1968 Mercury Cougar Hardtop 

The name “Cougar” was originally suggested for the vehicle that became the Ford Mustang.  After the Mustang's wild success, Mercury needed a sporty car of their own, and gave the Cougar name a second chance.  Advertising went all in on the feline theme, even using real live Cougars.  The image of a big cat sitting atop a Lincoln-Mercury dealership sign soon became the symbol for the entire division.  Potential customers were directed “to the sign of the cat.”

For consignment, a 1968 Mercury Cougar.  This car has the correct 302 V8, a 2-barrel carburetor and a C4 3-speed automatic drivetrain.  The exterior will need some TLC, as does the entire car and will definitely benefit from the old once over and some things twice over!  But the bones are there, and if it becomes out of hand it can be used to facilitate the completion of another 1968 Cougar.

Exterior
Exterior surfaces are rust free however all surfaces have some differing gaps throughout the panels.  These are painted with a thick coating of metallic blue which is certainly not professionally applied.  From the side view it could definitely be a Mustang save for the lack of the hockey stick cove in the sides.  Chrome is fair and still somewhat shiny and is seen on the rockers and bumpers.  Just above the front bumper are the Cougar's claim to fame in that we see hidden headlights behind vertical ribbed panels that stretch entirely across the front of the car.  A long center nosed hood stretches back to the windshield which has chrome trimmings on its edges.  So does the side glass  and mirror off the driver's side door.  In keeping with the pony car theme, the short rear deck rolls gently downward to more vertical ribbed tail lighting looking a lot like the front styling, only in red and chrome.  Dual exhaust peek out for the back, and wheels are standard factory coverings.

Interior
A swing of the doors reveals the original door panels, in faded gold which tends to show up greenish, and a lot of soiling on the edges.  In the center is a vented punched horizontal strip in the darker silver with a cougar badge in the center.  The passenger's arm rest is heavily soiled and worn off.  Inside, the original front buckets are gone and replacing them are heavily damaged high back dark tan high back buckets from a later model Cougar.  These chairs are cracked and have foam reveals in the seats and some seams are dry rotted.  The back bench is original as it matches the door panels and has some tuck and roll inserts and smooth bolsters.   and actually it's fairly clean and definitely original.  Gray soiled carpeting covers the floors and is wrinkled.  The dash is heavily painted in black and shows significant wear on the instrument surrounds and many buttons and knobs are missing.  A damaged plastic console is inserted and does not have any radio, and does house the shift lever.   A padded dash tops in and has significant damage with warping and cracking.  The headliner is in gray, and has some damage in the lower B pillars where interior round lighting is missing.  The trunk has a damaged plaid vinyl liner and here we see the rain sitting within it.  

Drivetrain
Under the hood is a 302ci V8 with a single 2-barrel carburetor on top and a C4 3-speed automatic on back.  There is a conventional Ford 8 inch 3.00 rear axle on this car.  The engine bay is unrestored with severe invasive rust at the tops of both the front and rear aprons and is the original green color the car once was.  Plenty of patina on these surfaces.

Undercarriage
Up on the lift reveals plenty of hidden problems in the form of unibody, flooring, and front torque boxes that have invasive rust.  Independent front coil springs provide the ride, and leaf springs are on back.  Drum braking is all around with a stock exhaust.  

Drive-Ability
The car starts and runs rough and shows several coolant leaks.  The brakes are soft, and there are several areas which will need immediate attention prior to driving for any length of time.  

Basically a parts car, from a company considered the higher end of the Ford lineup.  There will be much work to be done with this car, and it will make someone's job of another Cougar restoration just a bit easier.  

8F91F554652

8-1968
F-Dearborn, MI Assy Plant
91-Cougar 2 Door Hardtop
F-302ci 2bbl V8
554652-Sequential Unit Number

WARRANTY TAG

BODY 65A-Cougar 2 Door Hardtop
COLOR O-Seafoam Green
TRIM 2G-Gold Vinyl
DATE 21C-March 21st
DSO 16-Philadelphia
AXLE 5-Ford 8" 3.00 Conventional
TRANS W-C4 Automatic

Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.