1983 Mercury Cougar: Outside the Muscle Focus

Wikipedia's own account, this record's overview states, records that the 1983-1988 Cougar was a two-door coupe only, with a 3.8-litre V6 standard and a 4.9-litre (302) V8 optional, and that from 1984 to 1986 the XR7 used a turbocharged 2.3-litre four rated at 145 horsepower with automatic and 155 with manual transmission, a rating this record's own key facts section shows did not yet apply for 1983: the 1983 Cougar went on sale February 26, 1983 as a mid-year introduction in GS (never actually badged as such) and LS models only, with no XR7 offered that year. Total 1983 production reached 75,743 cars, this record's own dek and production table agree, though this record's own note explains that this figure rests on a single tertiary source whose underlying record is not stated.^1,2

Two engines are documented for 1983, this record's own engine table shows: a 3.8-litre (232 cubic-inch) V6 with two-barrel carburetion, standard across the line and rated 112 horsepower SAE net, and a 5.0-litre (302 cubic-inch) V8 with central fuel injection, optional and rated 130 horsepower SAE net. Two transmissions are documented as well, a 3-speed automatic (C5) standard on V6 cars and a 4-speed overdrive automatic (AOD) optional on V6 cars and standard on V8 cars, this record's own transmissions table states.²

This record's own options section itemizes 69 items from the 1983 options matrix, each scoped GS-optional or LS-standard, GS-optional or LS-optional, across a range of categories: convenience and electronic features including tinted glass, power windows, remote mirrors, an electronic digital clock, cornering lamps, a rear defroster, illuminated and keyless entry systems, a tripminder computer, a diagnostic warning light system and an electronic instrument panel; comfort items including functional sport seats, 6-way power and dual power seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel; mechanical items including a Traction-Lok axle, heavy-duty suspension and battery, and a late-availability electronic fuel-injected 5.0-litre V8 with automatic overdrive not available in California at launch; five grades of AM/FM radio plus a premium sound system; wheel and tire choices spanning TRX aluminum wheels, polycast wheels, wire locking wheel covers and four distinct tire codes; and clearcoat metallic or two-tone paint.²

This record's own paint table carries 15 colour entries for 1983: 8 standard colours, Black, Polar White, Light Charcoal, Medium Red, Light Academy Blue, Desert Tan, Light Desert Tan and Pastel French Vanilla; 5 clearcoat metallics, Dark Charcoal Metallic, Silver Metallic, Medium Red Metallic, Midnight Academy Blue Metallic and Walnut Metallic; and 2 tu-tone combinations, Silver Metallic over Dark Charcoal Metallic and Black over Dark Charcoal Metallic. This record's own interiors section is left entirely empty for the year.²

This record's own specifications section carries nine 1983 figures from the source's own technical-specifications page: a 104.0-inch wheelbase, a 197.6-inch overall length, a 71.1-inch overall width, a 53.4-inch overall height, 21.0 gallons of fuel capacity, 14.6 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the mini spare, a 3,099-pound curb weight for the V6 GS, 10.0-inch vented front discs against 9.0-inch rear drums, and the same 112-horsepower V6 and 130-horsepower V8 engine summary carried in the engine table itself.²

This record carries no 1983 price at all; its own price notes explain that a J.D. Power valuation figure was pulled from every page on the site because those live pages can change without notice and cannot be independently checked, and that no replacement has yet been found. No performance figures, identification codes, documented conflicts or unpublished leads survive in this record's own respective sections either, consistent with this record's own production notes describing 1983 as outside the 1967-1973 muscle focus the record otherwise covers in depth.²