As a preteen in the late ’80s, I was a diehard fan of Fox-Bodied T-Birds and (to a slightly lesser extent) Cougars. Therefore, when the new MN12 platform debuted for the 1989 model year, my dad and I went to every dealership where we could beg, borrow, or steal a ride in one. Dad may or may not have broken the speed limit on one of our test drives, and I still remember that supercharged V6 pulling hard today.
And it’s under the hood of this low mileage 1989 XR7. While the ride I remember was in a pewter-colored Super Coupe with a manual transmission, the 1989 and 1990 Cougar XR7 shared that drivetrain. This black example has the automatic, but that would have been no major downgrade with the torquey 3.8.
By today’s standards, 315 ft./lbs. of torque doesn’t seem like that much to get excited about, but the supercharged MN12s put up some respectable acceleration times for their day, especially considering the cars’ posh image.
This example was stored in a heated garage for 20 years according to the seller’s friend, who has listed it for sale. With 19,000 miles, it’s like shopping those Ford and Mercury showrooms when I was a kid.
Of course, this Cougar has a luxurious leather interior in a cool gray that harmonizes well with the sinister black exterior. These cars ride extremely well, and it would be easy to find yourself exceeding the speed limit without even realizing it. It would make a fun daily driver even today, 35 years after it was built.
Even the roomy trunk looks new. The late ’80s was getting toward the end of the line for the big personal luxury coupe, and the MN12 was the last Cougar in this idiom. The proliferation of SUVs make it unlikely that the Cougar will ever return, but this one is clean enough that it might not matter.
Yes, there’s a non-stock body kit, but it’s not gaudy and it meshes well with the car’s 1980s build date. The best part about this XR7 is that it’s for sale on Marketplace for a mere $10,000, which seems like a good deal for a car with a lot of life left in it. Thanks to Carlos Nunez for the tip on this beautiful Cougar.
These MN12 Cougar XR7’s are uncommon. I think the trademark vertical rear window comes across well on this model. This example looks to be in great shape, though I think it would look better without the body kit. Low miles.
For all the complaining about everything being too expensive, here is a nice looking, reasonably powerful, uncommon performance car in good condition which has enough modern features to make it easy to live with, All for less than a quality paint job. Could be a fun car.
Thank you Aaron.
We had the 90 Super Coupe and the 90 SHO in the early 90’s. Both awesome cars for their time with different road manners.
In this day and age, someone needs to grab this car and enjoy it, even if it is an automatic. You will not regret it.
It’s a shame that it’s 5000 miles away from here, otherwise, I would have to go and check it out.
It is a rare occasion when someone holds onto a car for this long, doesn’t drive it, and then asks a reasonable sum to sell it.
Most sellers consider them their “baby” and will not part with it for at least 3 times this asking price.
I did a reasonable amount of traveling when these were new. The Cougar and Thunderbird were my Go To rental car. Big enough and small enough, very comfortable and a pleasure to drive. I don’t need another car but I hope this lands in the hands of someone that will appreciate it and keep it as nice as it is. Great Car!!!
Test drove one of these in summer ‘89. Loved it but bought a “plain” Cougar instead. Loved the ride and comfort. Great car.
Essex V6 made in Canada 🇨🇦 nice cruiser cat 🐈
It looks this good, and resides in Brooklyn, NY? Wow!
It doesn’t have enough mileage to have any “Brooklyn” on it, whatever that means.