Ford had a two-year head start with the Mustang in what would become known as the “pony car wars.” The Mustang debuted in mid-1964 as a 1965 model, and the competition wouldn’t follow until 1967 (except for the Plymouth Barracuda, which debuted the same month as the Ford). The seller has a super nice, one-owner 1967 Cougar that seems to be without flaws other than a recent small ding in the rear bumper. Located in Leavenworth, Washington, you can take this Merc home for $20,000 via a listing here on craigslist.
The Cougar was based on the Ford Mustang but was a tad bigger and came with a higher level of trim (as befitting a Mercury). There was no fastback, just a hardtop and a convertible as the FOMOCO division was going after an audience with deeper pockets. At one time, the Cougar would be the best-selling product in the Mercury portfolio as buyers flocked to the “Sign of the Cat.” The last car bearing the Cougar nameplate was built in 2002.
As the original owner of this fine automobile is 92 years old, we assume that he/she is past safe driving age and family members are letting this prize go. It has 73,000 well-maintained miles with a 289 cubic inch V8 (no six-bangers in a Cougar) and an automatic transmission. The burgundy/red interior is original, as is the black vinyl top, so we assume the white paint has been redone once.
Other than a small parking lot mishap involving the rear bumper (can’t see it in the photos), this Cougar looks sharp and ready for more adventures. This is one of the nicest first-year Cougars we’ve seen, so hopefully the next caretaker will give it another 50 years of great care. Thanks for another Eagle-Eye tip, “Curvette”.
I bought my ex wife one of these in 2005 for 2500 bucks, it was lime frost with the 289 and had the 3 in the floor. I was the second owner and the seller who bought it new told me it would have had ac in it but he was going through a divorce and couldn’t afford it at the time. I miss that car!