In 1982, when Chris Jones turned 16 years old, he inherited his brother’s 1968 Mercury Cougar. The vehicle was originally bought and sold at the Miami-Dade Lincoln Mercury dealership in Florida by Jones’ uncle.
“So, it was a love affair that started a long, long time ago,” Jones chuckled. “I got bit by the Cougar bug young, and I’ve always enjoyed them.”
These days, Jones is the proud owner of a 1969 Cougar convertible known as a “Standard Cougar.” And within his over 40-year admiration for the Cougar, he has collected and restored around 20 examples of the vehicle himself.
“When you look at muscle cars in general, the Chevrolet Camaro and the Ford Mustang are the very popular ones, but those were made at a ratio of roughly four or five to one compared to the Cougar,” Jones noted.
As the founder of the Southeast Cougar Club — an organization that “celebrates the classic muscle car years of the Mercury Cougar” in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama — Jones oversees a passionate group of automobile enthusiasts who adore the Cougar for a myriad of reasons [from an array of backgrounds]. To note, the national chapter, the Cougar Club of America, has been around since 1980.
“What kind of holds the Cougar community together is that we’re a small, tight-knit group,” Jones said. “So, because so few [Cougars] were made, there’s not a lot of us out there. Because of that, and because of the uniqueness of the car, you have to develop friendships in order to acquire because there’s quite a few unique features about it.”
Southwestern Community College (SCC) will host a special car show at the Haywood County Fair (HCF) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26. So, why Haywood County? Well, even though Jones currently calls Georgia home, he’s planning on relocating to Western North Carolina in the coming years to be closer to family. And this year’s showcase is also a test run of sorts for the SCC in preparation for a potentially bigger show at the HCF for the Cougar’s 60th anniversary of its inception in 2027.
From 1967 to 2002, the Mercury Cougar was only second to the Grand Marquis in terms of its longevity on the production line. The Cougar was also regarded as “The Gentleman’s Car,” where it was seen by many to have more of a European flare compared to its contemporaries of the time. According to Jones, the Cougar was aimed “to compete with the Jaguar and some of the foreign cars that were coming in.” On the luxury editions of the Cougar, there were upgraded features offered like leather seats and faux wood trim, attributes that, at the time, reflected a more refined European style.
“Obviously (nowadays) it’s an almost 60-year-old car, so it doesn’t provide all the creature comforts that a newer vehicle does today,” Jones said. “To me, it’s like you’re driving an old boat or an old airplane, where it hearkens back to a time and age where things were simpler.”
Jones pointed out how, in the old days of the Cougar in the 1960s and 1970s, it was common practice for a consumer to walk into a dealership, sit down with the salesperson and go item-by-item on the order list and build your own vehicle to your exact specifications.
“America has a love affair with the automobile, more so than almost any other country on the planet,” Jones said. “And back then, no two cars looked the same — the Cougars were, in their own sense, a very unique vehicle.”
Haywood County Fair
The annual Haywood County Fair will take place Sept. 24-27 at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville.
The fair will run 5-10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 per day for adults, $5 for ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and under.
Credit: Bob Scott photo
General admission tickets are valid for Friday through Sunday only. Tickets can also be bought at the fair gate (cash only). To note, Thursday gate admission will be per car load at a rate of $25. Midway rides not included in gate admission.
A special offering by the N.C. Cooperative Extension, the free-of-charge “4th Grade Day” at the Haywood County Fair will be held at 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Smoky Mountain Event Center in Waynesville.
The following day, from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Sept. 25, “Senior Day at the Fair” will take place. Presented by the Haywood County Senior Resource Center, anyone over the age of 55 is invited to come and experience all the fun of the Haywood County Fair.
For a full schedule of activities and/or purchase tickets, visit haywoodcountyfair.com.
Want to go?
The Southeast Cougar Club will host a special car show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Haywood County Fair in Waynesville.
The event is open to the public and will be located between the apple orchard and the bar. For more information, visit haywoodcountyfair.com.