Ron first became familiar with this car through a friend, who owned it. After riding in it several times, Ron says he knew he had to have the car.

"I was just so impressed with the way the car drove and handled," he says So he traded his '65 Mustang GT to become a '70 cat owner. The car became the second Cougar in the Crouch den: Ron's wife, Sally, owns a '73 XR-7 convertible daily driver.

Ron's grade 4 condition cat sports a ginger houndstooth interior, which is all original except for the fabric on the drivers seat. "The local upholstery shop only had enough houndstooth material to do one seat," he explains. The car is painted a non-original gold tone.

Modifications to Ron's car include an upgrade from an FMX to C6 automatic tranny and a Lincoln Versailles power disc brake 9-inch rear end, housing a Detroit Locker and sporting a 3.25:1 final drive ratio. Ron's cat also features a custom Ram-Air setup and an after-market AM/FM stereo cassette player. Options include air conditioning and power steering.

Ron, the fourth owner of this Cougar, has been using his cat as a daily driver since he bought it in 1993. The car, with 95,000 miles on the odometer, has had the heads serviced and a new timing chain installed. The bottom end of the motor is completely original. Ron also has replaced the coil springs and leaf springs on the cat. About two years after he replaced the springs on his cat, he performed the same service on Sally's '73 and documented the entire procedure for an article in the Cougar Club of America newletter, At The Sign of The Cat.

Ron also owns a '70 Standard Cougar, his current restoration project. Ron says he hopes to finish his project car soon so he can take either his or his wife's daily driver off the road for a complete restoration.

Through his participation in the DCC and CCOA, Ron has learned you need not own a perfect show car to enjoy participating in Cougar clubs.

"The wealth of knowledge you can get from getting involved can only make the restoration job easier," he says. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that he works at "AutoZone," a major auto parts supplier.