Mercury introduced the Cougar for the 1967 model year. The first generation Cougar was a line of muscle cars based on the Ford Mustang. Initially, the Cougar was introduced as a two door hardtop, but in 1969, a convertible version was added. The first generation Cougar was offered in standard and XR-7 trim levels, and featured the Cougar Eliminator as its most notable variant. A wide range of V8 engines were fitted to the Cougar, with the most notable being the 428 Cobra Jet. Production of the first generation Cougar ended in 1970, and the model was replaced by the Second Generation Mercury Cougar.