The Mercury Cougar got a redesign in 1989 for its seventh generation, which eliminated the unusually-shaped rear side windows the car had worn during its previous year along with some body refinements that resulted in giving it a sleeker appearance on the outside. More than 97,000 Cougars were produced for the ’89 model year alone, but one that’s not a very common sighting is the Blue Max Edition, such as this one for sale here on Craigslist in Canton, Ohio. Even though it’s only an appearance package, some unique striping and badging are included plus it’s a bona fide special edition, making the asking price of $4,995 here sound reasonable as the car is also a low mileage and nicely-preserved example.
Our thanks go out to reader Tony Primo for his great tip on this one! These special-edition Cougars apparently originated around the Cleveland vicinity when a few Lincoln-Mercury dealers teamed up with Promotional Trim Conversions near the same area and began offering the Blue Max package. This wasn’t a new concept for ’89, as it actually had already been offered on the 1985-86 Cougar before taking a one-year hiatus in 1987. When the package returned in 1988, it was officially deemed a special edition and soldiered on until at least 1993.
The seller’s car is dark blue in color, and while he doesn’t tell us if that’s still the factory paint I’m gonna guess it is, unless the exterior happened to only get resprayed from just the side moldings up since those special edition stripes underneath would be difficult to replicate. Regardless of whether or not the finish is all original, its appearance is quite good and the body seems straight for the most part, although I do keep staring at the passenger side fender and wondering if the hood is protruding just a bit skyward near the front. If you don’t like the wheels, no problem, as the originals are included in the sale and they’re stated to be in like-new condition.
Cougar’s 1989 refreshing brought both good news and bad news in terms of performance. On the plus side, the car lost its Fox platform and was now riding on the Ford MN12 chassis, which had been designed specifically for the Cougar and its Ford Thunderbird cousin. Nine inches of wheelbase were gained along with a new four-wheel independent suspension, but on the downside, a lowered cowl prevented the 5.0 from fitting under the hood, and for the first time since the cat’s inception in 1967 a V8 was not offered for the Cougar. This was remedied by 1991, but for the first two years of the seventh generation, all you could get was the 3.8-liter V6, which produced just 140 horsepower. This one’s only been driven 70,000 miles, but I’d probably get more excited about a ’91 through ’93 model with the 302.
Inside, the parts we get to view all seem to be well preserved, with those cloth buckets up front looking comfortable and the rear seat appearing as though it rarely held any occupants. Another plus is a couple of photos are provided from the undercarriage, which is especially important in an area known for its long winters, but fortunately, things down below look good and solid. I’m surprised the seventh-gen Cougars haven’t taken a bigger jump in price yet, and this one seems like a decent deal for 5 grand. What do you think?
I’ve never been too much for local/regional dealer trim packages. But this one doesn’t look bad. I like this generation of Cougar, and this example looks to be in good condition. Given the ‘state of things’ in the collector car world, this is a bargain.
For me, the MN12 Cougar to have is an XR7 with a 5-speed. Few were built and few survive.
I totally agree with you on the XR7 5 speed. I had an option-loaded 89, black with platinum leather interior. The supercharged 3.8 liter V6 was a blast to drive and the car handled surprisingly well on twisty roads. One of those cars I wish I still had.
So who/what is “Blue Max”? Is that a short-lived car wax like Polyglycoat?
Raymond Beadle, funny car champion who drove the Blue Max funny car, perhaps?
Now why can’t I get rid of one of those “funny car”s?
I thought it was a George Peppard film. Maybe there are a lot of Peppard fans in the Akron/Canton area….
3.8L Ess-ex V6
Nice car with a proper independent suspension. The Essex V6 is a bit underwhelming but durable ( minus the head gasket issues of the era). This looks to well kept .
They should have sold head gaskets in a six-pack.
I had an Essex V6 in one of these in a 93 model that I bought with a blown head gasket. If you bought aftermarket head gaskets or the original part number gaskets it would eventually blow again. Ford had an upgraded set in a kit that came with new head bolts that fixed the problem and made it a good car. There was another engine in 89 because in 89-90 you could get the SC Thunderbird’s supercharged 3.8 V6 as an option with the XR7. I bought a new one in black/black leather and a 5-speed manual and it was a lot of fun. Almost as much horsepower as a GT Mustang.
The only Blue Max I remember was a Penske Camaro that Car and Driver got ahold of back in the 1960s. I think the 6 cylinder motor is what’s holding the price down
The Blue Max was offered in the Northeast Ohio area. Why’d they called it that? Who knows? Cuz it was blue? Ford did these regional tape jobs everywhere, throught the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.
I have the ‘Blue Max Edition’ emblem. Just the emblem. I think I picked it up at a swap meet in a box of emblems. Now I just need to find a car that’s missing the emblem for el cheapo. This car has it. Darn.