Mercury joined the pony car scene in 1967 with the Cougar, an upscale alternative to the Ford Mustang. It was popular enough to claim third place in the sales race (behind the Chevy Camaro). Mercury delivered 100,000 Cougars in 1969, of which just 4% were XR7 convertibles like this one. But how many were finished in Light Aqua with a 390 V8, making this perhaps a rare find. Located in Fort Mill, South Carolina, this Merc is available here on eBay, where $15,400 is the current bid, the reserve is unmet, and 21,000 is the seal-the-deal now price.
The XR7 was the premium edition of the first-generation Cougar. And this one was well-equipped, starting with the S-code 390 CI engine. Add to that an automatic transmission, power steering and brakes, factory A/C, power door locks and windows, and a lot more. We’re told the Merc came from western Canada at some point, picking up 81,000 miles in 56 years. It’s only had two caretakers other than the seller.
Mercury found so much success with the Cougar that “Sign of the Cat” identification began to populate advertising and dealerships. With Robin’s Egg Blue paint, it’s possible this machine could have been custom-ordered when it was new, but that’s just a guess. We’re also told the XR7 has been independently inspected, so we assume it’s ready to roll.
The photos do not depict a pristine garage queen, but rather a driver that might want a bit of TLC. With 4,000 of this flavor built in 1969, how many of these drop-tops could be left in any condition? Similar Mustangs may be easier to find. Of the first iterations of the Cougar, I always thought the ‘69s were the most attractive.
Am i the only one thinking ” On her majesty’s secret service. “
Wow, I didn’t know they even made a cougar convertible, and to find one in good shape with that engine and all those nice rare options, someone will get a very nice car with a lot of power. I hope it is preserved and enjoyed for a long, long time.
the a/c componets are missing. The headlight doors appear to not be working.
The headlight doors are connected, and rely on vacuum to stay closed. Mine can stay closed for a week or so, but if there are leaks these things will open up.
What? No pics of the under carriage? Pass.
Looks like a well-equipped Cougar in reasonably good condition. The colors make for a “spring-y” look. A Marti Report would help with the credibility factor. This generation of Cougars were cool cars and are quite desirable.
If the underside is in good condition this would be a good deal for someone. You do not get much these days for 21K.
Just to set the record straight this car does not have power locks. That was not even an available option in 1969 Cougars. Many people look at the master power window switch panel on the drivers door and see the word LOCK and think that means power door locks. It does not mean that. What it does is if the driver uses the LOCK button it makes the other three single power window switches inoperative. It was there to keep the kids from playing with the windows putting them up and down, up and down, up and down.
As I was reading the discription I was thinking power locks were not available on Mustangs but then the Cougar was more upstate. Good explaination
The 320 hp engine should help pull the bigger 1969 year along well.
The color looks good and stands out on this vert.
I wish good luck with the sale and think this cat 🐈⬛ will be a fun weekend cruise car.
My favorite years are prior 67-68 sizes but this is just inches slightly bigger.
cool cat but not the best color for it.
Not seeing A/C either,,
No compressor OR a/c hoses. Canadian convertible, most likely does not get A/C ordered.
Boy the unibody shock tower design sure makes the engine compartment cramped with a big block. No fun changing spark plugs.
That is why I always appreciated the Camaro/Firebirds of the day. Lots more room under the hood. Ford stuck with that outdated front suspension as long as they could.
Changing the spark plugs on the Mustang, Cougar, Fairlane /Torino/Falcon, Ranchero, Comet /Clycone was a real PITA. One option was to cut holes through the inner fenders and remove the spark plugs from the outside! The other option was to jack the engine up, also a PITA. If the engine had tube headers, better pack lunch and dinner! (;-) A well stocked first aid kit was also helpful! Another real fun one to fix was the upper control arm bushing squeak. The easiest way was to cut holes in the shock towers, and add grease fittings. Ford made a special tool for this problem, but it was about useless!
Ah yes…the bushing squeek!
I forgot about that!
Still miss my 69 Cougar though!
Add Mavericks and Comets to the list for the control arm bushings! My Dad cut two (2) holes in each shock tower with an acetylene torch, so we could grease the control arm bushings when the original “permanently lubricated” units from the factory failed, and were replaced with aftermarket parts that had the grease fittings that the factory should have included in the first place, LOL! If you don’t have a torch, you might be able to use a hole saw to do the job, if you didn’t mind throwing the hole saw away after finishing the job!
You can cut the shock towers away if you put an aftermarket frame under the car first, but the cost of doing that would likely exceed the value of the car, LOL!
Would be better with pics underside and better pics of the seats.
It does not have factory a/c. There are no outlets in the dash in the spots my ’69 Cougar had them.
True. That plaque with the Cougar logo above the Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) controls is where a center set of A/C vents resides when factory A/C is installed, along with “eyeball” vents at each corner of the dash. The first-generation GM pony car twins, Camaro and Firebird, have a similar blank off plate in the center of the dash for the same reason.
Yep. My non AC 69 has that Cougar plate, and so clearly this cat is non-AC. Cant see components under hood, either. Other than the color, I really like this.
I messaged the seller. The car has been off the road since 2004 The seller was very forthright about condition and rust etc. Ran when parked.
Nice looking car. 1969 has always been my favourite year for this generation Mercury Cougar. I hope it goes to a good owner.
Love the car but would prefer another color. GLWTS
I am an old Oldsmobile guy at heart. It was not until GM ‘generic-sized’ itself that I became more observant of Ford. These Mercury Cougars always appealed to me above the Mustang; maybe I saw them as the Oldsmobile equivalent in Ford Engineering? Not sure. I think I would be tempted to do a total purist restoration with the exception of one item. Paint change to Black or Dark Metallic Blue. Great options and super power plant. A solid investment and a great toy.
Beautiful color! Great equipment! Sporty styling! Someone who has mechanical and body shop skills could turn this diamond in the rough into a first place car show winner. I loved the first generation Cougar styling and it looks even better compared to modern automotive offerings. Old memory: a guidance counselor at my junior high school had a black hardtop Cougar.
I had a 1967 mustang GT/A with the 390
Sparkplugs were definitely a hassle to remove. We use to Jack the engine up a bit.
Did pack a punch with that big block, I had a
C6 auto trans.
I love you folks on this site! I’ve been here for 5+ years. I’m getting close to retiring and my hobby will be to restore a vintage car. I’ve already done 2. I count on you folks for your wisdom of these models. I’m salivating over this Cat, and while you didn’t say NO, you gave me a lot to think about. So a sincere thank you to “the crew” here…..whether Caddies, Corvettes, Mopar, Lotus, or some weirdo RV…there’s always somebody who knows “that car”.
Sold on 10/18/2025 for $21,000.
Steve R
Lovely looking car. This has always been my favourite generation Mercury Cougar XR7.