When I was a boy I used to refer to these as “the car with the shut eyes”. It is (of course) a Mercury Cougar XR7. This one is for sale here on eBay. It’s located in Milton, New York, and comes with a clear title.
The owner of this car has something to be proud of. Not only is it a nice looking car with original paint, but it’s numbers matching and he has a heap of documentation that goes with the car. There is some rust to note in the lower rear quarters and in the lower front of the driver’s door, but neither look to be serious. Otherwise the Light Ivy Yellow paint has a nice shine and the brown top sets off well against it. The owner also notes that the sequential directionals are operational.
This inside of this Cougar really shines. The interior color is described as Ginger. The leather seats look to be in great condition, while the dash, carpet, console and door cards appear to be in first-rate condition. The car also comes fully loaded with tinted glass, air con, tilt steering wheel and defrost. The owner states that everything works exactly as it is supposed to. He is very specific about this, including every light, buzzer, the tachometer and even the clock.
The rear seat also doesn’t disappoint. In fact it looks like it has hardly been used. I suspect that the owner knows exactly how to care for leather upholstery.
Under the hood lurks the venerable 351, backed by an FMX transmission. The car also features power steering, front disc brakes, Traction Lock rear and the Competition Handling Package. The owner claims that it is 1 of 184 as verified by the Marti Report, which is included with the Mercury. Also included is the original invoice and build sheet, along with records and invoices for all repairs. The list of items that have been repaired or replaced is enough to make your head spin. These include the heater core, radiator, gas tank & sending unit, tie rods, shocks, rear springs, sway bar bushings, power steering lines, brake lines, hoses, air con Freon and fittings, belts, plugs, points, wires and the carburetor has been rebuilt.
This is a seriously nice car. It ticks a lot of boxes and I quite like this Cougar with the shut eyes. It would be a rather nice way to go out cruising on a weekend. I guess there are two questions to ask. The first is whether you like it enough to want to own it? The second is that with bidding already at $9,100 and with the reserve having not been met, how high do you think that it will go?
What a beauty. Would love to have this in my driveway. Sequential lights are one the coolest features ever conceived by Ford. Glad they continue to offer them today.
Body side mouldings NOT correct!
Side moulding is correct, I own a ’70 XR7, and it came with the same moulding.
If they weren’t there the BF crowd would be complaining about the door dings!
Perhaps not, but whoever installed them, did a “bang up” job ! They really accentuate the body lines of the vehicle. This is not a Pebble Beach car; this is a local car show, coffee & donuts car. I think that the “door edge guards” look fantastic ! Very sleek.
Great looking car marred only by that protuberance on the front end that the ’69 didn’t have.
That ‘protuberance’ is called a proboscis, designed by Durante.
Nice car ! Cougars are growing on me, I dig them almost as much as mustangs these days .
Automatic BOOH
At least there aren’t any red heater hoses!
Just a bit off topic sort of. Is there anything similar to the Marti Report for Chevrolet/GM products. I know Corvettes have some serious tracking and Camaro has the white book. I have several Camaros and the white book is good but not like the Marti.
Nice car, I prefer the Cougar over the Mustang just like I prefer the Firebird over the Camaro.
My friend has a National Show Winner 69 X-R7 R code convertible. Great Car 99 point car. Prices are all over the place. I have seen this model sell for 6 figures and others barely make 70k. Eliminators sell pretty good but XR7 still hasn’t got there yet. A luxury Mustang !
Nice to see the Mercs getting some love, the Cougar has been gaining popularity recently. Auction prices seem to be going up so now is the time to get into the game. Remember how much you could get a 911, a VW bus, and a 240Z for a few years ago? 100K for a VW Bus!!!! Nice car.
Its about the cleanest Cougar I’ve seen in a very long time. Ive always liked those G.T. ralley wheels Ford used during this era. I think it’ll break 12 grand on the auction.
I’m a Chevy and Buick guy but damn this Cougar does something for me, maybe because in that era I was a Ford/Mercury guy.
Mercury Cougar has a lot of class, this one no doubt was someone’s pride and joy. I liked these years ago as they seemed cheaper than their Mustang counterpart’s and just seemed a step above the pony. Always wanted an Eliminator, which were rare and not so easy to find. Nice car.
Looks good from what I can see. I do have one possible concern, is this out of the area where there was hurricane flooding the other year?
This is a pretty nice car, but not perfect. The passenger door window crank has been replaced with one from a later model car. The front floor pans have been replaced, the wrong seat plugs were used and some are missing. The power steering hose has not been properly routed, it should be inside the rubber block, not hanging below it. It is hard to see but it appears that when the right quarter was “repaired” they molded the rear valance to the quarter panel. The GT wheels are not “correct” as they were not used on 1970 Cougars.
This car has a lot of nice options and in many ways is in decent condition. What it lacks though to make good money is a more sought after drivetrain. At least an M code 351C-4V if not a 428. The H code 351-2V is the base engine for a 1970 Cougar. In my opinion 15K would be strong money for this car. I do not think that it will get bid that high, my guess is 12-13K at the end.
Whoa, mama, that’s a nice Cougar. And to think in a few short years,(4) Cougar would be reduced to a Montego, even a WAGON!!! This was as good as Cougar got, for me. And sorry, I just can’t resist, what would you rather have, a bare bones Rambler with an oh so colorful history,( for some) or the nicest Cougar to come down the pike? ( with $5 g’s to spare to redo the bathroom to make the wife happy) Your choice, I guess,,,, America, freedom!!
If you’re referring to the Romney Rambler the other day, I’d be happy with it, but just a little bit happier with this Cougar…
Yeah, I didn’t make any friends with THAT post. Poor Adam probably thinking, what’s going on, Yanks? I like the Rambler too, but happy wives make the world go ’round, if by some fluke I had $15g’s to spend, this Cougar AND a new bathroom, would go a lot farther than a bare bones Rambler, I’d have to think.
Agree HoA……..but its a slushbox……..so neither………..( I can be crustier than HoA)
Crustier??? :)
My buddy had one of these in college in the early ’80s. When he got it it was decent performer, but then we tuned it up and it really screamed. His was the only car to this day that I’ve ever ridden in with the 120 mph speedo pegged (I know, I need to get out more). I remember the XR7s as being a very well optioned cars compared to my ’70 Cutlass. True analog gauges, real leather seat inserts, lots of cool do-dads like the sequential turn signals. Now, granted, a lot of the do-dads had quit working by that time but still a nice step up from the Mustang.
My dad was pals with one of the Buffalo NY Mercury dealers back in the day. He brought this exact (minus the rub strips) car home for a weekend test drive and decided against buying it. Dad- If you can hear me, BAD IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice car, it’s up to a little over 10 grand for now! It’s worth more than that! My buddy bought his a year ago and paid 18 for it! It’s identical except for the interior is black!
My very favorite body style for the Cougar. Beautiful car.
My aunt didn’t learn to drive until she was in her late 50s and her husband bought her an XR7 with the 351C 4 barrel. She was the absolute worst driver I’ve ever had the misfortune to ride with. She only knew two modes; floored and stomping on the brakes. On top of all that, she lived in San Francisco. She could probably have given Bullitt a run for his money. Riding with her was one hair raising experience let me tell you. If she had headed down Lombard Street I would have jumped out of the damn car!
aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!
This is a very nice Cougar but I wish I had now the XR7 1968 black on black high performance 390. Mine also had the factory sport wheels with wide oval tires. I believe the H P was 335 for that engine with 9 inch rear and C-6 tranny. === Why is it, When I click on the E-bay on this page I get a 1970 Cougar that is completely different than on this page ???
Ended: Aug 09, 2018 , 9:00PM
Current bid:US $11,800.00
Reserve not met
[ 35 bids ]