When the Mercury Cougar debuted in 1967, it was a senior-level “pony car” to give FOMOCO two contenders in that market space. In 1971, the cat got bigger and began to shed its pony roots. Come 1974, it was strictly a personal luxury automobile, about as large as the Ford Thunderbird which had also grown over time. The seller’s example is a nice ’74 XR7 (the only model that year) which has less than 1,000 miles on its rebuilt engine. Located in Huntsville, Alabama, this big beauty is available here on craigslist for $10,500. Our thanks to Mark F. for his tip sleuthing!
The third generation of the Cougar was in production from 1974 to 1976 (and sold well despite rising gas prices). It was now built alongside the mid-size Montego, though it looked even bigger. The car had picked up two inches in wheelbase but 15 inches in length, mostly forward of the windshield. So, while the Ford Mustang got smaller (the subcompact Mustang II), Mercury went completely in the other direction. And it worked as sales increased by 63% to 91,000+ units in 1974.
We’re told this Cougar has less than 68,000 miles, which begs the question why did the engine need to be rebuilt? There are no under-the-hood photos, so we don’t know if this Merc has the base 351 cubic inch V8 or the optional 400 or 460. The only way you could go then was with an automatic transmission as you’d expect with a luxury car. Besides the motor, the brakes and carburetor have been renewed, and the vehicle rides on new Keystone-style mag wheels and new tires.
The body, paint, and interior all look solid on this Mercury, perhaps due in part to it spending a lot of time in the garage. Since it also has a new battery and got a tune-up, we assume this is a turnkey automobile that you could drive home, regardless of where you live. But the bumpers on these land yachts were huge thanks to the DOT.
Leisure suit, platform shoes, chest hair and large medallion available separately
Oh no! It’s got a slant six
We look at this generation of Cougars and think: too big, poor space utilization, middling performance, and of course oversize bumpers. But they had presence and style, and were a (successful) product of their times. This one looks pretty good. The red interior with the velour/vinyl (?) seats and the full instrumentation is particularly flashy. Cruise in style for not much money.
If Starsky or Hutch were a private eye.
Very pretty car. I preferred these over their companion, the Ford Elite. Personal luxury cars were in vogue then, so I don’t understand some of the sparky comments. This one looks well cared for. I for one would love to see a return of the personal luxury car.
The Ford Elite. Another name plate I forgot about. Back when the Thunderbird was sharing a chassis with the Lincoln Mark. Talk about cannibalizing sales. I like this big cat, but XR7 meant the performance variant I thought. Still, that 351 was no slouch. I would give this a look if it were closer.
The XR-7 package was never a performance package. It was always a luxury and convenience package.
Back in the day lol showing my age.
My buddy had one red over white with buckets and console shifter. 351 and yep it would scoot. A beautiful looking car.
Very nice ride! If I was closer I would definitely take a look.
My very first car as a teenager in 1978 was a 1974 Cougar. It had the 351C. I drove (or abused) that car for over 200K miles. Other than a snapped transmission input shaft it just would not stop running. Lots of good memories and lots of “firsts” in that car.