1972 Mercury Cougar Convertible According to “Cougar by the numbers” (Book produced by Kevin Marti of Marti Autoworks) there were 69 Standard Q-code convertibles and 368 XR-7 Q-code convertibles built in the ’72 model year. The climate had begun to change as the muscle car era ended. No longer able to use gross power numbers, the manufacturers had to use net power figures which dropped the once mighty figures down substantially.

For 1971, the Cougar was completely restyled. Starting to move upmarket as a near-personal luxury car, the Cougar looked bigger, but actually weighed less and had only a one-inch-longer wheelbase than its predecessors (112 vs. 111 ). The front end now featured four exposed headlights; the disappearing headlights were gone for good. The center grille piece, or cat’s nose, was now larger and more noticeable than ever. The rear featured a semi-fastback with a “flying buttress” sail-panel.

So You Want to Find Yourself the Perfect Cougar? Fear not friends, there is hope for you yet. Buying a classic collector Cougar isn’t hard, but getting the right car for what you want to do with it is a little trickier. Before embarking on this great adventure you want to arm yourself with some knowledge about the cars you are looking to purchase. You should have a solid grasp of the various models and option packages of each production year your are considering purchasing and have a general idea of the values that each option or optional package adds to the vehicle.

Packages available for the 1969 model year: Standard, Convertible, XR7, GT, Eliminator The third year of production, 1969, brought several new additions to the Cougar lineup. A convertible model was now available in both standard and XR-7 trim. These highly anticipated soft tops proved quite popular and today are considered, by many, among the most desirable of the ’67-’70 production run. Exterior-wise, the grille switched from vertical bars to horizontal bars, and a spoiler and a Ram Air induction hood scoop were added as options.

Packages available for the 1970 model year: Standard, Convertible, XR7, GT, Eliminator The 1970 Cougar appearance wise was similar to the 1969 model, however there were numerous changes inside and out. It now sported a new front end which featured a pronounced center hood extension and electric shaver grille similar to the 1967 and 1968 Cougars. Federally mandated locking steering columns took place on the inside, and the aforementioned new nose and taillight bezels updated the look on the outside.

The 1968 model year included: Standard Coupe, XR7, GT, Dan Gurney Special, GT-E, XR7-G Nineteen sixty-eight saw the addition of 2 new model packages to the Cougar lineup. The GT-E and XR-7G. What a great year to buy a Cougar. The car maintained the same body lines from the 67 model with some slight changes. Most notable were the addition of side signal markers on the front and rear quarters, a 2 spoke steering wheel (as opposed to the 3 spoke offered in the 1967 model) and some slight badge changes to the rear quarter panel emblems.

Mercury breathed life into the first Cougar for the 1967 sales year and a legend was born. Designed with sleek styling and plenty of power the Cougar took the automotive world by storm and won Motor Trend’s coveted “Car of the Year” for it’s inagural season. Specific Information By Year: – 1967 – 1968 – 1969 – 1970 – 1971 – 1972 – 1973 – 1974 Cars By Specific Model: – Standard Coupe – Convertible – GT – GT-E – XR7 – XR7-G – Dan Gurney Special – Eliminator

Packages available for the 1967 Model Year: Standard Hardtop, XR7, GT, Dan Gurney Special 1967 Mercury Cougar Standard The 1967 Cougar was based on that year’s new second-generation Mustang, but with a 3 inch (76 mm) longer wheelbase and new sheet metal. A full-width divided grille with hidden headlamps and vertical bars defined the front fascia—it was sometimes called the electric shaver grille. At the rear, a similar treatment saw the license plate surrounded on both sides with vertically slatted grille work concealing tail lights (with sequential turn signals), a styling touch taken from the Thunderbird.

Not having the luxury of being able to attend the Colorado Cougar Club’s 2007 National show I’ve been digging around looking for info on the whole thing. A couple of guys posted some pics on MCN (which was cool) but when I stumbled across the official club website and saw all of the great pics they had of the event I was in heaven. Beautiful cars and uhhh.. guys where did you find all those fine looking young ladies 😉