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The Eliminator: 1970 Mercury Cougar

1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator

I grew up hearing amazing stories about the Mercury Cougar. As you may recall, my dad has always wanted a Cougar, even just a base model. He eventually found one that he likes, so hopefully he doesn’t see this Cougar Eliminator and decide he needs another! This example is believed to be highly original, although the paint has been touched up and a few pieces have gone missing over the past 46 years. The seller has gotten it running and driving, with a new exhaust system, and it’s listed here on eBay in Wylie, Texas with a BIN of $18,500 and the option to make an offer.

1970 Mercury Cougar 351 4V Engine

$18,500 is a bit rich for my blood, but this Eliminator is a special car. It was special ordered by the first owner in Competition Orange paint, with the 351 4V engine, FMX transmission and the Rally Wheel covers. The handling package, 3.25 rear end and F70x14 tires were standard with the 351 Eliminator, but are nice features to have and sure made it a great car! There were just 2,267 Eliminators built in ’70, but it’s believed that only 3 of those came with the Rally Wheel covers and this could be the only one of those painted Competition Orange. I love the looks of this car, especially with those hide away headlights!

1970 Mercury Cougar Interior

This car’s history is a bit interesting. It was kept and cared for by the original owner until about 5 years ago. The next owner pulled the exhaust off, removed the headliner, carpets, then parked it and left it. It’s too bad they decided to pull it apart, it would likely be a much nicer survivor if they had continued to maintain it instead. I’m going to guess they were planning on restoring it, but lost interest or ran out of funds. It’s also a bummer that the parts they removed aren’t still with it, but they may have been past the point of saving. At least the new exhaust looks and sounds great!

While it’s a well optioned car, most Eliminators were, and looks to be in solid shape I think the current asking is a tad high. Thankfully the seller is willing to hear offers, so perhaps they will accept an offer closer to $15k. If you make them an offer, be sure to let us know! So do any of you have good stories or memories of the Eliminator to share? If so, we would love to hear them!

Comments

  1. Avatar Frankie

    I wonder about that sunroof, would it hurt he value much? Or has Billy bob roond it?

    Like 1
    • Avatar Tom Member

      Hurt the value, yes. Wrong car to put a cheap pop up sun roof in.

      Like 1
      • Avatar Clint

        Yep, that is an after market sunroof. My brother in law has a 69 Eliminator that has a factory sunroof (installed for Ford by American Sunroof Corp). His car is only one of 26 known to still exist.

        Like 0
      • Avatar Mike_B_SVT

        Clint, that is definitely a rare car that your BIL has! There were 101 Eliminators built in 1969 for the Hertz rental car company that included a factory installed electric sunroof. The sunroof was not otherwise available to the public on an Eliminator as an option.

        You can tell your BIL that according to the Eliminator Registry, there are only 24 accounted for, and several of those are known to have been destroyed or scrapped.

        On a somewhat related note, in 1970 they built 102 Eliminators with the sunroof – again, for Hertz. The ’70 cars appear to have a slightly higher survival rate, with 28 listed in the Registry. Again, several of those are known to have been destroyed or scrapped.

        Clint, if possible, could you have your BIL contact me regarding his Eliminator? I would like to be able to update any information for his car in the Eliminator Registry.

        Thanks, and have a great day!

        ~Mike B.
        EliminatorSearch@CougarClub.ORG

        Like 2
  2. Avatar wuzjeepnowsaab

    This…or the AMX with bigger kick for 1/2 the price. nolo contender…the AMX without a doubt

    Like 2
    • Avatar Pope Paul II

      Absolutely! The Cougar has been rode hard and you know the rest.

      Like 0
  3. Avatar RayT

    I see rust, and rust-through, and an Alberta license plate, which means a good possibility of even more rust.

    Frankie, I’m sure Jim Bob can weld in a new roof panel to replace Billy Bob’s sunroof while he’s fixing the rot in the rear fenders (and elsewhere).

    Always liked Cougars — the early versions are best in my book — but since I’m not in the market, I can be extra-picky: automatic transmission? This Eliminator is, well, eliminated….

    Like 0
    • Avatar Tom Member

      good call Ray.on the plate.. Is Wylie Texas a small lesser known province in Canada ay? I have purchased Texas cars and I live in Chicago….this is not Texas Rust. I am a rust expert. This car has A LOT of issues. Plan on all new exterior sheet metal and rockers. this usually means new floors too. New roof panel, not sure on hood and trunk, didn’t care to look that closely after I saw the quarters. Huge investment under the car to make it nice and right unless you are going to make it safe, clean it, treat it, undercoat it and drive it. But don’t stop there! Drivetrain resto, engine compartment, interior…how about the structural stuff??? Worth saving, I think ONLY because it is an Eliminator (better make sure it is REAL first!!!) but it will be a labor of love that your investment FAR EXCEEDS its restored value. Automatic, yuk. if it is a clone, strip it and junk it.

      Like 0
  4. Avatar RH FACTOR

    looks like a bondo burger to me!!!

    Like 1
  5. Avatar Rocco

    The 351 versions were the least desirable, then you add the auto, it goes way down in collectability. Any Eliminator needs a 4-speed.

    Like 1
  6. Avatar Mike_B_SVT

    0F91M522084 was previously sold in Oct 2015, out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was briefly listed on eBay, and also has a listing that can be found on the MercuryCougar.net forum (with contact info for the previous owner), here: http://www.mercurycougar.net/forums/showthread.php?102449-1970-Cougar-Eliminator-Ready-For-Restoration
    Direct link to pics: http://s612.photobucket.com/user/widmerhdwidmerhd/slideshow/70%20Cougar

    From there it travelled to Texas, and was subsequently listed by the current seller in early June 2016 for an unbelievable $26.8k! Apparently he has realized he is dreaming, and the price has been coming down steadily over the weeks since.

    It is easy to pick apart the “bad” things, so instead I’ll focus on the good:
    DOCUMENTATION. The documents that come with the car are the best. You have TWO original build sheets, an Elite Marti Report, and the original purchase documents. You also have the option to purcase the original Ford factory invoice, available from Marti Autoworks ($60).
    Color Combination and Options. It is a nicely optioned car, with PS, PB, and Console. It also has the uncommon Courtesy Lights and Protection Group options. It also has the Block Heater option, which is incredibly rare, but really irrelevant to value, LOL!
    As you can see from the Marti Production Statistics, the color combination is fairly rare as well, with 37 built with this color / interior / engine / transmission.
    To put the combination’s rarity further into perspective, there were a total of 62 Eliminators built in 1970 painted Competition Orange with the White Standard Interior.

    ~ Mike B.
    EliminatorSearch@CougarClub.ORG

    Like 1
  7. Avatar Prowler

    Anything with hide away headlights gets my attention
    But it really should have one more pedal

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Stanley Samson

    This was my vehicle purchased in Jan 1970 from Southridge Motors in Calgary. I did stupid things like adding a sunroof and sidepipes. Sold it on Kijiji in May 2009 for $5000. Five dollars more that the purchase price of $4995.00. A lot of rust on it but it sat in the garage for 20 years. I was moving to Victoria and had not room for it and it would not have passed the safety check.
    Time to go. Someone in Calgary was asking $8000 for it a few years ago.

    Like 1

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