4-Speed, R-Code GT-E at auction

For those who might want to follow the auction or possibly even bid:

http://owlshead.org/auctions/detail/1968-mercury-cougar-gte-xr7-428-c.j.-4-speed

That’s a pretty sweet Cougar. Great all of the way around.
Steven

Now that’s what I’m talking about! I’d have to sell my house to buy it though. lol

Whow… that’s the one of three 428CJ 4spd GT-E I think they have it under estimated at $120,000 - $160,000 With the right buyers there I could see it in the $180,000 range.

Oh. My.

Forgive, but, I’m all kinds of turned on by that car. Only way it would be better, IMO, is earlier…side oiler!!! Regardless, out of my budget(dammit, Dave Ramsey…)…but a man can lust, yes???

Some serious rust lust going on here. The holy grail IMO.

My opinion this will really take off and set a new high mark in Cougar pricing. It has all the right factors, original owner, original documentation, unrestored in good condition rare one of three and a desirable combination. The only thing I can see improving the sale is if it were a blue, black or red car. But, I don’t think that will effect it much cause we all know how good the Augusta green looks with saddle. The last I heard the other one Jim owned and went to a private collection in Montana. And one is still unaccounted for. I don’t know what that companies exposer is to the market. So, maybe a Mecum or BJ auction would help the price go higher.

The auction is not until the end of August, so they have time to market it. I think auctions often wait too long to publicize and get a reduced participation just from waiting too long. Owls Head is a pretty big deal too, but they are probably known more for their aviation than their automotive presence.

I know the car, marketed properly it could hit $175k. Not sure this was the best way to market it. I would love to do a “Is it numbers matching”. Video on it.

I know the car, marketed properly it could hit $175k

I may be calling you for a saddle interior and a toploader. Think anyone would notice??? :wink: :wink:

This is a beautiful car, and I would kill for it (send name and address, consider it done). But we also have to understand why it is as rare as it is. In 1968 this was a horrendously bad deal. The GT-E option was expensive. The Cobra Jet option was relatively cheap. You could get almost everything but the trim by ordering the CJ 428 for $420.98 when the GT-E package was $1311. Styled steel wheels in the case of an XR=7 would have been $96.36

While it looks like a great car, before we go determining what it is worth, has anyone on here seen it in person?
Granted it is a one family car but it is also from Maine.
Has there been any rust repair done on it?
What does the undercarriage look like, etc?
What does the paint look like from 10’, 5’, up close?
Is the paint all original?
Headliner and seat condition (they look heavily cracked, any tears)?
etc,

It is well documented in the GTE Registry. Do notice they do not show the underside or even mention it. If it was flawless and from Maine they would be singing the praises. Good call…

Here is a link to an article from Hot Rod magazine about the car. It states that the car was in storage during the winter and when it rained.The owner used a Corvair wagon for those duties. So the underside may be in very good condition like the rest of the car.
http://www.hotrod.com/cars/featured/1310-1969-mercury-cougar-xr7-gt3/
Steven

Lots of incorrect stuff under the hood. Missing smog. Ram air lid painted the wrong color.

I like the idea of owning the car, would like to see information on the rear differential, engine block and heads and transmission to see if they are the original parts. The knowledgeable seller would present those things to attract bidder interest. The auction being held in Maine is not going to fetch top dollar in my opinion.

This would be the perfect car to bring to Barrett Jackson if properly detailed and presented. I could imagine it breaking $250K there.

If this car were hauled out of a junk yard, was a complete rust bucket, and didn’t have an engine, it’d still fetch six figures. And, with all due, utmost respect for Mr. P., I disagree with the statement about the color of the air cleaner lid.

Edit:
For your consideration, my car prior to restoration:

Royce the quote below was taken from the article link I posted about this GT-E. Is it possible that this Cougar came with the black air cleaner lid or is it a typo in the article?

“Eugene took the smog equipment off the 428 Cobra Jet almost immediately after buying the Cougar. But instead of just throwing it away like most did, he carefully packed it up, and it is still in pristine condition should a future restorer want to reinstall it. Win gets a lot of questions about the black air cleaner lid. It came that way from the factory, though the part is blue on most 428 CJs. Win did add the “CJ-428” decal—a ’69 item—when he got tired of explaining what a 7.0-Litre engine was.”

Steven

Original photos always show a blue air cleaner lid. I believe everything under the hood of that car has been repainted. Black air cleaner lids from the factory were not available when that car was built.

Royce, I think this is the black dash B cover. The dash A was blue. This car was built fairly late, the date code is 14F. There were some Mustangs even getting the dash C with the clip for the PCV outlet, as early as May. I can’t tell from the picture if this is a dash C or not. Also you may recall looking at my 428 car where there was no indication that my lid had ever been repainted and it is also black. I suspect that the large scoop opening on the Cougar probably made it more likely that the cars would get the black covers ahead of the Mustang with its small scoop opening. (the blue was visible when looking through the scoop and it looked odd with some exterior paint colors)

I believe it was possible to make the discrimination between Cougar and Mustang since the ram air cover was not a part of the engine assembly (common to both Mustang and Cougar)

We are excited by all of the interest and valid questions regarding the sale of this special Cougar. For more information, direct questions, and additional specific photographs / requests, please contact Owls Head Transportation Museum at auction@ohtm.org We are looking forward to working with the Cougar Community.

For video of this vehicle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QKYREdFhF0&feature=youtu.be