The early Cougars were based on the Mustang, later in the 70s on the Thunderbird, Mainly built as 2 door coupes, a few convertibles were also built The second generation was built from 1971-73, it was completely restyled, the front end now featured four exposed headlights; the disappearing headlights were eliminated. The centre grille piece was now larger, sharing its appearance with the 1971 Mercury Cyclone. The convertible returned, as did the XR-7 and the GT package. The Eliminator package was dropped, but the Ram Air option remained. Big block engines available in 1971 were dropped for 1972 Aside from minor grille and taillight changes, Badges moved from within the grille to above it, 1973 would be largely a carryover year for the Cougar, but it would mark the last year of the Mustang-based Cougar and the final run of Cougar convertibles