Artist Abimelec Design, responsible for some pretty cool creations in the past, has just shared new renderings of what a beautiful and modified Mercury Cougar could look like.

The Cougar was built through Ford’s Mercury division for approximately 35 years and in that time, went through eight different generations. It is the first-generation model built from 1967 to 1970, though that remains the most timeless as later generations grew exponentially in size and to our eyes, got more and more horrible to look at.

Also Read: Someone MUST Build This Restomod Aussie Ford Falcon XB Coupe

In (re)creating the first-gen Cougar you see here, Abimelec Design first worked on the car’s body by fitting flared arches and a subtle rear spoiler. The chrome accents found across the car’s exterior have been painted black and a set of new black 18-inch wheels are also featured. All of the badges have also been blacked out as have the door handles. We’d still take a Ford Mustang of the same vintage over a Cougar that looks like this, however.

To ensure the car would be capable of dealing with the rigors of modern driving while being more reliable, it has been fitted with the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine out of a current Mustang.

Perhaps our favorite aspect of the car is the stunning green paint scheme as opposed to the black accents and even the Mustang powerplant. The paint has much more character than a simple shade of grey or silver would yet isn’t over the top, allowing the car to still look quite stealthy and very, very mean.

Images courtesy of Abimelec Design