1968 Mercury Cougar XR7 X Code 390 C6 Automatic

This 1968 Cougar XR7 390 was acquired from a collection of Mercury, and Fords that had been gathered up by the previous owner for the last 25+ years. The car is an original white car with a black interior and vinyl top. The odometer shows only 23k which I believe to be actual looking at the undercarriage and knowing how long the car was off the road. It is a 1968 XR7 390 X code with a 2bbl carburetor with factory disc brakes and the big block handling package that was standard on the X-Code cars. It's actually a very rare big block Cougar and Ford/Mercury made a handful of these as some strange way of marketing the heavy 390 FE engine as a fuel-efficient choice. Not too many fell for that sales pitch, making the X code very rare today. They came on both Cougars and Mustangs, but only in 1968. The engine itself was identical to the S code 390-4v, but with a 2v carb and intake. This breathing restriction equated to a 45 horsepower hit as compared to the 325 hp 4v version. This Cougar is also an XR-7, which was Mercury's luxury interior package. The XR-7 featured real leather seats, simulated wood grain dash and steering wheel, upper and lower consoles with clock, map lights and deluxe door panels. The car was taken apart for paint only to then be left for many years to sit due to the owner passing away. I bought the car initially to use it as a parts car for a 68 GTE that I am restoring but upon further inspection and research of the car, it's just simply way too nice and rare to use for parts. The body on this Cougar is straight as an arrow, all the panel gaps are tight like it came from the factory. There are no signs of any previous collision damage and all the panels are original to the car. A quick look under the car or in any of the wheel wells shows 100% original un-corroded metal and factory over-spray of the original white paint. The car has that brown surface oxidation as many of the cars here in the dry southwest - it is a very solid rust free car. None of the wiring has been hacked up or removed. Most of the cars' original mechanical parts such as the AC parts, pulleys, brackets, air cleaner, exhaust manifolds and heat shield's are all present. If you have a rusty GTE or G car than this would be a perfect big block candidate for you to use. What you see pictured is everything that comes with the car. The car needs an entire interior as the SW has taken a toll on all the interior pieces, however, they are all readily available if you look around. If you have any questions about the condition of the car don't hesitate to ask. four eight 0 five 29 thirty seven hundred. Winning bidder is required to send a $500 non refundable deposit within 24 hours of auction close. The remaining funds can be processed through bank transfer, or preferably cash in person. Delivery within 500 miles of Phoenix AZ is available to winning bidder for a negotiable fee. Vehicle must be paid for in full prior to making arrangements for seller to deliver. This is a very solid car that is 100% original minus the interior seats, the drive train, and some exterior trim. You will not be disappointed especially if you are from the rust belt where these cars did not survive - this car is very clean! Bid with confidence - no disappointments!