Featured here is a great looking 1969 Mercury Cougar Convertible. The first generation Mercury Cougars were produced from 1967 through 1970. These first generation Cougars can be said to be Mercury’s version of the Mustang. The Mercury Cougars that were produced from 1971-1973 were considered a bit more luxurious than the first generation Mercury Pony Car.
The Mercury Cougar, when first introduced, gave Mercury its own “pony car”. The Cougar was placed between the Ford Mustang and the Ford Thunderbird. The Cougar took on the performance label for Mercury and eventually the icon for the Mercury name for several decades. Buyers could choose between two Mercury Cougar models, the Base and the XR7. A performance package called the Eliminator was available on both the base and XR-7 Cougars. Body styles were a two door hardtop and convertible like the one featured here.
The Mercury Cougar for 1969 went through a restyling. The 1969 model was an example of deep restyling which makes the Cougar less aggressive, but really more good looking.The Cougar model was wider, lower and longer. The front end received horizontal bars in the grille, instead of vertical ones on the previous model. The grille itself was also redesigned. The rear lights still spanned the entire width of the car.
As Pony Car competition went, General Motors would offer the Chevy Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird, Plymouth had the Barracuda. American Motors had the new Javelin and of course Ford had the Mustang.
There are many who look at Mercury’s Cougar as the divisions version of the Mustang, but in reality they are very different automobiles with very different missions. The Cougar did offer all the same performance mechanics as the Mustang, but the Cougar was actually a very upscale car that was both larger and better appointed than the Mustang. Some might say it was a stretch Mustang. The Cougar is easily recognizable with it’s unique body and interior.
One thing the Cougar did do was give those Lincoln-Mercury car dealers a muscle car so that they could participate in the excitement generated by the Mustang. The Cougar was also available in many different arrangements from 1967 to 1970. The Dan Gurney Special and the Eliminator, the GT, GT-E and XR-7.
The Mercury Cougar Base Compared to the XR7
The Mercury Cougar XR-7 was the upscale model with leather seating and a wood grained dashboard.
The Mercury Cougar had several different engine options to their line-up during the late 1960’s.
1969 Mercury Cougar Specifications
As mentioned above, there were several engine options available for the 1969 Cougar’s. These were all V-8;s with displacements from 302 cubic inches to 428 cubic inches. Horsepower ranged from 290 to 335. Compared to 1968, some engines were added to the list and some were removed. For 1969, the standard engine was a 351 putting out 290 HP.
Transmissions offered were a three and four speed manual and a three speed automatic.
Brakes were four wheel hydraulic drum with an option for front discs.
The 69 Cougar has a wheelbase of 111.0 inches and an overall length of 193.8 inches and a width of 75.0 inches. Curb weight was just under 3,600 lbs.
Production totals for the 1969 Mercury Cougar were 66,330 two door hardtops..5,796 convertibles..and of these there were 27,942 XR-7’s built.
New car price for the 69 Cougar convertible was about $3,350. The XR-7 convertible had a sticker price about $225 dollars more.
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Reference material for this article includes…The Complete Book of Classic Ford and Mercury Muscle Cars: 1961-1973 by author Donald Farr...Mercury Cougar Muscle Portfolio 1967-1973 by R.M.Clarke…Ford Lincoln Mercury Archives.
1969 Mercury Cougar Collector Car Valuations
Generally, all Pony Cars from the late 1960’s are popular collector cars. These are performance automobiles from an era prior to the Federal environment and safety regulations.
The first generation Mercury Cougars, 1969 being the last year of that generation, have a wide range of values. Performance package, XR-7 trim, convertible models and of course originality and condition dictate current asking prices.
In 1969, the top performance Cougar was the Eliminator performance package with a Boss 302 and four speed manual. You may see these in mint condition offered in the $60,000-$80,000 range.
We also see 69 Cougar Convertibles and Hardtops in a rather wide range from about $25,000 to $49,000.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)