Vehicle Description
Vehicle to be offered for Auction sale WITHOUT RESERVE and SOLD to the highest bidder January 19th - 22nd, 2017 at Russo and Steele's 17th Annual Scottsdale Arizona Auction at the Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Please contact us for more information.
Ford Motor Company's designers began work on the T-7 project, which ultimately resulted in the Mercury Cougar, during February 1963. The new car, which followed the early development of the Ford Mustang, was conceived as an upscale sporty car to bridge the gap in the Ford Motor Company model lines between the Mustang and Thunderbird.
When it was released for 1967, the handsome new Cougar was only available as a formal hardtop coupe. While some sources cite budget constraints, others detailed Mercury's goal for excellent build quality, an easier task with one single model.
While the Cougar did share many basic design elements with the Mustang, including the long hood/short deck layout, the Cougar's wheelbase was three inches longer. Other features included hide-away headlights and wide, sequential taillights, along with extensive standard and optional features. Befitting its upscale stature, the Cougar's base price was $350 higher than that of the Mustang.
An immediate success, the Cougar was named Motor Trend's "Car of the Year" for 1967. In addition, the new Cougar was highly successful in the wildly successful SCCA Trans-Am racing series with Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, and Ed Leslie driving Cougars for Bud Moore to several high-profile victories. In fact, the Cougar team almost took the Trans-Am championship that year. In addition to the 289 V-8 in several power ratings, street Cougars were also available with the GT package including Ford's 320-horsepower, 390 FE-Series big-block V-8, dual exhaust, beefed suspension, 3.25:1 rear end, and standard 3-speed manual transmission. Buyers could also specify a 4-speed manual transmission or Merc-O-Matic automatic. The GT package was quite popular with 8,464 Cougars produced with it for 1967. Of them, just 2,673 were based on the upscale XR7 hardtop model, which included leather bucket seats, full instrumentation, and enhanced interior appointments.
An outstanding offering at auction without reserve, this 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 is a rust-free, freshly restored in its original colors and equipped with a new interior. Powered by a rebuilt high-performance, 390 four-barrel V-8 mated to a C6 automatic transmission, the Cougar features a restored vinyl top, Eliminator-style spoilers and scoop, new air conditioning, a new factory-style digital stereo, and new wheels and tires.
