1997 Mercury MC2

Mercury’s 1997 MC4 extended edge design to a mid-market four-seater, ft rear doors and a gullwing boot (trunk). More exciting still was the MC2 concept car shown at the 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show, in essence a new Ford Cougar lean profile.

The MC2, on the surface, was just another concept car from Mercury. However, it was really a thinly disguised front-drive 1999 Cougar. Styling was hailed as "New Edge", a moniker that stuck with the 1999-2002 Cougar. It was almost the anti-aero Cougar: a very strong wedge shape with harsh sculpts instead of rounded edges. In a word, it was truly fresh for its time.

Not only did the MC2 have the nearly identical side sculpting to the production 1999-2002 model, but the rear also made it virtually intact, save for a smoother bumper cover. The triangular door handles survived as well.

The MC2’s interior featured plenty of nickel plating and unique shapes. Nothing made it to the production car, though, since a lot of it would be impractical.

A cool feature on the MC2 was its venting glass roof panel. While this function’s quality would be nearly impossible to create in mass production, it looks absolutely trick on the show car.