It takes more than money and a platoon of workers to create a custom car like the JF Kustoms Mercury, dubbed Predator. It takes vision, a wellspring of design creativity, passion, and a ton of patience. And, in this case, 3 ½ of patience with 10 years of inspiration.
The Predator competed for the 2024 Ridler Award, making it into the Great 8. Just under a year later in 2025, it had a great showing at the 2025 Grand National Roadster Show in California. That says something about a build when it can still grab attention and accolades nearly 12 months after its debut. While we’ll admit to a bit of bias since the Predator has a TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission, but the details and features of this car both subtle and obvious make it impossible not to love.
JF Kustoms founder JF Launier built his first customer car over 20 years ago and has built a reputation as one of the most talented builders in North America. Based out of British Columbia, Canada, his idea for the Predator started taking shape in his mind 10 years ago.
“The idea that Mercury basically built the Cougar on the Mustang platform and never offered a fastback version always bothered me. We wanted to build a car with very prototype styling to it with prototype ideas built into it with just a small amount of modern flair.”
JF chose a TREMEC TKX 5-speed for the build because of its strength and easy fitment in the factory transmission tunnel without modifications. The plan from the beginning was to actually drive and even do a bit of racing with the Predator, and the TKX with its 5th gear overdrive gave the car great capability on the street and the road course. Hooking all the power to the pavement is custom-built Gary Yorston suspension front and rear with massive disc brakes at all four corners. The Predator rolls on Curtis Speed Equipment wheels.
The finished car shows the excellence in JF’s vision and the quality of execution of him and his team. The Predator is a melding of a 1967 Mercury Cougar with a 1967 Ford Mustang fastback into something that looks like Ford engineers could’ve put it together for testing the concept with details that match the vision and the Mercury brand.
ABOVE: JF Kustoms founder and owner JF Launier spent years thinking of the design to build a fastback first generation Mercury Cougar as if Ford Motor Company had offered it when the Cougar was first released in 1967. Since the Cougar was originally based on the Ford Mustang, grafting in the aspects of a Mustang Fastback wasn’t that far fetched an idea. JF Kustoms began the build with original 1967 Cougar and 1967 Mustang Fastback shells. The build that took three and a half years to complete with around 11,000 manhours between the seven man crew at JF Kustoms and the subcontractors used for certain aspects of the build.
ABOVE: While the Predator was going to have a taste of modernity in its construction, the engine was not. A modern Coyote DOHC V8 wouldn’t have fit the look JF was going for. Classic Ford performance was needed, so the call was made to legendary Ford specialist Jon Kase for one of his Kaase Boss Nine custom-built crate engines with a displacement of 529 cubic-inches, stack injection and 770 horsepower. Backing that monster Boss is a TREMEC TKX 5-speed transmission. The TKX is JF’s favorite from the TREMEC lineup for its strength (600 lb-ft torque capacity), smooth high-RPM shifting and easy fitment in classic car and truck transmission tunnels.
ABOVE: The Mercury Predator’s interior stuck with the “what-if” factory built theme down to small details. It mimics original wood accents of the Cougar, while other interior accents were made from machined aluminum and 3D printed materials. The modern gauges were built and installed ralley pack style. Lee Baxters Hot Rod Interiors helped with getting the factory looking interior just right to go with the JF Kustoms parts. The shifter for the Predator’s TREMEC TKX five-speed has a simulated wood grain knob matching the interiors wood accents.
ABOVE: A signature display feature of JF Kustom’s cars are an extra wheel cut in half to give people an easier look at the brakes and inside the wheelwell at the front suspension.
ABOVE: The quality of the build and grafting of the Mustang fastback onto the Cougar structure so flawless you would think this car was an actual concept built by Ford. Walking around the car, you can notice countless details and workmanship not seen at first, second or even third glance. All the subtle details work well to draw a viewer into the car versus a typical highly-customized build that puts it all right in your face screaming “Look at me!” while pummeling the senses.