No one knows what happened to Ford’s Cougar 406

by Bill Buys WHATEVER happened to Cougar 406? The super-sleek car with its gull-wing doors was the standout star of the 1962 Chicago Auto S...

by Bill Buys

WHATEVER happened to Cougar 406?

The super-sleek car with its gull-wing doors was the standout star of the 1962 Chicago Auto Show and several other displays in the US.

It also featured in a Hollywood movie.

The project started in the latter part of the 1950s, when Ford was quietly developing higher-powered engines for the race track and for its popular passenger cars. 

While engineers were making sure the cars would be fast, Ford stylists were kept busy designing new interiors and exteriors in which to place these new powerplants. 

To whet the appetites of the car-buying public, as well as stimulate their imaginations, show cars were an important part of the studio’s work.

The design of the Cougar was that of young stylist John R. Samsen, who was also assigned to a team working on the Thunderbird. 

As was the practice of the day, stylists were encouraged to explore their creative talents and Samsen’s smart-looking coupe exemplified mid-century modern’s use of streamlined curves with lines that were not interrupted by an over-abundance of shiny chrome.

One of the most striking features of Samsen’s design was its lift-up, gull-wing-style doors, as used on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL. 

Those experiments that became three-dimensional exercises were then used to test public reaction to the futuristic creations at auto shows around the country. 

So in the early 1960s, Ford’s stunning Cougar 406 concept car toured the national circuit and was very well received.

The striking coupe was based on a modified contemporary Thunderbird chassis and under the bonnet was the newly released 405-hp (303kW) version of the mighty 406-cid (6.7-litre) V8, backed by a specially prepared Cruise-O-Matic transmission. 

However, the Thunderbird was Ford’s halo car of the era and Robert S McNamara, head of the Ford Division, had different plans for it.

He transitioned the T-Bird from a two-seater ‘personal luxury car’ to a larger four-seat model with the introduction of the second generation in 1958. 

It was a deliberate move, since the two-seat T-Bird wasn’t making much money. The four-seat model was much more profitable. 

So, with the production of the Thunderbird design already wrapped up, the Cougar was shelved. 

Meanwhile, Samsen had left Ford to join Chrysler, where he would contribute to many of the company’s products, including the Plymouth Barracuda and Road Runner, Chrysler Imperial and numerous other projects before his retirement in 1976. 

Then, by chance, the drawing of Samsen’s gull-wing coupe was rediscovered. 

A few modern touches were applied, such as concealed headlights placed in the leading edge of the front mudguards, and tail lights moved to the top of the quarter panels with bullet-style lenses reminiscent of those on the 1959 Cadillacs.

The most important feature, the gull-wing door treatment, was retained, along with the panoramic wrap-around windshield and large, fastback-style back glass. 

The Cougar 406 coupe rode on a set of chrome-plated Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels, the same style as found on the then-current Thunderbird Sports Roadster. 

Maintaining its low profile with a sleek stance, it presented clean lines incorporating a long hood and a short deck, with a focus on personal luxury and just a hint of aggression. 

Sourced directly from the 1955 Thunderbird were the steering wheel and adjustable chrome-plated steering column. 

Occupants sat in power-adjustable bucket seats upholstered in white leather, while the driver was presented with a trio of pods fitted with essential gauges.

 All other critical controls, plus the radio and ventilation operations, were in a centre panel that formed a sweeping “V” design outlined and padded in white leather to match the seats. 

Below those controls was a 6000-rpm rev counter, and under that gauge were two switches that opened and closed the power-operated, louvered windows in the gull-wing doors. 

What really gave the Cougar 406 its powerful personality was the top-spec version of the new big-block V8. 

Fitted with a trio of special Holley two-barrel carburetters, it was Ford’s most potent engine in the early days of its total performance push. 

In early 1963, the Cougar 406 went to the shop of California-based custom car builder Dean Jeffries, one of Hollywood’s “go to” people for creating special vehicles for film work.

Jeffries applied a stunning red paint scheme to the Cougar 406, and then it was sent to the studios to appear as the “star car” driven by Jack Lemmon in the hit comedy Under the Yum-Yum Tree.

After its appearance in this popular film, the Cougar 406 seems to have just disappeared. It didn’t go back to Ford HQ, nor was it left in the parking lot of Columbia Pictures.

There’s also no record of it having been sold, nor can it possibly be ‘lost’.

So its whereabouts are still unknown. 

Maybe this handsome and historic coupe is quietly parked in some Southern California suburban garage, waiting to be discovered. 

Or perhaps it will surface as a ‘barn find’ in future years.

Who knows?

 

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