Ford's styling department built two concept cars on Cobra CSX chassis in the mid-1960s.
Both were designed by the head of Ford Styling at that time, Eugene Bordinat.
One was a roadster which came to be called the 'Bordinat Cobra.'
The other one, a coupe, was called the 'Cougar II.'
Despite the nominal publicity, not much was known about either car
beyond the fact that they were concept cars, never intended for actual production.
The cars disappeared for several years. After a number of internet
searches over a period of years, both cars were found in a warehouse in Detroit.
Both cars were basically intact and now belong to the Detroit Historical Society.
The Cougar II (chassis CSX2008) had a fiberglass body,
a 260 High-Performance engine and a four-speed transmission.
It was a GT two-passenger sports car that appeared to be
a suitable contender for the Chevrolet Corvette String Ray.
The car had a fastback roof, concealed 'pop-up' headlights, and full instrument interior.
Estimated top speed of 170 miles per hour.
When interior air pressure exceeded 15 pounds per square inch,
a relief panel across the rear of the passenger compartment would automatically open.
The purpose of this panel was to relieve the extreme pressure
that would be caused at high speeds. Another feature to the car was a spring-loaded
window-lift mechanism to the curved side windows.
(conceptcarz.com)
(Photos from conceptcarz.com, supercars.net & autominded.com)
