1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible

This 1969 Mercury Cougar Convertible is quite rare and one of only 4,024 XR7 convertibles produced in the '69 model year, ne of only 67 with the M-Code 351-4V and a wide ratio 4-Speed transmission and a "one of one" vehicle when scrutinized for color/trim packages. It is the third '69 Cougar Convertible I have owned and restored and the lessons learned on the previous vehicles' restorations have very much informed the restoration of this vehicle. I'm an professional engineer and extremely particular by nature and this car was built with the intention it staying in my collection, ndefinitely. It is extremely correct and equally ready for a trailer ride to a competition/show or for a cross country drive.Fully numbers matching with every cross reference and purchased from the third owner in 2001 after having been parked and stored since the mid eighties (a father and son project never realized). The car is originally a central Virginia vehicle and it did not suffer from the severe rust of the Northeast. The underbody is as clean as the rest of the car and the original floors/rockers/torque boxes/trunk drop offs all survive from '69.The car's ground up restoration was completed in 2007 and it has logged about 10,000 miles since that time. The engine and drivetrain were partially disassembled at the time of the restoration but found to be so near factory tolerances in every way that a rebuild was not warranted, he indicated mileage is completely accurate to both the driveline and to the body. At that time of the restorationthe engine was fully cleaned, ll mains were re-torqued, high volume oil pump was added and external components were all rebuilt/replaced with period correct/date coded equipment (carb, ater pump, adiator, S pump, lternator, oses, omplete ignition, tc.). Note thatcorrect Autolite reproduction battery (new in the box) is not in the included photographs but is conveyed with the sale.The underbody is finished in "slop grey" as were the majority of the Dearborn convertibles and some panels were provided the correct red oxide primer based upon the found, riginal condition of this car (back sides of front and rear valances, tc). Rocker crimp seams are appropriately blacked-out over the body color overspray and all correct assembly line chalk and paint markings have been replaced either as found or as indicated in the vehicle's build sheet. Underbody/chassis restoration included completereplacement of front and rearsuspension, ll bushings, as lines (stainless), rake lines (stainless)and braking system components. The one deviation from factory stock is the exhaust which is a complete 2-1/2" system from Magnaflow (utilizes correct factory hangers).The interior was found in excellent, riginalcondition with cracking only of the leather insert sections of the XR7 upholstery. Wanting to achieve a factory accurate look and not being interested in even the best available upholstery "kits", he original seating surfaces were completely disassembled (front and rear) at the stitching and only the damaged leather panels replaced with leather from a new, orrect grain hyde. All was then re-sewn and re-installed on the seat frames. Door panels are unrestored.Medium Emerald Metallic paint was color-matched from the car to validate the standard paint mix codes to get the correct shade. Pinstripes are painted (and not taped)as applied at the factory with the correct breaks at the quarter/ fender extensions. Factory Styled Steel Wheels are fitted with modern Goodyear thinline whitewalls while the spare still retains its original Goodyear Polyglas tireon the5th styled steel wheelalong with jack and accessories.The car continually finishes near the top of it's class and was chosen asFirst in Class ('69-'70 Convertibles) at the largest and most recent East Coast Cougar Nationals in 2011. If you have any particular questions or pictures you would like to see that are not included in this auction, lease don't hesitate to mail and request something.Additional photos and a video walk-around are available at: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=9339CE90241A4493!8213&authkey=!AKyl1DnwBqvvqAc&ithint=folder%2cjpg