Launched for the 1967 model year, the Cougar would become Mercury’s most successful new product launch. It gave the company a car to compete along with the Mustang for collective Ford market share in the new pony car space. Originally conceived as a rebadged Mustang, the Cougar would end up being a new design from the ground up. This 1967 XR-7, the upscale version of the Cougar, looks to have been lost for a while and may or may not run with effort. Located in Alexandria, Alabama, this Mercury is available here on eBay where the no reserve auction finds itself at $5,601.03.
While the Cougar was primarily a sporty car, the name would also be used on sedans, wagons, and even hatchbacks between 1967 and 2002. The name would generate sales of nearly three million cars, the most ever sold by any Mercury nameplate. At more than 150,000 copies in its first year, the Cougar would account for nearly 40% of all ’67 Mercury production. The auto was named Motor Trend Car of the Year, the first Lincoln-Mercury vehicle to receive it. More than 27,000 copies would be the luxurious XR-7 model, which was named after an “experimental racing” car that wore the number “7.”
This is the second car we’ve seen from this seller, a dealer in Alabama. The ’67 XR-7 here may have as little as 49,000 miles on it if the odometer can be believed. It has a 289 cubic inch V8 under the hood, paired with an automatic transmission. But the seller hasn’t made any attempt to start it, so we don’t know what mechanical challenges may await the buyer. It’s a well-equipped car, including factory air conditioning.
There don’t seem to be any issues with the exterior sheet metal on this Cougar save some surface rust and flaking paint. The car is very dirty, but the vinyl top may be okay, too. The seats look to be upholstered in leather and you might get lucky and find that the insides only need a good cleaning. The seller tells us there is some rust in the floor pans, so the seats will have to be pulled to repair or replace those. Might as well lay new carpeting after that. The car comes with a Tennessee title. Resale value on a ’67 Cougar is at least in the mid-$20,000s, according to Hagerty. So, this car might end up being a diamond in the rough.
The VIN supplied by the seller is for a standard Cougar, not an XR-7. It should be a 93 for XR-7, this one is a 91, which is a standard car. I do not believe that it is a simple typo as the last 6 numbers of the VIN are too low to be an XR-7. The XR-7 was a mid year addition to the line. The door panels are the standard style, not the XR-7 style. Anyone interested in this car should ask to know and see the door data plate, the buck tag, the inner fender apron stampings and the Marti report.
This may still be a decent car to bring back to life if there are no VIN and/or title issues. If the car did indeed start out life as a standard Cougar and someone added the XR-7 dash there may be wiring issues as the wiring harnesses between a standard and an XR-7 are very different.
Good catch Cathouse!!! I’m going through a 68 xr7 gt 390 fully loaded 4-speed. It took a long time to find it. AZ Cougar.
Hi Cathouse, I’m going through a 68 xr7 gt 390 fully loaded & factory Mercury Cougar, I was wondering if we could chat for a while? I’m hearing you are very knowledgeable about these cars? Thank You, Tim 1-585-512-9601
The X-RAY-7s that I have seen had the 428 cobra jet engine in it. I had a friend who had a X-RAY-7G which was very rare and fast.
No 428`s in `67. Not until the Winter of `67 – `68. Only a handful of G`s had the R code engine.
I think I’d rather have the `60 Catalina wagon sitting next to it.
Looks like it has leather seats that are not in bad shape. Leather is kind of rare for these.
XR7s should also have some chrome trim pieces along the bottom edge of the body just behind the door/in front of the rear tire
All the toggle switches are in tact, that is a bonus, the plastic always breaks
This guy scored several barn finds for a quick flip. Luck man.
This seller is also selling the red 71 Le Mans convertible featured on this site the other day. He’s a serious seller, all of the cars are being auctioned with low starting points and no reserve.
Steve R
I agree with CATHOUSE. This a standard made to look like an XR7. The wiring is totally different and difficult to convert. TN title is probably correct as AL doesn’t title anything this old. Buyer should ask questions or inspect to verify that mods to dash work.
Cathouse is an expert on these cars! He has forgotten more, than most wanna-be`s will ever know!
I helped a friend in Tennessee find a 67 Cougar back in 2016 for $1500. He just sold it last month for $3500, having lost interest due to the amount of rust. He will be taking a serious look at this one.