A Supercharged Wild Cat: 1989 Mercury Cougar XR7
The Mercury Cougar started out way back in 1967 as an up-market version of the Ford Mustang. For its first two generations the Cougar was based on the Mustang, but then in 1974 it changed to a big Torino intermediate platform where it was a counterpart to the similarly plus sized Thunderbird. In 1980 the Cougar was switched to the compact Fox platform where it was a counterpart to the Thunderbird and Granada, but in 1989 it was switched to the MN12 platform where it got things the Fox didn’t have, like an independent rear suspension and available supercharged powertrains. A few years later the Cougar name was put on a front-wheel-drive thing that was based on the European Ford Mondeo, but we don’t want to talk about that. Find this 1989 Mercury Cougar XR7 offered for $12,000 in Merrimac, MA via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
From the seller:
1989 mercury cougar xr7
condition: like new
cylinders: 6 cylinders
drive: rwd
fuel: gas
odometer: 17000
paint color: red
size: mid-size
title status: clean
transmission: manual
type: coupe
Rare Survivor. Looks new in/out. Everything works as it should. Tasteful modifications to fuel/air/exhaust to preserve the head gaskets. Car runs very strong. 5 speed manual transmission. 1 of 435 according Marti report. This is the cousin of the Thunderbird Super Coupe. Have hundreds of photos available and videos. 17k original miles. Never seen rain or snow, always stored in doors undercover. Call with any questions. I don’t need assistance selling.
Most well-preserved Cougars I’ve seen have relied on cosmetic surgery to look this fresh.
Talk about an obscure performance package – the Thunderbird Super Coupe is not the most remembered now, but how many people remember they even made a Mercury counterpart?
I think I need more coffee…is that a manual trans in a mercury cougar that is supercharged? OG Hellcat.
Now you mention it, that *does* appear to be a stick. I didn’t even look until you said it. I mean, what are the odds?
You could order the Super Coupe with three pedals. I guess I’m not surprised they would let you order the Mercury the same way, once you get over the shock that a Mercury version of the Super Coupe exists at all.
I’ve always loved these and haven’t seen one this nice since they were on dealer lots. I’m the weird guy that knew someone with a brand new one (automatic) in 1990 and found out in the 90s there were maybe 1,000 manuals ever built. Great find!!