This handsome 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7 GT is about as loaded as they come, and despite its liberal doses of performance and luxury, a prior owner left it to sit in a “giant building” in California four four decades. The good news? It’s survived in incredibly sound condition, partially due to the original female owner being intimidated by the formidable output of the special-order S-Code 390 V8. A minor accident courtesy of the owner’s son who spun the Cougar and damaged the driver’s-side quarter panel sealed the Cougar’s fate, and it was sold to a collector who kept it hidden away for decades. Find it here on eBay where bidding is over $10K with no reserve.
This Cougar wears Grecian Gold over a Nugget Gold interior. The seller points out that the Cougar as shown here was essentially an upscale cousin to the Mustang Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt, right down to the 390 V8. A bit of hyperbole, perhaps, but not completely unreasonable. The Cougar is very original, but this also means some of the factory details need refreshing. The interior has some of the most obvious fixes needed, such as the front leather buckets that are in desperate need of refinishing. The door panels and backseat are said to be in better condition, and the fake wood in the dash looks mint.
Chrome looks quite tidy front and back, a good thing considering how much of it there is. The chrome is probably the high point of the exterior, as the seller notes that the paint, while still appearing shiny, is dull. The body does still show the damage caused by the first owner’s son along the driver’s quarter panel, and it’s honestly ugly enough that it should be fixed. I don’t know what repairing it would do to the Cougar’s originality, but with the rest of car presenting so well, the dented panel stands out even more. The seller notes that the Cougar retains its period-correct Goodyear Polyglass tires.
Under hood, the Cougar remains largely as it left the factory, right down to the “Powered by Ford” valve covers. The seller notes it ran great when parked 41 years ago, but no attempt has been made to start it since being pulled from storage. The listing does make a valid point that many 390 cars have likely had their engines stripped out and swapped into another chassis at some point, or simply lost to an accident. Seeing a Cougar that is as well-equipped as this car, with its numbers-matching 390 under the hood, does put it in rare company. Factor in the rust-free condition and it’s even more of a stand-out.
An FE, a ’64 390, was the first engine I built here in the kitchen.
At well over 700 pounds, getting it outside was a real production!
They are big, heavy, outstandingly strong, completely wonderful engines.
Surprises me that a picture of the drivers side damage was not included in the write-up, specifically since the writer mentioned it as the worst part of the car.
Lots of small dings on both sides, which you may or may not be able to put up with to drive that FE 390.
The pictures are in the ebay ad. It looks like a pretty decent crunch but could be fixed.
I know it in the eBay advert, that’s where I went to see it. My point was that it should have been in the Barnfinds write up.
Nice wet body set of pictures. It needs a total sand and dings on door and quarter repair anyway and not sure on vinyl as it’s probably dry rotted. The bucket seats need recovered too…
The engine doesn’t run and not attempted.
Its possible the 390 with start 60% confidence level in my book. It will need new gas tank to save the new owner tome of continuous line clogging etc.
nee lines for brakes and fuel.
Flush trans and engine (if engine will turn after pulling plugs and oil down plug holes etc. for 72 hours….)
These are sweet cars in kooks and this one 3 run good too with a 390.
I would love to have gotten the pre flip
price.
The paint is a five + grand coat for a nice quality look.
I don’t think the car is wet. Its an illusion caused by the floor finish. This is that warehouse in the Bay Area, had about seventy cars if I recall.
Given what’s for sale in the market place, and some of the crazy prices asked, to buy a car stored indoors would be optimal.
For this kind of money, even an XR 7, I’d want a 4 speed;. not to mention if the car is NOT on a Non-Op,the back DMV fees are gonna hurt :)
Its a Nice wet body set of pictures. It needs a total sand and dings on door and quarter repair anyway and not sure on vinyl as it’s probably dry rotted. The bucket seats need recovered too…
The engine doesn’t run and not attempted.
Its possible the 390 will start at a 60% confidence level in my book. It will need new gas tank to save the new owner time and frustration of continuous line clogging etc.
needs new lines for brakes and fuel etc.
Flush trans and engine (if engine will turn after pulling plugs and oil down plug holes etc. for 72 hours….)
These are sweet cars in kooks and this one 3 run good too with a 390.
I would love to have gotten the pre flip
price.
The paint is a five + grand for a nice quality look.
Good luck 🍀 on this 🐈
So is it okay to like and reference a cougar these PC days 😜
Paint and body work would be way more than $5,000 anywhere near the Bay Area. A friend recently got quotes for his 71 Comet, shop prices were $9,000 and up, that was for a two stage with the body work done, needing final block sanding and supplies. He was going to install all of the glass bumpers and trim. Even guys doing willing to do it on the side were in the $5,000 range.
Steve R
Steve i agree painting has become a very high item . I have had my cars painted from 6-10 in recent times. I was figuring since this will need no new panels and having a vinyl top area not to much to paint it in my Midwest area. I know i could get this one done from high fives.
I will say though when i take mine to professional reputable dealers i state the bumpers, tail lights, wiper blades ,door handles, door panels inside, chrome , emblems are removed by me. This in my approach guarantees no cheating on removals and saves me some coins too. The painters love it too on less hassles.
Seats didn’t hold up very well.1/4 fixable by a good body man.
Scooping the ad photos, there isn’t a usable panel besides the roof and valances. Everything is damaged. Also, the original Ivy Green Metallic is visable on the drives door jamb. This kitty was beat, before storage. Vinyl top is peeling, too. Sad.
Looks to me like that RF fender is whacked in the front also.
Lots of damage on passenger side as well, hood and trunk don’t fir properly, will be interesting to see what it finally sells for.
This kitty is dogged out.
Nice father and son project if the price doesn’t go much beyond 10k.
That looks like it has had more hits than Elvis had, every panel has been hit at some time. All be it that they are most likely just car door openings and shopping trollies they all need working on.
7900 miles, nope add a 100K steering wheel is so worn it shines. Lots of problems.
I call BS on the miles. Car is WAY too worn
Sad, with those miles should be like new just dusty
It looks like the son’s driving skills didn’t match his need for speed.
Or he was another Bay Area driver that learned to parallel park using the Braille Method..
He squirrled it away after it got squirrley around a corner!
Yes,BS on the mileage,look at that shift handle.Still like to have it but would have to see it in person or much better pictures,including the chassis,really poor presentation for such a special car.What “is” the green color under the gold paint,primer,skim coat,filler,did Ford use such a product?
Agreed on the mileage, it’s definitely been around the clock at least once. This Cougar needs extensive bodywork and a complete re-paint. Aside from the right side front fender and the hammered rear left quarter, there are dings and dents everywhere and both front and rear valances are damaged. Add a new vinyl roof and new leather for the front seats plus all the worn little bits and pieces it probably needs, you’re looking at a lot of money to get this car right. Unless you can get this car for a good price, I’d pass and look for a better one.
This poor car looks like it was driven by braille for ten plus years. Not a straight panel on it. Hope the lady cut her son’s private parts off after he crashed it. No back fees owed on cars older than 25 model years in California, so no worries if it is not on a non-op. Worthy of restoration for sure, but a lot of work and money to bring it back to it’s original beauty.
At least you don’t have to worry about botched body work!