Much like the Mercury Marauder X-100 we recently featured, the Mercury Cougar also suffers from misconceptions. In this case, enthusiasts tend to call the Cougar a luxury pony car, but have you bothered to look at a 1967 Cougar’s interior? “Upscale Mustang” seems to be a better descriptor. However, several years later, the Cougar had moved into different territory, certainly becoming more luxurious, as evidenced by our Pick of the Day. This 1971 Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertible is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Lillington, North Carolina.
Ford Motor Company was correct in determining the car-buying public was ready for an upscale pony car, and the Mercury Cougar was it. Only available as a distinctive hardtop, and featuring an electric shaver-like grille and taillights (with the latter featuring sequential operation, no less), the new Mercury was a runaway hit, selling just under 151,000 units. A standard 289 V8 offered distinction from the crop of pony cars in the market at the time (including the also-just-introduced Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird), and a big-block 390 was available both as an option or as part of the GT package. A mid-year introduction of the upscale XR-7 added true luxury to the Cougar lineup with leather seating surfaces and a cockpit that would make a European proud.
The distinctiveness that made the XR-7 was lost with the 1969 redesign, though most certainly the XR-7 continued to be a more luxurious version of the Cougar. However, what luxury car didn’t come standard with air conditioning and power windows? No, the Cougar was not a luxury car, even in XR-7 guise, but it was moving in a personal luxury direction. This was a natural evolution for what the Cougar was created, and the timing was perfect because the performance and sporty market was evolving—sales began to fall after 1968 as the younger set that was interested in performance was starting families and whose values as a consumer were changing.
By the Cougar’s second redesign (for the 1971 model year) the Cougar had ditched much of what made it unique and was steeped in something more sophisticated. Fat cat? Originally a term to describe a political donor flush with cash, the Cougar certainly was a fat cat in presence, though its weight between 1970 and 1971 was practically unchanged despite being longer and wider. The connection to the Mustang was still there, but it certainly looked less like a brother and more like a cousin. For the first time, headlights were exposed, with the horizontal grille divided by an upright center grille that imparted a more prestigious look. Taillights also were much different than before, though the Cougar still retained its sequential operation. Model series stayed the same, with the Eliminator package replaced by the GT package that came with a standard 351-2V for the base Cougar coupe. A new 429 Cobra Jet was available, both with and without ram air, though the Drag Pack was not.
Though the Cougar was more entrenched as a personal luxury pony car—a small Thunderbird, if you will—performance options were still available, such as the aforementioned Cobra Jet as well as a four-speed transmission. This 1971 Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertible features the “M-code” 351-4V along with a Hurst shifter in the console, which means it’s equipped with a four-speed manual. Both close- and wide-ratio four-speeds were available, with is car being one of only 47 equipped with the latter and the M-code engine. Other features originally ordered by the original buyer include Traction-Lok differential with 3.25 gears, power steering, power front disc brakes, air conditioning, AM/FM stereo, tinted glass, and Competition Suspension.
There’s a lot of cars out there that are WAY overpriced despite being easy to find. Conversely, here we have one extremely rare convertible that is affordable. In addition, the mature you would appreciate the leather and A/C while rowing through the gears. For $22,500 you can play the role of fat cat as the money you save from not overspending on more popular collectibles will allow you to attend to other interests.
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