Ringbrothers is working with creepy magic on this ’68 Mercury Cougar Restomod

You can’t brand a custom, billet-carved Cougar badge these days without scratching a few high-dollar restomods. There’s a whole spectrum going from crate motor and decals to singer types. Ringbrothers isn’t a singer, but their builds are certainly special. We saw a number recently, and all of them embody a fundamentally interesting idea. Whether it’s a 1,080 hp AMC AMX with Hellcat drive or a 48 Cadillac with oily ATS V-Bits, the Ringbrothers love to explore the limits. Because of this, we’re delighted that the latest build is more of a boastful Mercury Cougar than the typical Mustang – and it’s the first Cougar the builders put on too.

It’s not the most powerful build Ringbrothers has made recently, but the delicious 5.0-liter Coyote puts out 460 horsepower – far more than even the most fragile original offerings. It’s supported by a 10-speed automatic that was stolen from an F-150 Rtor – an interesting and absolutely competent choice.

The basis is an XR7 hardtop with a frame-off restoration and a large number of power units beyond the drive train. The suspension was provided by DSE, the wheels are forged from three-piece units from HRE, and modern rubber from Michelin means this Cougar shouldn’t fall into a corner.

It’s finished in a luscious dark green over a brown interior. The shaggy carpet looks reasonably deep, the leather reasonably supple and the wood-aluminum steering wheel sufficiently sporty. The retention of the modern switch is weird and unsettling, a rare feature in this build – why not stuff your guts up in something that looks vintage? With that in mind, a retro engine cover would sell the 5.0 underhood better than the giant plastic panel that hides the goodies. Details, details … it’s still an awesome and creative build.

And we are sad that, given the endless pandemic, there was no personal SEMA show to marvel at. The photos are one thing, but this is the kind of creation that deserves a close up, to be precise.