The owner of this 1970 Mercury Cougar is a tease. He offers just enough photos of this classic to entice us but not enough to give us a clear overall view of its condition. What we see looks promising, and it may be enough to encourage some readers to pursue it further. If you fall into that category, you will find this Cougar located in Everett, Washington, and listed for sale here on Facebook. The owner has set the sale price for this Mercury at $8,900.

The owner only supplies three exterior shots of this Cougar, and none of them tell us much. It appears that it rolled off the production line wearing Ginger Metallic paint, although somebody has replaced the hood at some point. There is a heavy layer of dust across the car, making it difficult to determine how healthy the existing paint is. We also can’t see whether there is any rust in the panels, and the owner doesn’t indicate whether there are any problems on the vehicle’s underside. The exterior trim looks like it might respond positively to a clean, with the grille and taillights appearing to be particularly good. What we see of the glass looks promising, and the owner admits that this Cougar rolls on a set of aftermarket slotted mag wheels. This is unquestionably one of those situations where a classic car will require an in-person inspection.

Lifting the hood of this Mercury reveals a 351ci Cleveland V8 that the owner claims should pump out 285hp. That doesn’t gel with any figures that I have, with the company’s specification sheets indicating an actual output of 300hp. Those ponies find their way to the rear wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission, while the car also features power steering and power brakes. Once returned to a roadworthy state, this Cougar should be capable of storming the ¼ mile in 15.4 seconds. It isn’t clear whether this classic is numbers-matching or when it last ran and drove. However, this photo could be the most revealing of those supplied by the seller. The engine bay looks pretty spotless, and its paint appears fresh. The engine itself is also pretty clean, suggesting that somebody had restored this aspect of the car before the Cougar was parked in its current location. If that’s the case, returning it to a running state may not be that difficult.

When it comes to the question of this Cougar’s interior, the answer is, “Yes, it does have one.”  This is the single photo that shows any details inside the Mercury, and it appears to be upholstered in Ginger vinyl. The door trims and rear seat look like they could be in good condition, but the front buckets wear aftermarket covers. The headliner is sagging in the back on the driver’s side, which could indicate that there are other issues for the buyer to tackle. The owner supplies no information on this aspect of the vehicle or what equipment levels we will find.

The 1970 model year was not a banner one for Mercury’s Cougar. It marked the first year where sales dropped below six-figure territory, with 72,343 buyers handing over their cash to park one in their driveway. It was the final year of production for the First Generation version, with its replacement being a larger and heavier vehicle. It is hard to know what to make of this car, although the supplied photos provide a brief glimpse into its condition. Have you seen enough to make you consider pursuing this classic further?