Mercury Cougar was a hit from the beginning, and given its ties with the Mustang, the early sales figures weren’t surprising.The Cougar accounted for 4 in 10 cars sold in 1967 by the Mercury-Lincoln unit, despite every version costing more than an equivalent Mustang. The Cougar rapidly became a money-making machine, with the XR-7 costing approximately $4,500.
The 1969 model year witnessed the introduction of a convertible version after the Cougar hit the streets exclusively as a hardtop. Mercury dropped the 289 (4.7-liter) V8, with the company now betting big on the 351 (5.7-liter) Windsor V8 borrowed from the Mustang.
Ford’s superstar donated multiple engines, including the 428 Cobra Jet, which produced 335 horsepower. The Boss 429 also made its way to the Cougar, but Mercury built only two such hardtops specifically for drag racing.
A 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 that looks incredibly intriguing is now fighting for survival after spending over two decades in a barn. The car coped with the test of time remarkably well, and while the rust has already reached the typical suspects, it hasn’t yet transformed the Cougar into a rust bucket. The floors require particular attention, but this isn’t a surprise.
The undersides suffer the most metal damage on cars sitting for a long time, so you should check the Cougar in person to tell if regular patches are enough or if you must install new floors altogether.The 351 engine under the hood runs correctly after a few fixes – eBay seller moes_customz says they cleaned the gas tank, and the Cougar “sounds good.”
The shared photos indicate this Cougar is a project on all fronts, as it needs bodywork and fixes inside and under the hood. Considering the car’s age, the interior doesn’t look as bad as expected, with the driver’s seat requiring particular attention due to a few rips.
Despite the long tenure on the side of the road, this Mercury doesn’t come with a low mileage. The odometer reveals 102,000 miles (164,000 km), so the previous owners enjoyed the V8 power before the car was moved to storage. This makes its decent condition even more impressive, especially in the cabin, where this Cougar looks better than 90 percent of the barn finds I’ve seen lately, many with lower mileage.