The Story Of Cougar 1: The First Mercury Cougar
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- A while back, we sat down with Jim Pinkerton, the owner of the very first production Mercury Cougar (1967 model year), a.k.a. Cougar 1. We hit the "record" button on our cameras and he let loose with an epic tale of how the car was first sold in Canada, its subsequent life there, and how it eventually got into his hands - an intriguing story! He also goes over some of the unique features of the car, and some of the restoration techniques used. It's a truly beautiful factory show car with more attention to detail than the 'average' Cougar.
Special thanks to Jim Pinkerton for his time, and for providing most of the images you see in this video from his own collection of Cougar memorabilia.
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Who doesn't love a great car background story? Gorgeous Cougar!
Although I've been a Corvair owner for years, I have a great admiration for the 1st generation Cougar...what a great car that was!
i´m european and when in L.A. in 1977 i saw it and took it and still today is perfect i´m not sure but seems it isb a RX7, all black with darker shade of red leather interiors with iron special wheels ,kind of sporty ,also a 7.0L
My Dream car has always been a 1967 Cougar ! Burgundy with the Black top ! Numbers Matching ! Still haven't found one !😢
Wow what a great story and I would find it hard to have the words for the car itself! Priceless really and thank you so much for posting this to share with us!
I love both types of Cougar, especially the car.
Great video and even better is Mr. Pinkerton's ability to convey a story. Thanks.
those finished seams makes the car look awesome
Indeed. I've never seen such workmanship on seams....and no filler!
My dad's '69 XR7 was a black convertible with a white top and white interior. The most elegant car IMHO. The hideaway headlights and sequential tail lights only added to its allure!!
Shelby Leon I used to have a Wimbledon white 70 XR7 blue interior wish I had that car back😅
Yes it was a convertible
My very first car was a 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7, 302 4v, dark blue metallic with black vinyl top and every available option.
@@kennethchapman9564my very first car was a 68 standard 302 4barrel, gold with black vinyl top and AC ...lol
number 1 mustang was also sold in Canada and its nice to know 1 cougar was also sold in Canada. i am a proud Canadian
Time travel into the great 60’s car years. Bravo!
Wow! Cougar One! The quality looks like museum quality. But the HISTORY behind it was well worth the time spent listening.
Awesome car
Now, that's a great story told by someone who knows how to tell it! How did both Mustang #1 and Cougar #1 end up in the east coast of Canada with the lowest population? Strange....Maybe Camaro #1 is there too....
I worked for the local Lincoln-Mercury dealership here in Honolulu, Hawaii as a mechanic and remember many of the old time sales and service people saying that had it not been for the arrival of the Cougar that the dealership would most likely had gone bankrupt.
Indeed, the car's styling and appointments put it in a class all by itself. I still remember staring in awe at the sequential turn signal control box in the trunk and marveling at it's operation.
What a stunning vehicle. My favorite cars have always been Mercury. I have owned many different kind but my 3rd car was a 1968 XR-7. Black interior with wood grain. It had a 351 Windsor ( not original motor ) with auto. Just loved that car, left crazy cool posi S stripes everywhere. I sold it always thinking I would get another, sadly it hasn't happened yet. But there is still hope cause even though I am in my 50s I still drive an 83 foxbody four eyed 302 4bbl 5speed posi car with the slope back. I choose to not use the back seat, carpet from tail lights to buckets. Thanks for showing that beautiful machine. Just awesome 👍
Amazing history about these Cougar cars!!! Never heard about them, but wow what a beauty!!!! I'm not surprised about the Jaguar attempted lawsuit lol
I personally love the 1967 model
Cougar, had a metallic blue 2 dr
with a 289...was a very Fun car.
I always loved this car. A boyhood friend’s father in 1971, had a 1968 Cougar. I loved looking at it.
My best friend mom bought a used 68 Cougar XR7- G in 1970. Burgundy with red leather interior and electric sunroof. The car came equipped with a 428CJ and C6 auto. Had alot of fun in that car. One of the things we did in that car was cruise the car on graduation day, hanging out the sunroof acting the fool. Fun times. Lol.
The way the story is told ... keeps you watching !
From Jan's husband. Love your story, it really hit home. I grew up in Moncton and remember going to the Hollis Lincoln dealership to look at cars with my Dad. I'm a big Ford fan and love most cars from the mid to late 60's.
The best cougar model, good job guys 👽
In 1972 my first car was a 67 cougar! Panasonic 8-track under the dash wedge speakers in the back window love that car
If I were rich, and could have any car I wanted, it would be a '67 or '68 Cougar. Have been my favorite since their introduction.
Thanks for not treating us to really Bad generic metal..These cars obviously speak for themselves. Very many Thanks!
I had the 1967 cougar with 289 engine automatic and I felt like the king of the road...I was 17 and very succesfull with ladys. That was anothe rera ! The guy that bought it off me had a 390 engine to puttt in and was aiming at race competition .
Wow, what a great piece of history. Great story, thank you.
Great story... I just had to watch this video.
My Uncle Larry had a brand new 68 Cougar that he drove me to school in. I thought that car was so cool, with its folding headlights and sleak body lines.
You hardly ever see one at any shows anymore.
I had a 68 with the 351 W motor. That car was fun.
My grandpa (father's side) had a red '67 Cougar with white pinstripes. I wished he would have willed me it.
Gorgeous car ❤
got to see this car in person at Rob Crowder's Cougar meetup and hear Jim tirelessly and passionately relay this story. Probably the finest and most significant Cougar there is.
Great story and thanks for your efforts, financial and otherwise, to ensure this little piece of automotive history survives. (Did you know that Jackie Kennedy owned a Mercury Cougar in the years after JFK's assassination? She eventually owned a 6 series BMW (1980s) but a Cougar was her personal car during the 1960s).
I had the first Cougar on the streets of Dallas. I had not even seen a picture of the Cougar, its introduction was either held fairly secrete, or maybe I just didn't know where to look. But, just knowing that Mercury was going to make their version of the Mustang made me want one, site unseen, I had no doubt that it would be a great style. Then on intro day, I visited the Lincoln Mercury dealers in Dallas. They showed me pictures, but had no cars (at least I now had some idea of what it looked like - beautiful). I was told that there had been a delay in production and no Dallas dealer had received any so far, but that Holiday LM in FtWorth had received a shipment. I drove straight to Ft Worth (first time I had ever been there) and finally got to see the Cougar. I was not disappointed, it was actually at least twice as great as what i had expected. I picked out a white with red interior 6.5 liter (390) with 4 speed manual and took it home to Dallas. WOW, what a beautiful neat fun (and powerful/fast) car. And how neat to have a car that for the first couple weeks, most people who saw it had no idea what it was, but admired it. Pretty neat that it was Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 1967. Ordered a Texas personalized license plate for the 67 year that said "67 CAT" and the next year for 68 I changed the plate to "390 CAT". My first choice for the plates was "COUGAR" but somebody beat me to that one. Sold the car after about 3 years, but still have the license plates.
Had a 70 XR7 in high school. Coolest car in the lot. Lots of back seat deflowering.
Thank you for showing it...
Always liked the first gen Cougars, thanks for the great video and insight to the history of Cougar1
Great story, lovely car. The original Cougar was so much sharper than the Mustang.
Great story, luv the early Cougars.
This was an excellent run down and story.
Wow...very interesting story. Glad the car is in the hands of someone who truly appreciates it. Enjoy!
Thats one too Awsome Cougar and miss them more
I love looking at old production line photos knowing that those are brand new cars. I was also amazed to see the Cougar on the same assembly line as the Mustang. I know they are very similar but I didn't know they were assembled on the same line at the same time, very cool thank you for this awesome video.
Amazing story. So glad a #1 car is in better than new condition. Thank you.
My love affair with cougars started when I was 14 years old. My best friends Mom purchased the first 1967 in our town. I've now owned a 1969 XR7 and a 1968. She had the only cougar I've ever seen that was two tone. I don't mean a vinyl top. I mean the top was painted Trafalgar Blue Poly and the rest of the car was painted Turquoise. To this day I haven't seen another cougar even online that was two tone. It was the basic with a 289 and a 3 speed on the floor. I loved that car and never got over Cougars.
Need to replace the 3spd w a tremec!
Wow! I have heard the story a piece of a time here and there over the last 20 years but this is the first time I have heard the whole store start to finish. Very well done Jim and Andrew. This video will be in place for many years to come. Thanks for sharing! Don Rush - WCCC
Great story beautiful cougar #1
Thanks for watching? We should be thanking you for doing this project and sharing this important work. It is a beautiful car, I always thought the Cougar was for someone who wanted and could afford something more than what the Mustang offered, but not a dressed up copy. In its time it was a hybrid. A step between Mustang and thunderbird or Even Riviera. And to think the only one to survive the day is Mustang. I guess Ford did know what they were doing. Thanks again for the great video.
When FORD owned 49% of MAZDA in the late 80's, the Escort was made along side the Protege and then FORD was about to make the Mustang a FWD car based on the M-6 . But the protest by Mustang fans showed them it was a bad idea so the RWD Stang went on while the FWD plan became the Probe/M-6 around 1989 .
Incredible history ...thanks,
Cheers!
Awesome! Awesome
I love Cougars and had a 68 XR7 , Your story is like a nice Documentary thanks for that, that was good
What a great car that #1!
My stepfather had a first generation 390 4v Cougar in gold w/black interior. He was the original owner and babied it. When the Pinto arrived on the scene he was sick of the Cougar's lousy gas mileage and traded it in at the dealer. sigh
I bought (used and abused) one of the first Mustang convertibles with the 289 H.O. This was MANY years ago. Before the old 'Stangs became so popular and parts readily available and cheap. The cost of a restoration was beyond my means at the time and I let it go. Though I could and would have done much of the work myself, just straightened and rechromed bumpers were outrageously expensive. The engine was thoroughly gunked up and required a complete overhaul. The upholstery and top beyond help. What is so sad is the body was rust free and undented. Solid bones. And I let it go for nothing. Granted, I PAID nothing, but what could have been were money not in such short supply at the time. sigh
Great job captain. Wow. Great car, great story well spoken. I was surprised to see the 390. My Dad had a 67 Cougar, red on red, 289 with a 2 barrel. It was a looker. It made you feel special when you drove it or rode in it.
Cougar 1 epitome of cool. 1st gen my favourite 2nd gen close behind.
My first car was a hand me down, a 1968 Cougar XR7. White with black interior, 302 4 barrel and originally came with dual exhaust. Not a bad hand me down. Wish I still had it.
According to My Classic Car and a few other documentaries on the subject matter; the first three cars officially titled Cougar, looked more like 67 Mustangs, with the Cougar in the middle of the grille instead of the horse. Two notchbacks and a convertible. During the first week of 1964, Iacocca decided that's what he wanted Mustang to look like. The convertible was turned into the first Mustang. The one at the World's Fair. The other two are still out there somewhere. Hidden away in garages.
That was great. Ive always loved cougars
I just ran across your channel and wanted to say that I very much enjoy your videos. They're interesting and informative while at the same time evoking nostalgic feelings for these vehicles that I came to love as a little boy 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Forgot to mention, I have had a V8 '94 Cougar for 10 years now, teal metallic, with full cloth top, she's a beauty.
I just love. Cougars
great story
Nice , I am not a Ford or Mercury guy , but I will say this I am impressed. Thanks.
Wish my old man still had his 69 mercury cougar 351 ram air Elimenator it was Maaaad !
351 w or c?
+Tramitized 187 I think it was a Windsor . I was only 8 . that was 45 years ago . my memory is rusty
+Terry Thomas nice, so that means some good take off.
Damn The coolest car my Dad ever had was a Plymouth Fury. A station wagon. It had a spoiler over the rear window...
So interesting,Jaguar emblem caught my attention 🐅
My cousin has a 1968 Cougar 289 (base model). He purchased it in CA from the original owner in 1997. It's a real beauty with no rust or dents. Always garaged, now he wants to sell it and has given me first right of refusal. I'm a GM guy (GS-400, 442, SS etc.....) but I don't want to see the car go out of the family. Hmmmmmm!
AssinnippiJack man it would be a shame to get rid of it. Cougars do nothing but appreciate it value for the ones still in good shape, which you are describing. GM guy or not I would try to find a way to keep it in the family. That car will be worth bookoo bucks in another 10 years and im sure it is already worth a pretty penny! lol Cougars are more and more scarce by the day.
Thanks Mike. I'll make a move on it when he's ready. It's a nice clean '68 with all the original paper work. The original owner in CA actually got emotional when my cousin was pulling out of his driveway after the sale in '97.
AssinnippiJack lol I bet he was emotional. also he probably kicks himself in the rear-end for getting rid of it! ha
Some of those Cougars are worth big money brotha man if i was in your shoes i would grab it while i can an pass it on through the family... Im here in Oklahoma and 67 Cougars go anywhere between 2000 and 7000 all rusted and rotted to the ground almost lol always see a bunch the same ole chevys and 65,67, and 69 mustangs really nice but not much of old school cougars at all
So...did you get the cougar? 289 is a great engine...slap some longtubes, true duals and some bullet style mufflers/ resonators and enjoy the glorious sound of the windsor v8
67, 68 Cougar are the only FMC cars I've ever liked. They are very nice looking.
Enjoyed watching that - thanks very much!
I thought that in another video Don pointed out how the PS pump unit was green . Also, Jim left out the Power disc Brakes and am/fm radio while it seems odd for FORD to load this car up with options and the S-code 390 but gave it crank widows . I wonder if FORD didn't want the risk for the 8 Show Cars where a power window motor failed and froze in position prior to the turret display with no time to fix it.
NO PW in Cougar until 1969, PS cans were black in 67.
Absolutely loved your story & vid! Ive owned several extremely rare cougars so i was especially interested in this! Brilliant move contacting mercury for a hand in restoring... who at Ford would refuse that?! Im shocked Ford didnt want to buy it back for their museum. its truly shocking to hear that cougar didnt sell way back then! I used to work for the auto hunter magazine in New England, trust me ppl watched that classifieds rag like a hawk... as ALL car rags were! THX!
My dad had two 86's with the 5.0 liter i wish we still have them
I bought a 67 XR7 used in 69....I loved that car..drove in for 10 years...what was unusual about it..was it had a 289 with 3 speed in the floor..my understanding is that the original owner ordered a standard transmission special..that wasn't standard in an XR 7...mine had a clock in the console where others had that slide up door..correct me if I'm wrong
FWIW I had a 67 XR7 auto with a clock no slide. Nice car...
That's kool mustang I one was sold in Newfoundland Canada too and I seen mustang number two in Nova Scotia forty years ago could of bought it for two hundred bucks back then lol 😂
I gather that you are in WA. What are the chances of you being in NS at that time? What a great story.
Still miss my 70 Eliminator 428 4 gear. Had to log chain motor mounts
absolutely riveting story /video
thank you for sharing
Wow! That's a cool story.
Thanks for the video.
Amazing story
Nice to know! Thanks.
One of the particularly sharp cars which I couldn't afford at the time. I did buy a Mustang II in 1979, though. Gorgeous car unlike the ffreak'n pick-up trucks they're selling today. How did we allow this to happen?
that was an awesome history lesson! I'm looking to bucher up my grandpa's 68 ....I gotta use 2k to wrench the damned thing from my greedy uncles hands first though -_-
Was that an actual video shot of the engine bay? Cougar#1 came with a 390 V8?
Yes indeed!
I brought a '67 XR7 GT 390 AT AC, from a guy stationed at McCord AFB. he thought his x had the title, long story short the Common Wealth of Virginia could care less, traded for a bike from a guy who wrecked his car. It may still be in Washington State somewhere if he didn't wreck it. Original red black top and leather int. At the time I collected '69/'70 Mustangs.
The car is listed in the current DuPont Registry for sale for $405,000.
Loved this Video...Thanks for posting
The first Cougar ever built is actually a prototype, and production cougars required some changes to the lawsuit with Jaguar.
Amazing car!
fantastic, thanks
The story started at the wedding, then had some kids, then got bored, then went out to single bars and had some fun.
awesome car
I'm curious about the engine paint color. That looks like Dark Ford Blue. Did that color exist in 1967? I thought that was a 70's color.
11:37 To the right of the trunk emblem, there are gouges in...
Do you know of Ayotte's Salvage Yard,519 Tiger Hill Road, in Oxford , Maine? They have an early Cougar selection.
I noticed the restoration eliminated the trunk-mounted luggage rack... was that not a factory installed option? It's plainly visible in the early pics.
If you look at the earlier pics (around 3:00 ) you'll see that there wasn't originally a rack on it. Luggage racks were not a factory installed option anyway, they would have been installed by the dealer or owner. Presumably the one you saw was added by one of the owners somewhere along the line.
Oh, okay... I didn't notice the earlier pics. Amazing car either way! A neighbor had a '67 when I was a kid.
It says you'll see in the video, is this the video? or is there another better video of just the car?
We had intentions originally of doing a follow up video to this one, but it never happened, so this is the only existing video.
Amazing vid!!!! the 67-68 Cougar is the only car I love&covet as much as the 64-66 Mustang. Only thing wrong with this Cougar is it's red. All Fords should be Blue+white,white&blue,or liquid "mercury" silver.,I just hate the color red,regardless of what the car is.
How do you price one of one?
I remember that carwash.probably the only reason the body survived was that it was rgularly cleaned.the way that era of cars rusted....3years and the paint blistered,5years andyou saw moth holes.amazing story,amazing the car survived.
How much was it?
In a full honesty wholehearted opinion, Ford should have made the cougar in 04 based around the thunderbird. That would’ve saved mercury from looking like a knock off of the Ford Focus. And it would have brung mercury and ford guys together for that matter but in a feat of which gets you the most green ford went out like Chevy n the j car fiasco with the cougar but that’s just an opinion honestly
This is Bruce Willis from the future telling the story
Any rate
Up scale mustang