Ford management initially hesitated to grant Mercury entry into the pony car market, but giving the project the green light proved wise. The resulting car was the Cougar, which accounted for 40% of total sales for the entire Lincoln-Mercury division for 1967. The Cougar badge would remain a staple of the Mercury range until Ford retired the marque, and with no sign that it intends to perform a revival, restoring cars like this 1968 Cougar XR-7 assumes greater significance. It is a promising project with a 390ci V8 under the hood and is listed here on eBay in Baltimore, Maryland. Bidding sits at $1,975, and if you aren’t already tempted, the seller’s decision to offer it with No Reserve could be enough to get you to join the bidding war.
This Cougar appears to have led a colorful life, but its original Lime Frost paint is visible across various areas. The panels are pretty straight, with no significant bumps or bruises. There is plenty of surface corrosion, but the only exterior penetrating rust is confined to the lower rear quarter panels. That isn’t the end of the story because the floors require work to address the typical rust issues. A close inspection may reveal they are patchable, but bracing for floor pan replacement would be wise. The grille looks surprisingly good, as does most of the bright trim. The bumpers would benefit from a trip to the platers, but the remaining items should respond to work with a high-quality polish. The original owner ordered this classic with tinted glass, and its condition looks acceptable for a driver-grade restoration.
Powering this Cougar is the X-Code 390ci V8 that produced 280hp and 403 ft/lbs of torque in its prime. That motor offered effortless performance, accentuated by the three-speed automatic transmission and power steering. Because the Cougar generally weighed more than the equivalent Mustang upon which it was based due to its luxury leanings, it didn’t offer quite the performance potential of its Ford cousin. However, a ¼-mile ET of 15.7 seconds was still considered respectable in 1968. The seller admits this classic doesn’t run or drive, but the engine turns freely. It is unclear when it last fired a shot in anger, but it would be worth flushing the fuel system and inspecting everything thoroughly. You never know, but it might spring a pleasant surprise by bursting into life with little effort.
Mercury’s decision to market the Cougar as a more luxurious version of the Mustang is evident when we examine this car’s interior. Items like the console and lashings of faux woodgrain are in keeping with the approach during that era, helping to make every journey a special occasion. The new owner might find that returning this aspect of the XR-7 to its former glory is one of the most affordable parts of the build. The first step would be to deep clean everything because I believe this will produce surprising results. The driver’s seat has a split, but the remaining Black upholstered surfaces seem in good order. A couple of controls on the dash are missing knobs, and the buyer may find that even a deep clean won’t save them from spending $250 on a new carpet set. However, if that is all that is required, it will hardly break the bank.
The auction figure of $1,975 is extremely modest for a vehicle like this 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7, but it has reached it via thirty-three bids. That suggests that people like what they see and are willing to give this classic a second shot at life. I expect both the bid total and price to climb, but by how much would be an educated guess. Tempted readers might want to watch this auction closely because this Cougar could be an affordable project car.
I can’t speak to the viability of restoring this Cougar, but in my opinion they were cool and classy cars in their day. I can visualize this one restored and it would look great. I’d keep the Lime Frost paint. I hope our resident Cougar expert will chime in.
Those &&%#ing spring towers! What were they thinking/smoking?
If a person had the time, money, knowledge this car would be a steal, especially if the bidding stays so low, however, I imagine the price will get way out of hand before it’s all over……glwts….
I believe the last time this car actually ran was when George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu parked it in front of a bar in Mexico?
Floors on Mustangs and Cougars being rusted usually means bigger problems. It is my experience with these cars that the floors rust most times from the inside out due to the cowl drains getting plugged and then rusting allowing water to enter the interior. Cowl repair is no fun. that said, I own a 67 GT Cougar and hope someone saves this car. Getting a big block pony car is not usually cheap.
Very true. Add in that a part of a heater box is sitting in a cardboard box and it is possible that a previous owner starting looking into a cowl problem.
Cat scratch fever baby!!
Its a rusty crusty for sure
Cash sone bonds baby …
Or find a small block and enjoy it for a cost savings.
I hope it gets restored… but it will not be cheap. Keep the 390 they are an efficient engine. I found that the 352 was harder on fuel than the 390.
I was looking at the frame rails and noticed that I could see the entire spare tire!. The trunk appears to be completely gone and the floors probably are as well. If they make the sheetmetal this could be saved, but there is some work ahead. I was not a ford fan back in the day, but now that everything from that era is so rare, I appreciate all of them.
If you knew anything about the 1967-1970 Cougars you would know that the gas tank is the trunk floor. The seller’s description says that the gas tank has been removed which will result in there being a big hole in the trunk. Install a new tank and the hole will be filled. The bigger question though is does the seller still have the original tank. Or more to the point the original fuel sending unit as it is pretty much a 1968 XR-7 only part. They do show up once in a while in a very well optioned 68 Mustang, but not very often.
I have owned a 68 xr7 with the J-code 302 since 2013 and never heard nor read that the fuel sending unit was unique to the xr7!
All the 1967-1973 Cougar XR-7 models had a low fuel warning light as standard equipment. In order for this light to work it required a different fuel sending unit from a car without this option. The low fuel light required additional wiring going to it. The low fuel warning system was also an option for a 1967-1968 standard Cougar but not very cars received this option. If you want to see the difference between a standard sending unit and a low fuel sending unit you can go on the WCCC website to see photos of each style. The 1968 Cougar unit is unique due to the size of the gas tank and the size of the fuel line.
My experience with Fords of this vintage is they had a habit of cracking pistons. I remember tearing down BB, SB, & 6 cyl Fords & more often than not they’d have at least one or more cracked pistons. I’d be curious what this 390 reveals.
Sitting at $3500 right now…not bad considering it’s a non runner. Any restorable big block is worth considering at this point.
I drove a 390 cougar more than once early 80s. Working in a garage,the old guy that owned it left the mud and swow tire on it year round,it was a torque monster absolutely blast to drive,hope someone can afford to to save..
This very well could be my old 6.5….I would have to check for an old tag receipt in my saftey box at the bank. Mine ran and drove and had a new turn signal switch for the back lights. You couldn’t almost give these away some 25 yrs ago – agaist the demand for a Mustang – a running driving Cougar XR-7 and with a title! It would be a long way from Texas where I sold it but it looks just like Sharon’s car – the orginal owner of it – I kept it tuned up for her until she died and bought it from her husband. Those plugs were a bear with some plugs needing to be taken out from the underside. Sold it to a Mustang guy for $1500 and was glad to see it go…..
I cannot say if this is your old car or not but what I can tell you is that with a DSO of 17 this car started out life on the east coast.