There are a great many reasons to want a life on an isolated island in the South Caribbean; sand, sun, and the surf are just a few perks island life offers. But for those of us who get more of a thrill from behind the wheel of a driver’s seat, these tiny islands don’t offer many opportunities to go fast and flex some American muscle.

Still, there is something oddly romantic about bringing a brash, angry American muscle car to a peaceful island setting. Cars in Barns came across the sad sight of this rare 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator rusting away somewhere on the island of Aruba, the abandoned toy of a one-time oil executive.

The 1969 and 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator was the middle child’s answer to Ford’s Boss 302 Mustangs, but with a classier twist. Engine options included the same Boss 302 V8 found in the Cougar’s Mustang cousin, as well as the 428 Cobra Jet and, in 1970, the Boss 351 Cleveland. Unlike the Mustang it came with higher-quality materials and was marketed after executive types looking for a “gentleman’s muscle car”, and whoever brought this over wanted the four-speed manual to shift for himself. The Eliminator package also added bright colors and extra body parts, like a larger rear spoiler, chin spoiler, and hood scoop for an impossible-to-ignore muscle car.

That’s how this Cougar made it’s way to Aruba, brought over by an oil executive who left a short time later, leaving the old Mercury behind with an oil company employee. But getting parts for such a carb from mainland America to Aruba is expensive, and after decades of exposure to the aforementioned sun and surf, this Caribbean Cougar would need a lot of money and attention just to get it into driving shape.