Is the Cougatti Just the Purtiest 2002 Mercury Cougar you ever did see?

Sure, most people would love to have a Bugatti Veyron; sadly, at over a million bucks a pop we're talking a vehicle that's slightly out of reach for most consumers. Thankfully, one man and eBay have rectified this issue with something we'll call a Cougatti (or Bougar).

Based on a 112,000-mile 2002 Mercury Cougar with a V6 and automatic transmission, this one-of-one Cougatti has a starting bid of $89,000 and no takers as of this writing. Potential buyers get all the body work, 20-inch wheels, angel eye HID headlights, LED tails, two gas caps (one functional), and power windows/mirrors.

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NHTSA Warns Ford Owners on Older Recall Concerning 17.5 Million Vehicles

In an unusual announcement today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) voiced concerns that millions of Ford vehicles previously recalled for a faulty cruise control system may have not been repaired, despite FoMoCo's notification efforts.

The safety agency noted that Ford Motor Company "has been diligent in contacting owners of the affected vehicles, including sending re-notification letters to owners in many cases."

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What were they Thinking? Mercury’s ‘Wrist-Twist’ from the 1960s

Styling trends come and go, but if there's one thing that has remained relatively unchanged in the past 105 years of personal motoring: the steering wheel.

Although plastics have replaced iron and wood and airbags (1970s) and radio controls (1990s) have been added, the basic design remains the same: a circular ring with spokes connected to a central hub.

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Mulally wants Ford to Cut Company-wide Lineup Down to Around 20 vehicles

Alan Mulally, President and CEO of FoMoCo, told an audience of business leaders at the Confederation of British Industry in London today that Ford is looking to downsize its current lineup to 20-25 models in an attempt to "simplify" and build better cars.

It seems to make sense; instead of spreading yourself too thin and trying to be everything to everyone at the cost of quality, spend more of your resources on fewer models to ensure a well put-together product.

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Mercury's 2003 Messenger Sports Coupe Concept also up for Sale

The five Lincoln concept models that we told you about on Friday will be joined by the 2003 Mercury Messenger concept at the RM's Sports & Classics of Monterey auction on August 12th.

The two-seater sports coupe prototype of the soon-to-be discontinued Mercury brand broke cover at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit back in 2003. It was supposed to herald a new and more stylish design language for the company while some had also suggested that it may inspire a production model - unfortunately for Mercury, that never happened.

Influenced by the Cougars of the late sixties with a rakish roofline that recalls Ford's GT supercar, the rear-wheel drive Messenger Coupe was designed to be powered by the Dearborn automaker's familiar 4.6 liter V8 engine (the study is not fitted with a powertrain). The folks over at RM Auctions estimate that the Messenger can fetch between US$75,000 and $100,000.

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NADA Issues Statement on Ford's Decision to Kill Mercury

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), which represents some 17,000 dealers with about 37,500 franchises in the U.S., has issued a statement through its chairman, Ed Tonkin, expressing some concerns about Ford's decision to discontinue its Mercury brand (click here for more details) and end production at the end of this year. Read the statement after the jump.Read more »

It's Official: Ford Dumps Mercury Brand

Like GM, Ford Motor Company is continuing to shrink its brand portfolio. Following the recent sale of Volvo Cars to China's Geely, with which it completed the dismantling of the premium group that once included Aston Martin, Jaguar and Land Rover, the Deaborn automaker made it official today that it will terminate the Mercury division in the fourth quarter of this year.

Given Mercury's declining sales over the years (the brand holds a pitiful 0.8 percent market share in the U.S. - overall Ford has 16%) and the fact that its entire lineup comprises of re-grilled / re-badged Ford models, the announcement was no surprise.

Some had suggested in the past that Mercury should do what GM is doing with Buick - enhance its U.S. lineup with Ford's European models, but apparently that role is partially going to Ford with the new Euro-style Fiesta and Focus cars.

Ford admitted that the majority of current Mercury sales are to fleet buyers and customers purchasing through employee, retiree and friends and family discounts, which the company anticipates can be satisfied by Ford brand vehicles.

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Ford May Announce Mercury's Death at a 3:00 PM EST Press Conference

If we are to believe a report from Detroit News, Ford Motor Company may very well confirm the axing of its Mercury brand in a press conference this afternoon in which the automaker is said to talk about "brand and product strategy". The report goes on to say that Ford is also likely to announce that the new compact model that was planned for Mercury will be launched under the Lincoln brand. Stay tuned on Carscoop for more details on this developing story.

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Ring a Bell? Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Probed for Floor Mats After Complaints About Sticky Accelerators...

Remember Toyota's recall-woes over specific floor mats that could slip forward and snag the gas pedal? Well, we could be heading for a second round of recalls on the same issue but for a different automaker.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a formal investigation into the 2010MY Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan models to examine allegations about pedals becoming trapped in the depressed position by unsecured floor mats.

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Report: Ford Planning to Kill Mercury Division, Maybe as Soon as Year's End

Mercury, the maker of higher grade Ford models with waterfall grilles such as the Milan and Grande Marquis, will have the same fate of GM's Pontiac and Saturn brands, according to a report from Bloomberg citing two unnamed people familiar with the plan.

The news agency said that Ford Motor Co executives could ask the automaker's board of directors as early as July to green-lit the (eventual) axing of the Mercury brand.

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Stallone's Mercury Coupe from Cobra Movie Inspires Porsche Cayenne Based Build in Russia

Russian Automotive Design (R.A.D.), who built a Cayenne-based Volga with Cardi, are currently working on a new project for a special customer: a Porsche Cayenne-based homage to Sly Stallone's AWSOM 50 Merc from the movie Cobra.

Instead of buying a real '50s classic (the actual car was at a Mecum auction last year), CarDesign says something more "suitable" for the Russian condition needed to be crafted.

R.A.D. is using steel for the space frame and fiberglass for the body panels, building a funky four-seater that will go like stink and possibly even have roof-mounted aerodynamic luggage carriers.

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VIDEO: Happy-Go-Lucky Driver Rams into Train with Mercury Woody

What does it take for someone to take notice of a train passing through a railway crossing? Judging by the lack of any type of reaction from this 50-year old man behind the steering wheel of this 1980's Mercury Corony Station Wagon, more than you can ever possibly imagine. I mean, it's broad daylight, you're going no faster than 10mph, there's a massive train slowly passing through the railway crossing right in front of your eyes, the warning bells are frantically ringing like a fire alarm and yet you still "manage" to ignore everything signal and ram into the train! Unbelievable...

Info: Newobserver

Ford Rolls Out 100,000th Hybrid SUV

Today, Ford Motor Company celebrated the production of its 100,000th hybrid SUV at the Kansas City Assembly Plant, which employs 4,100 people. The U.S. automaker launched the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrid SUVs five years ago. The 2009 model year Escape and Mariner hybrids deliver 34 mpg in city driving and 31 mpg on the highway.

"As we celebrate our 100,000th hybrid, America's interest in hybrid vehicles keeps growing, as does Ford's commitment to advanced powertrain technologies that deliver greater fuel economy, lower emissions and help enhance our country's energy security," said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford.