Friday, September 30, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible
THIS CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM A LINCOLN MERCURY STORE IN MT.VERNON WASHINGTON.
THE POWER-TRAIN IS A 351-W ,VERY FEW MILES , EDELBROCK INTAKE ,EDELBROCK CARB. ,DUAL EXHAUST ,ALUMINUM VALVE COVERS ,POWER STEERING ,POWER BRAKES ,AND POWER TOP !! AUTO-MATIC TRANS. ,FACTORY REAR DIFF. ,AND STILL HAS THE FACTORY HUB-CAPS !!
THE PAINT COLOR IS A DARK BURGANDY COLOR ,BASE/CLEAR AND POLISHED TO A BEAUTIFUL SHINE ! INTERIOR IS BEAUTIFUL THROUGH-OUT , LEATHER ON THE SEAT COVERS IS SOFT , DOOR-PANELS ARE NICE ,CARPET IS CLEAN , AND DASH IS VERY NICE !!! FACTORY TACH. ,SWING-A-WAY STEERING WHEEL ,AND GLASS BACK WINDOW !!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
1967 Mercury Cougar in Aylmer Quebec car show
I have recently been traveling in Ottawa Ontario and attended a car show in Aylmer Quebec. I arrived early to the car show and there were many traditional classics as I was ready to leave I decided to take one more look around the grounds. What really caught my eye was a beautiful 1967 Mercury Cougar arriving to display its wares. The car looked familiar but I could not place it. I asked the owner if the car was for sale recently. He mentioned that it was not for sale.
Then he put out a magazine in the front windshield of the car and I realized I had the same magazine back in Kelowna, BC featuring the car. Small world!!! This car is owned by Michel Lalonde and he bought the car when he retired in 2005. It is a 1967 289 Standard model in Jamaica Yellow.
Enjoy, Don
By Donald Robichaud
Then he put out a magazine in the front windshield of the car and I realized I had the same magazine back in Kelowna, BC featuring the car. Small world!!! This car is owned by Michel Lalonde and he bought the car when he retired in 2005. It is a 1967 289 Standard model in Jamaica Yellow.
Enjoy, Don
By Donald Robichaud
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
1970 Cougar on the Prowl
As we all know, a cougar (Puma concolor couguar) is a carnivorous four-legged mammal found throughout the North American continent.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, thanks to the Lincoln-Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company, the Cougar personal luxury car became synonymous with a very different kind of creature: A middle-aged American male on the prowl to find nubile young females for sexual conquest.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, thanks to the Lincoln-Mercury Division of the Ford Motor Company, the Cougar personal luxury car became synonymous with a very different kind of creature: A middle-aged American male on the prowl to find nubile young females for sexual conquest.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Cougar put some luxury in pony cars
After Mustang’s debut, others tried to cash in on popularity
The Mustang introduced by Ford in mid-1964 launched a new class of automobile dubbed the “pony car.” Its long hood, short deck and low profile made it an immediate marketing success in spite of its mundane Ford Falcon underpinnings.
Imitators followed as quickly as they could, but Ford had sprung such a surprise on the industry that it took Chevrolet until the 1967 model year to respond with its Camaro. This was followed six months later by a Camaro clone, the Pontiac Firebird. Chrysler had introduced the sporty Plymouth Barracuda with its huge, wrap-over rear window at about the same time as the Mustang, but it was overshadowed by Ford’s sensational offering.
The new Mustang created such good publicity and profits for the Ford division that sister division Lincoln-Mercury wanted a pony car, too. But the Mercury product planners had to walk the line with their version to fit it between the Mustang and the Thunderbird. For a more luxurious image, LincolnMercury needed a car that was a little more upscale than the Mustang, yet would still not become a Thunderbird competitor. Projected first-year sales of only 60,000 dictated a modest budget.
Lincoln-Mercury chose the name Cougar to conjure up the image of a lithe, powerful cat. The badge design raised Jaguar’s ire and they resorted to the courts. After some skirmishing, a compromise was reached.
To control costs, Mercury used the Mustang deck lid, roof and inner skin and a good number of its mechanical parts. But Mercury stylists masked them well and were able to give the Cougar its own distinctive persona. They stretched the front fenders and hood, and fitted a split grille with quad headlamps hidden behind doors that formed part of the grille. A kick-up added character to the rear fenders and the Cougar’s long-nose, short-deck profile looked sleeker and more expensive than the angular Mustang’s.
The split, vertical-bar grille was echoed in grilllike embellishments for tail-lights that enclosed the somewhat gimmicky, three-element sequential turn signals.
In keeping with its luxurious pretensions, the Cougar’s 2,824-millimetre wheelbase was 81 mm longer than the Mustang’s. It gave only a marginal increase in interior space. The front coil springs and rear leaf springs were tuned for a softer ride than the Mustang’s.
A more luxuriously appointed interior, including generous use of sound-deadening material, assured a quieter cabin. The Cougar came as a two-door, notchback hardtop only because Mercury’s initial budget didn’t allow for the development of other models.
Although well equipped, the Cougar, like the Mustang, offered a long list of options. The buyer could replace the standard 4.7-litre, 200-horsepower V-8 with a 225-horsepower four-barrel-carburetor version or a 6.4-litre, 320-horsepower “Marauder GT” V-8. A firmer “performance handling package” was available with the 6.4 engine, and a GT version came with the big engine, stiffer springs and shock absorbers, a larger anti-roll bar and wider wheels.
Available transmissions, all floor shifted, were a standard three-speed manual, optional four-speed manual or three-speed “Merc-O-Matic” with “Select Shift” that allowed the driver to control shift points.
The 1967 Cougar made its debut on Sept. 30, 1966, and because of a short supply it was marketed first in California, the theory being that if it sold there it would sell anywhere.
It was well received by the West Coast public and the motoring press, selling far beyond initial expectations. Motor Trend made it their 1967 Car of the Year. The addition of a dressed-up mid-year XR-7 version helped push first-model-year sales to more than 150,000, the best year for the first-generation Cougar.
Performance was middling for the era. Car Life magazine tested a four-speed, 4.7-litre version in February 1967 and recorded zero to 96 km/h in 10.7 seconds and a top speed of 177 km/h for the 1,488kilogram two-door. With the bigger engine it was a different story. Car Life’s July 1967 test of a GT 6.4 automatic recorded zero to 96 in 7.7 seconds, although top speed was up only 8 km/h to 185.
The Cougar was little changed for 1968, but it had turned out to be so popular that Mercury still managed to sell over 113,000 of them. For 1969, the Cougar was restyled and a convertible added. In true Detroit tradition it became longer, lower and wider, already straying from its original pony-car roots.
The name survived until 2002 in the U.S. market (the Mercury brand disappeared from the Canadian market in 1999), by which time it was a crisply styled, front-drive, four-place coupe. To many, however, the “real” Cougars were those original 1960s pony car versions.
From an article in the Vancouver Sun from:
Reflections on Automotive History, by Bill Vance, Volumes I, II and III, are available at bookstores or Eramosa Valley Publishing, Box 370, Rockwood, Ont., N0B 2K0.
The Mustang introduced by Ford in mid-1964 launched a new class of automobile dubbed the “pony car.” Its long hood, short deck and low profile made it an immediate marketing success in spite of its mundane Ford Falcon underpinnings.
Imitators followed as quickly as they could, but Ford had sprung such a surprise on the industry that it took Chevrolet until the 1967 model year to respond with its Camaro. This was followed six months later by a Camaro clone, the Pontiac Firebird. Chrysler had introduced the sporty Plymouth Barracuda with its huge, wrap-over rear window at about the same time as the Mustang, but it was overshadowed by Ford’s sensational offering.
The new Mustang created such good publicity and profits for the Ford division that sister division Lincoln-Mercury wanted a pony car, too. But the Mercury product planners had to walk the line with their version to fit it between the Mustang and the Thunderbird. For a more luxurious image, LincolnMercury needed a car that was a little more upscale than the Mustang, yet would still not become a Thunderbird competitor. Projected first-year sales of only 60,000 dictated a modest budget.
To control costs, Mercury used the Mustang deck lid, roof and inner skin and a good number of its mechanical parts. But Mercury stylists masked them well and were able to give the Cougar its own distinctive persona. They stretched the front fenders and hood, and fitted a split grille with quad headlamps hidden behind doors that formed part of the grille. A kick-up added character to the rear fenders and the Cougar’s long-nose, short-deck profile looked sleeker and more expensive than the angular Mustang’s.
The split, vertical-bar grille was echoed in grilllike embellishments for tail-lights that enclosed the somewhat gimmicky, three-element sequential turn signals.
In keeping with its luxurious pretensions, the Cougar’s 2,824-millimetre wheelbase was 81 mm longer than the Mustang’s. It gave only a marginal increase in interior space. The front coil springs and rear leaf springs were tuned for a softer ride than the Mustang’s.
A more luxuriously appointed interior, including generous use of sound-deadening material, assured a quieter cabin. The Cougar came as a two-door, notchback hardtop only because Mercury’s initial budget didn’t allow for the development of other models.
Although well equipped, the Cougar, like the Mustang, offered a long list of options. The buyer could replace the standard 4.7-litre, 200-horsepower V-8 with a 225-horsepower four-barrel-carburetor version or a 6.4-litre, 320-horsepower “Marauder GT” V-8. A firmer “performance handling package” was available with the 6.4 engine, and a GT version came with the big engine, stiffer springs and shock absorbers, a larger anti-roll bar and wider wheels.
Available transmissions, all floor shifted, were a standard three-speed manual, optional four-speed manual or three-speed “Merc-O-Matic” with “Select Shift” that allowed the driver to control shift points.
The 1967 Cougar made its debut on Sept. 30, 1966, and because of a short supply it was marketed first in California, the theory being that if it sold there it would sell anywhere.
It was well received by the West Coast public and the motoring press, selling far beyond initial expectations. Motor Trend made it their 1967 Car of the Year. The addition of a dressed-up mid-year XR-7 version helped push first-model-year sales to more than 150,000, the best year for the first-generation Cougar.
Performance was middling for the era. Car Life magazine tested a four-speed, 4.7-litre version in February 1967 and recorded zero to 96 km/h in 10.7 seconds and a top speed of 177 km/h for the 1,488kilogram two-door. With the bigger engine it was a different story. Car Life’s July 1967 test of a GT 6.4 automatic recorded zero to 96 in 7.7 seconds, although top speed was up only 8 km/h to 185.
The Cougar was little changed for 1968, but it had turned out to be so popular that Mercury still managed to sell over 113,000 of them. For 1969, the Cougar was restyled and a convertible added. In true Detroit tradition it became longer, lower and wider, already straying from its original pony-car roots.
The name survived until 2002 in the U.S. market (the Mercury brand disappeared from the Canadian market in 1999), by which time it was a crisply styled, front-drive, four-place coupe. To many, however, the “real” Cougars were those original 1960s pony car versions.
From an article in the Vancouver Sun from:
Reflections on Automotive History, by Bill Vance, Volumes I, II and III, are available at bookstores or Eramosa Valley Publishing, Box 370, Rockwood, Ont., N0B 2K0.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
1969 Mercury Cougar Kelowna BC Canada
The Mercury Cougar was wider, longer, and heavier for 1969, but a new convertible body style joined the two door hardtop and the Cougar received a serious performance boost mid year with the introduction of the Eliminator package.
The Eliminator came standard with the four barrel version of the Windsor 351 cid V8, rated at 290 bhp. Optional was a full range of engines from the Trans Am inspired solid-lifter 302 seriously under-rated at 290 bhp and the 428 Cobra Jet, with and without Ram Air. In all out acceleration, the 290 bhp 302 cid V8 was overmatched by the Cougar's weight, but the 428 Cobra Jet benefited from the relatively generous wheelbase.
Grip was better off the line that the Mustang and 1/4 mile times were just as good. Standard Eliminator equipment included F70x14 in Goodyear Polyglas tires on styled steel wheels with blank center caps.
The Eliminator was also available in Drag Pak guise with an oil cooler and a 4.30:1 Detroit locker. Eliminator didn't use the shaker hood; its standard scoop was functional only when Ram Air was ordered. A black-out grille, side stripe, and front and rear spoilers enhanced the look, and Mercury offered the Eliminator in a palette of "high impact" blue, orange, and yellow exterior colors.
Even more performance was available over the dealer's parts counters, which offered not only headers and dual quads, but such exotic hop-ups as deep-sump oil pans and quadruple-carb Weber setups. All from Mercury!
Production:
2D Hardtop: 66,331
Convertible: 5,796
XR-7 2D Hardtop: 23,918
XR-7 2D Convertible: 4,024
Engines:
302 V8 290 bhp.
351 V8 250 bhp.
351 V8 290 bhp.
390 V8 320 bhp.
428 V8 335 bhp @ 5200 rpm, 440 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm.
Performance:
428/335: 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14.1 seconds @ 103 mph.
By Donald Robichaud
Production:
2D Hardtop: 66,331
Convertible: 5,796
XR-7 2D Hardtop: 23,918
XR-7 2D Convertible: 4,024
Engines:
302 V8 290 bhp.
351 V8 250 bhp.
351 V8 290 bhp.
390 V8 320 bhp.
428 V8 335 bhp @ 5200 rpm, 440 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm.
Performance:
428/335: 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14.1 seconds @ 103 mph.
By Donald Robichaud
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Barrett-Jackson Lot: 1274.1 - 1969 MERCURY COUGAR CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE
Barrett-Jackson Lot: 1274.1 - 1969 MERCURY COUGAR CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE
Auction: SCOTTSDALE 2011
Sale Price:
Year: 1969
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Style: CUSTOM CONVERTIBLE
VIN: 9F92H580745
Exterior Color:
Interior Color:
Cylinders: 8
Engine Size: 4.6 LITER
Transmission: 4-SPEED AUTOMATIC
Summary: Full one-off custom build by Hot Rod Express. Called the "Cool Cat".
Details: Called "Cool Cat", this '69 Cougar convertible was created by renowned hot rod builder Hot Rod Express. The only original DNA left after creation was the body. Every part of this car was carefully designed, created, picked and fabricated.
Nothing was left untouched, from the serious horsepower of a 32-valve, dual overhead cam Cobra motor attached to a 4-speed overdrive transmission, to a narrowed 9" 31-spline rear end with 3.73 gears, full air ride system and 4-wheel disc brakes.
All of this is supported by a fully custom designed, boxed, tubular frame with Heidt's front suspension and a triangle 4 bar rear.
Sitting on this platform is an all-steel body, fully welded uni-body with notched floors, so the rocker panels are flush to the bottom of the frame.
The factory dash was sectioned 5", all custom dash panels made from imported Carpathian Elm wood, custom ultra leather interior with custom BMW carpeted floors.
The paint is PPG Vibrant Nutmeg. Absolutely nothing was left untouched and way too much detail to list. Featured in multiple magazines and winner of Good Guys Top 5 award, Roush Racing award, Ford in a Ford award, ISCA Top Show Winner, just to name a few.
Barrett-Jackson Lot: 969.1 - 1969 MERCURY COUGAR XR7 CONVERTIBLE Sold $88,000.00
Barrett-Jackson Lot: 969.1 - 1969 MERCURY COUGAR XR7 CONVERTIBLE
Lot Number: 969.1
Auction: SCOTTSDALE 2011
Sale Price: $88,000.00
Year: 1969
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR XR7
Style: CONVERTIBLE
VIN: 9F94R580031
Exterior Color: GREEN
Interior Color: WHITE
Cylinders: 8
Engine Size: 428
Transmission: 3-SPEED AUTOMATIC
Summary: Rotisserie restored, Ram Air Cobra Jet convertible, Emerald Green, white leather interior, raced at Capitol Raceway. C-6 transmission, Trac-Lok rear end. One of 96.
Details: This car was a 2-year rotisserie restore. Every nut and bolt was restored to like new or better condition. "R" Code with Marti Report.
C6 with cast iron tail. One of 96 with engine/transmission code, 1 of 1 with these options. Raced at Capitol Raceway, time slip says 13.63 at 102mph.
Has date code correct service replacement block. Hood scoop, hood pins, hood stripe, styled steel wheels, rim-blow, air, tinted glass, deluxe seat belts, bumper guards, door edge guards, interval wipers, power windows, low fuel warning, tach, AM/FM stereo, power steering and disc brakes.
Barrett-Jackson Lot: 1247 - 1968 MERCURY COUGAR GT-E 427 2 DOOR COUPE Sold $181,500.00
Lot Number: 1247
Auction: SCOTTSDALE 2011
Sale Price: $181,500.00
Year: 1968
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR GT-E 427
Style: 2 DOOR COUPE
VIN: 8F91W543367
Exterior Color: CARDINAL RED
Interior Color: RED
Cylinders: 8
Engine Size: 427
Transmission: AUTOMATIC
Summary: Fully restored factory Cardinal Red on red décor interior. One of 357 Factory built "W" Code 427 side oilers sold in 1968.
Details: An extremely rare cougar. Coming off winning Motor Trend's Car-Of-The-Year award in 1967, Mercury designers wanted to create something in '68 that would set the automotive world on its ear.
Already a step above the Mustang with its styling and comfort, they decided to stuff the potent 427 FE into a Cougar package blending ultimate power and styling. The result was the Cougar GT-E.
Equipped with the legendary 427 sideoiler engine Ford used to homologate its NASCAR racing program, the GT-E represents the end of an era, as it was the last Ford product sold with the 427, and the only ford product sold with it in '68.
At a cost of over $1,300, the GT-E package was perhaps the most radical performance package ever offered in a pony car.
Factory options include C-6 Merc-O-Matic transmission, FR70x14 wide oval radial tires, power disc brakes, power steering, AM radio, décor interior group and styled steel wheels.
Factory GT-E package included blacked out front headlamp cover and special front Trim, blacked out taillight bezels, special extruded aluminum body side moldings, 3.50 standard axle radio with nodular 9" rear end, super competition handling package, engine dress-up package, 7.0 Litre/GT-E body emblems and two-tone paint scheme.
Only 78,316 original miles on its matching numbers drivetrain. This tireless five-year restoration was completed recently in carefully documented, factory-shipped detail.
All original or NOS parts used exclusively throughout. Registered with the Cougar National Database and the Cougar GT-E registry. Painstaking attention to detail has resulted in what many Cougar professionals believe to be one of the most complete and correct examples of this rare car known to date.
A must-see for any Ford or investment auto enthusiast.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Barrett-Jackson Lot: 69 - 1969 MERCURY COUGAR CONVERTIBLE - Sold $27,500.00
Lot Number: 69
Auction: SCOTTSDALE 2011
Sale Price: $27,500.00
Year: 1969
Make: MERCURY
Model: COUGAR
Style: CONVERTIBLE
VIN: 9F92M542444
Exterior Color: DARK BLUE
Interior Color: LIGHT BLUE
Cylinders: V8
Engine Size: 351
Transmission: AUTOMATIC
Summary: 351/290hp "M" Code with automatic. Only 2nd adult owner. Professional rotisserie restoration with photos. Matching number, original documents including owner's manual, Build Sheet, sales receipt and Marti Report.
Details: The Mercury Cougar is often referred to as "the gentleman's muscle car." This 1969 Mercury Cougar convertible is a gorgeous classic automobile that has had only two adult owners. The car is matching numbers and fully documented including original sales receipt, owner's manual, Build Sheet and a Marti Report. An "M" Code provides a 351 Windsor engine with 290hp, FMX transmission and a 9" differential.
This combination provides excellent performance and overall drivability. Options include power steering and power disc brakes. A professional rotisserie restoration documented with pictures and receipts was started after the original owner passed in 2004. The extensive restoration was completed in 2009 and includes a new interior in original light blue color, all new or rebuilt mechanical and body components including engine and transmission, brakes, steering, suspension, springs and bushings, exhaust, radiator, heater core, windshield and new convertible top with glass window.
The exterior received a "concours" quality paint job in dark blue. The famous sequential taillights, hideaway headlights and rim-blow horn work as they should with original NOS components. The car was updated with GT wheels, new radial tires and a Holley carburetor.
The original new spare tire, Autolite carburetor and wheel covers are included. The car has been driven 1,500 miles since completion and drives extremely well. This beautiful American classic is fun to drive and will provide years of pleasure.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
1968 MERCURY COUGAR GT-E 427 W CODE EXTREMLY RARE FOR SALE!!!
This is a extremly rare 1968 Mercury Cougar GTE 427 "W" code. This is finished in it's origiinal color of Carribean Blue with Blue interior.
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