Mustang & Fords Editor's Choice
Reed and Patti Johnston, Sarasota, FL
'70 Cougar Eliminator
Reed Johnston likes his cars. There's no doubt about it as you listen to him rattling off some of the Big Three's rarest iron ever to roll down the assembly line that have been in his possession at one time or another, including Hemi cars, big-block Vettes, and more. While his collection of Fords is just beginning, he's already off to a great start with a Ford GT supercar, a Royal Maroon '69 Talladega 428CJ, and his latest find, this Competition Blue with black interior '70 Cougar Eliminator. The Eliminator is righteous enough on its own merit, but this blue beauty is powered by the G-code Boss 302 engine.
Johnston purchased the car shortly after the original owner had completed the restoration on it. Once he got it home, it took about six months to work out a few post-restoration bugs (wrong clutch, some rattles, braking issues, and so on), and he has put a scant 16 miles on it since then. The Cougar came with all of the top options for 1970, including a 3.91 geared 9-inch with Traction-Lok, a four-speed trans, a Sports Console, power front discs, and an AM radio. Besides fixing a few issues, the only things Johnston added to the car are the quarter-panel decals, as he wanted something to distinguish the car's Boss powertrain without it being permanent.
The NMRA's season opener Auto Show & Shine was Johnston's first car-show outing with the fresh Cat, and he took home the trophy for Best Full Size Ford '49 and Up and a Top 20 award.