow the line---very clever. There was no more space between the headlamps and the grille, tightening up the front header panel completely.

3 The chromed hood ornament was shaved from the top of the header panel and instead placed into the center of the new waterfall grille. The grille sported a chrome surround for visual interest and to supplant the chrome lost by the new headlight design.

4 New integrated molding, again with a chrome inset, was set in tighter to the body. The molding was now the same width around the entire perimeter of the car. The MERCURY emblem moved from being offset in the grille, to being offset inside the molding.

5 The rounded bumper cover features a graceful, deep chin cut on the top of the bumper that allowed the grille to be slightly taller than the headlamps. It gracefully flowed under the car and into a new, deeper air dam and multiple air inlets tucked underneath. Viewed from the side, there is a more pronounced roundness to the front end, with just a hint of a point in the center of the bumper.

In short, this front end was a perfect fit for the Cougar. There is no bad viewing angle from any direction, and all elements work fantastically with each other. This is a classic example of how to upgrade the front styling of a car and make it even better that anyone thought it could be.

FENDERS

6 The same basic fenders were retained, save for the deletion of the recessed body line above the molding around the entire car. Now there was a gentle "kick" into the molding, which resulted in a much smoother transition than before. This also helped flow into the wheel well lip better as well.

DOORS

Great attention was given to updating the doors. Overall the door's basic shape remained the same, but the welcome changes helped to modernize the look of the car.

7 The aforementioned flush glass necessitated all new window trim and rubber seals. This helped to de-emphasize the B-pillar area especially, as it was now almost part of the glass area.

8 Ford finally gave all models the blackout treatment, although the LS still had a small inset of chrome inside. The dechroming of the window trim was probably the biggest element of the car's more modern look versus the previous version of the Cougar.

9 The same basic mirror was retained, but had a new wind splitter added to the frontmost edge, helping to keep wind noise down. All mirrors now had a welcome new feature: a drain hole underneath.

REAR QUARTER PANELS & REAR GLASS

Again the most visually interesting part of the car, the rear quarter panel areas were all new. It's not like this part of the car was bad before. But with this makeover, the rear quarters were much more refined and modern looking while still maintaining the aero-Cougar heritage.

10 The rear window was now even shorter in height. A new glassmaking process allowed Ford designers to accomplish what it originally intended for the previous version: a backlite with dual curves. Not only is it rounded from a side view, but it also bubbles into the roof very smoothly. This was an aid to the aerodynamics of the car, creating a much smaller wake in the air behind the roof now. The only real drawback was an optical distortion, the slightly elongated view through the rearview mirror. Still, it was one of the first vehicles to attempt such a tricky dual compound curved rear window and it handled the job almost perfectly.

11 The "C" shape of the side glass was pulled back into the panel even more, with the angle nearly matching that of the windshield. This gave a more laid-back look to the car and also helped slightly with rear vision.

12 A new, slightly smaller roof ornament also appeared with a small black surround. This reinforced the "chrome and black" look of the window trim on the LS.

13 The new trunklid design was made flatter, so the "shoulder" was moved upward on the side panels. This gave the Cougar an even more hunched-down look. The triangle was much smaller and smoother this time.

14 To emphasize the move toward the horizontal, the previous body line that started at the top of the front fender was now continued straight through to the back of the car, and did not round out around the window. This made the back quarter of the car look a little more broad-sided and substantial.

15 A deeper cut into the rear panels allowed for new wraparound rear markers.

TRUNK & REAR

If there was ever a doubt of awkwardness in the last Cougar's trunk area, all that doubt was erased with the all new 1987 redesign. The rear end gained quite a bit visually with this makeover, becoming much stronger-looking and smoother.

16 Now much more integrated into the car, the trunk lost the infamous "hump" and was totally smoothed out. The aforementioned body line wrapped around the back of the lid, splitting it almost in half just above the trunk lock.

17 New, slimmer taillamps adorned the back, with the signature Mercury "shaver" look brought back with their internal reflectors. The Cougar logo returned over the inboard backup lamps, with a black line splitting the lenses horizontally, accentuating the wider look to the back end.

18 The same basic rear bumper shape remained, with the newer style molding intact.

19 The deep recessed license plate area remained between the taillamps.