0F91M518352
1970 Eliminator
Competition gold / black decor interior
351C / 4-speed (numbers matching)
This one has been bouncing around between owners for a few years now, but was previously owned long-term by a family in Oklahoma.
I first saw this one listed for sale back in Oct 2009 for $15k in Oklahoma City, OK on CL.
Then it showed up again on OK CL in 2011 for $5k! I talked to the owner, but he wouldn’t hold the car for me and he wouldn’t take a PayPal deposit. I couldn’t get there with cash fast enough, so someone else got it. The story was that it had been in his family for 30 years. His dad had the engine rebuilt and the car repainted, but the shop messed up the color. Dad couldn’t resolve the issue with the shop so he stopped putting money into it and listed it for sale. It had the dash removed at that time due to an issue with the tach.
It was next listed on eBay back in Oct 2013 by the person who purchased it out of OK. He gave a thorough description of the car in his listing:
1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator with original 351 C engine and 4 Speed Hurst. Have full documentation from Marti Report showing every option the car came with including factory Competition Gold paint. I bought this car from a man in Oklahoma City that had owned the car since the mid 70s. His grandfather had bought it new and lost interest and gave it to him. I even have a copy of the old brown title from when they signed it from the grandfather to the son. He told me it was driven up until the mid to late 90’s and then parked. It was painted in the early 90’s and it is a driver quality paint job with usual chips and imperfections. This car runs great and drives great too. The only issue is it has is a slight drain on the battery if you leave it hooked up and a slight exhaust leak. Other then that this is a wonderful running and driving car. This car is very rare and you would have a hard time finding another 4-speed competition Gold car with its original engine and transmission. Here is a run through of every aspect of the car:
Exterior: The car was painted in the early 90’s this color, which resembles the Competition Orange, offered by Mercury in 1970. The paint Job is a driver job and it looks pretty good from 20 feet away but it has its normal chips. The car was originally Competition Gold from the factory and there are signs of that color in jams and the trunk. The doors have some small amounts of rust in the front lower corners; it’s not that bad but would need to be patched. The quarter panels have some rust in the lower sides. It looks like there may have been bondo covering rust and it has just started to fail. This car looks fine for a driver but expect a few paint flaws and imperfections.
Interior: The interior is almost all original other then the carpet. The seat covers are all original and only show small amounts of wear. The dash has some imperfections but is straight and somewhat presentable. The console and 4 Speed Hurst shifter are in great condition. It still has its factory rim blow steering wheel and it works. The interior is mostly all original so don’t expect perfection, but its in great shape for its age.
Engine and undercarriage: This car runs and drives great. I don’t know if anything was ever rebuilt or gone thru but from the evidence I find I would say it’s relatively untouched. The 351 C is original to the car, as is the 4 Speed transmission. Everything works as it should under the hood. The 4 speed shifts smoothly. The clutch also operates fine. The floorboards were professionally replaced about a year ago and I see no other rust on the undercarriage.
This cougar Eliminator is a very rare car and I hate to see it go but I’d like to find a new project to work on. This car is in driver condition right now and if somebody wanted to they could restore this thing and have a $50,000 car. Right now though this car is a survivor and a rare find.
It was next listed on eBay in Aug 2014, and shown as “sold” for $15.1k, but the buyer and seller had a dispute about payment method, so it was relisted. The seller’s resulting negative feedback seemed to hold it back from any further bidding, as it was relisted several times over the next few months gathering only a bid or two each time and not meeting reserve, despite a few decreases in the starting bid. This owner had this additional info to say about the car;
All dash and exterior lights work as they should including the sequential taillights and hideaway headlights.
The car runs and drives as it should, featuring a very strong engine.There is a slight draw on the battery which will drain the car if not driven frequently that I haven’t quite solved yet.
I have installed a quick battery disconnect that twists on and off to alleviate this issue until it is corrected.
There is no radio in the car.
There is a slight exhaust leak behind the engine that gives a slight raspy sound to the exhaust - however several people have noted that they like the resulting sound better than a “perfect” exhaust note.
The Nov 2014 eBay listing has a $19k buy now and is listed by a new seller, generating more interest / bids. Not sure if the new seller is also the owner, or if it is being sold on behalf of the previous seller.
UP FOR AUCTION IS A VERY RARE 1970 MERCURY COUGAR ELIMINATOR WITH A 351 CLEVELAND AND FACTORY 4-SPD, VERY FEW COUGAR ELIMINATORS CAME EQUIPPED WITH A FACTORY TOP-LOADER WIDE RATIO MANUAL TRANSMISSION, ( SEE MARTI- REPORT ) SHIFTS NICE AND TIGHT THROUGHOUT ALL GEARS, ONLY 108K ORIGINAL MILES ON A 351 4V THAT RUNS GREAT BUT DOES HAVE AN EXHAUST LEAK AT THE MANIFOLD, NO SMOKING UPON START UP AND NO KNOWN LEAKS, THIS WILL MAKE A VERY NICE PROJECT CAR NEEDING LITTLE BODY WORK AND WILL BE WELL WORTH THE INVESTMENT BEING AN ORIGINAL 4-SPD ELIMINATOR, ONLY 176 WERE EVER PRODUCED WITH THIS ENGINE./TRANS COMBINATION, AND ONLY 26 ELIMINATORS WERE PAINTED COMPETITION GOLD MAKING IT EVEN RARER TO FIND ONE WITH A 4-SPD. ALL ORIGINAL GLASS, ORIGINAL DOOR PANELS ARE VERY NICE, ORIGINAL ELIMINATOR WHEELS ARE ALSO VERY NICE. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS VERY CLEAN WITH NO LEAKS, ONLY 2 SMALL MINOR SPOTS ON THE INNER APRONS, SHOCK TOWERS ARE PERFECT, FRAME RAILS AND ROCKERS ARE ROCK SOLID.
I have contact info for the previous owners if anyone needs it.
*I will try to get some pictures added soon.