MUNCLE MIKES · CASTING GUIDE
Nitty Gritty KittyThe Cougar gained an engine and a different base
Nitty Gritty Kitty keeps the Cougar’s outline but puts a blown engine where the closed hood used to be. The front air dam and rear spoiler are just as important to its identity, especially when a loose car has a few repairs.
More than a Cougar with different wheels
The Hong Kong-made 1970 Nitty Gritty Kitty developed from the Custom Cougar. Its blown V8, front air dam and rear spoiler change the factory configuration. Both aerodynamic extensions are part of the base casting.
The rear wheels are larger than the fronts. Blue glazing and light or dark interiors are documented, and bearing-style wheels appear on many early examples.
A black roof needs supporting detail
The On Line Redline Guide documents black-roof examples in blue and orange. That is useful comparison material, not a license to identify every painted roof as an untouched factory variation.
Check the edge of the black finish, the surrounding paint and the car’s known history. A neat restoration may reproduce the appearance. If the seller cannot establish the roof’s history, keep that uncertainty in the description.
Separate the racing marks from added decals
The racing stripe and roundels were factory applied. A separate waterslide sheet supplied sponsor logos. A car with several logos can therefore have a different decoration history from one retaining only the original roundels.
Look at both sides and the top before describing the markings as complete. Do not peel a label to see what is underneath. Also ask for low front and rear views: repairs to the base extensions can disappear in an overhead photograph.
For another early factory-custom comparison, see Light My Firebird. Keep broken parts and replaced wheels in the condition notes whichever version you choose.
