Me & My Car: ’68 Cougar a project of time, money
Me & My Car: ’68 Cougar a project of time, money
Jim Jarmann of San Jose shows his restored one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Mercury Cougar XR7. (Photo by David Krumboltz)
The interior of the one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Mercury Cougar XR7. (Photo by David Krumboltz)
The one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Mercury Cougar XR7. (Photo by David Krumboltz)
1968 Mercury Cougar XR7. (Photo by David Krumboltz)
The one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Mercury Cougar XR7. (Photo by David Krumboltz)
Fresh leather seats were installed in the one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Mercury Cougar XR7. (Photo by David Krumboltz)
The one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Mercury Cougar XR7. (Photo by David Krumboltz)
The Mercury Cougar was very first introduced as a one thousand nine hundred sixty seven model on Sept. 30, 1966.
The Mercury car line was a «tweener» introduced back in one thousand nine hundred thirty nine with the idea of suggesting upgrade models inbetween the standard Ford but still less luxurious than Lincoln models. The Cougar was a «tweener» too, but it was placed inbetween the Ford Mustang and the Ford Thunderbird. The one thousand nine hundred sixty eight model was little switched from 1967, and the series ran through the one thousand nine hundred seventy model year with only slight modifications.
San Jose resident Jim Jarmann, is a real fan of the one thousand nine hundred sixty eight Cougar. He has three of them, but only the one pictured with this column runs. This was top of the line, the XR7 model, and has been in the family since 1971, when his sister possessed it. Jarmann acquired it in 1973.
«The car was in pretty good form when I got it, but it was my sister`s very first car, and she was just learning to drive. I didn`t realize that she had dented the passenger door, passenger rear quarter, front fender and spandex hood until after I got it.»
From about one thousand nine hundred ninety seven to 2015, this Cougar hibernated in a garage waiting for the holder to have enough spare time and cash to restore it to its former beauty. He`s come along way, but it`s still a work in process.
«The Cougar XR7 package,» Jarmann stated, «included front disc brakes, air conditioning, leather seats and a simulated wood grain dash. They were attempting to simulate the European flare of a Jaguar.»
Jaguar noticed and sued Ford Motor in one thousand nine hundred sixty seven because the «walking Cougar» emblem closely resembled the Jaguar trademarked emblem. Ford ended up switching the emblem to include the word Cougar underneath it and everyone was blessed.
Sometimes auto manufacturers attempt to keep costs relatively low by switching the grill and taillights of a lower price car, give it a nicer interior, create a fresh name, and charge more money for it. In the early 1960s Ford attempted that by face-lifting the Ford Fairlane and calling it a Mercury Meteor with very limited success. Evidently, they learned their lesson. So, while some at Ford Motor Company wished the grill and taillight switch to the very successful Mustang, Paul Lorenz, Lincoln-Mercury`s general manager, thought better.
The Mustang and Cougar vehicles collective no exterior metal. The Cougar had a 3-inch-longer wheelbase and was 6.7 inches longer in total length. Most of the added length was in front of the windshield providing it a longer, sleeker look than Mustang. Of course, the interior was plusher, as the Cougar was not marketed to be another muscle car, but rather a sporty, elegant vehicle appealing to the Oldsmobile/Buick crowd, not the Chevrolet/Plymouth group.
Ford Motor Co. spent some serious bucks on the development of Cougar. Even with the company using much from the Mustang, the company invested an extra $40 million or about $294 million in today`s dollars in the project. The base price for the Cougar was $Two,851 (about $22,926 in today`s dollars) and about $300 ($Two,200 today) more than a V8 Mustang.
«This car has the 390-cubic inch two-barrel V-8 engine which was also referred to as the 6.Five Liter engine and is teamed with the Merc-o-matic automatic transmission,» possessor Jarmann said.
The proprietor estimates the horsepower at 280. It has most of the nice things fancy cars of the day had, like AM/FM radio, power steering and brakes. There are no power windows, however, because at the time Ford didn`t have a petite enough electrified motor to fit in the door.
Restoring a car usually has some surprises, seldom are they good. Jarmann took the car to a figure shop.
«They quoted me $8,000, and I told them it has some Bondo here and there and they bumped it up to $Ten,000. The assets shop stripped everything off to nude metal, redid all the figure work, then repainted it and ended up charging me about $25,000,» Jarmann said.
Also, money was spent for a fresh windshield, a fresh vinyl top, fresh tires and fresh all-leather seats. Then came the begin of the sweat equity investment. He substituted the gas tank, put in fresh gas lines, all the rubber parts, rebuilt the carburetor, fresh belts and hoses and fresh insulation in the doors and ceiling.
«I still have to substitute the shocks and some other things.»
All in all, Jarmann has about $50,000 invested, considerably more than the current market value. But restoring classic cars isn`t about making money. For this mechanical engineer, it`s recreation, a hobby and a challenge.
This is Jarmann`s very first project and he has learned what to do and what not to do. He has two more XR7s to work on, and he needs only two things: time and money. From the looks of the other two Cougars he will need a lot of both.
