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.

No pics of the interior just yet, but the seller says it is "in progress" and "very close to being ready for upholstery".

Is this cross-bred creature a crime against humanity or a bargain basement show car? Leave your comments down below.

Link: eBay

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

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...

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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.

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Ford Group U.S. Sales Plunge 40.2% in January

It appears that there's no end to the sales crisis that has hit the U.S. auto industry. In January 2009, Ford Motor Company's U.S. sales that include the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo brands, fell to 93,506 units, a 40.2 percent decline versus a year ago (156,391 units). Volvo was the hardest hit as its January sales plunged 63.8 percent to a mere 2,910 vehicles. FoMoCo said that its inventories were 420,000 vehicles at the end of January, which is 156,000 vehicles lower than a year ago. During the past 12 months, the Ford's inventories were reduced by 27 percent which is consistent with the company's sales decline (22 percent) during this same period.

READ MORE - Ford Group U.S. Sales Plunge 40.2% in January

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.

Clearly addressing the euthanization of Mercury and its badge-engineered wonders (as well as parting out Ford's Premier Automotive Group), Ford CEO Alan Mulally said:

"When I arrived, it was absolutely clear that we had to simplify Ford dramatically...Fewer brands means you can put more focus into improving the quality of engineering."

For the record, Mulally came into a FoMoCo that had ninety-seven (97!) models in 2006. Thanks to cutting back models and standardizing components, Ford has helped bring down the cost of multi-market cars like the Fiesta (65% of which is standardized parts).

With Volvo's sale - at a huge loss - to Chinese Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ford's golden child already is now making sure those wasted Mercury funds are allocated properly (i.e. to Lincoln and its non-cohesiveproduct range). What's next?

Mulally says, "The key thing now is to keep the economy going. All the fundamentals say that we are moving in the right direction."

I'll believe that when Lincoln is a true-blue luxury brand once more.

By Phil Alex

Source: Bloomberg

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

Mercury Mariner

Mercury Mariner

Mercury Mariner Best Picture

Mercury Mariner Best Wallpaper

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Mercury Mariner

Mercury Mariner

Mercury Mariner Best Picture

Mercury Mariner Best Wallpaper

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Mercury Automobile

Mercury is an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company founded in 1939 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level-luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick (and former Oldsmobile) brand and Chrysler's Chrysler brand.(Wikipedia)

Mercury Montero

2008 mercury Mariner Hybrid

2008 Mercury Grand Marquis

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