I just purchased this '69. This is actually my second Cougar in my life. My father and I built a 69 for my first car, many many moons ago and I have had a soft spot for 69 Cats ever since.
I’m in Florida, I purchased this from a guy in WA that bought it from an elderly woman’s estate sale after she passed away. I think i got a pretty good deal on it. This is literally a little old woman’s grocery getter. Stock to the bone. 351w 2V, FMX, spotless underneath, fantastic interior. Starts right up, runs out like it should. Everything on the car works. You can tell by its overall state its used to spending its days in a garage. It has every piece of documentation on it since 1978. Factory AC, factory brakes, still has the am radio, lighter works…everything. Repainted in 2003 and overall the paint is very solid, however the trunk and the hood have stains in the paint like a wet tarp was on it for quite a while.
My plan for it is dual exhaust, either a set of Cragars or Magnum 500’s, possibly some shiny stuff on the engine, and I’m going to use it for my 7 year old son and I to hit the local car shows, cruise-ins, etc. If/when the time comes that i decide to sell it, i’m pretty sure i got it at a good enough price that i can’t really lose money on it, or i might just hang on to it.
Wow - you got yourself a real sweet little 69 Sport Special there! Original paint would have had a pin stripe down the body crease on the side. Almost impossible to find them that original, in that condition, AND for a good price. Congratulations!
We will all want to see interior and engine pics when you get a chance too.
Congratulations and welcome to the madness. Just my .02 cragars never look good on a blue oval car, but its yours so do what you want. If you want the magnum 500 look but chrome go with the keystone klassics .
Nice to see another ‘unmolested’ survivor being maintained, driven and most of all - appreciated. Congratulations on the great purchase; a very nice Cougar with the uncommon, and desirable Sport Special option - all the turbine wheel covers intact and the lower rocker moldings / bullets in great shape as well. Impressive !
You know they are unmolested originals only once. It is far more of a show car as it is right now, than it would be with aftermarket add-ons. I doubt that the dual exhaust and wheels will actually do anything for the driving experience. It’s your car, and of course, your choice. A lot of the reaction you are getting here, and the things you have called out about it, all go to the fact it hasn’t been modified. these were really pretty decent cars as delivered new. Keep in mind they were being driven by the guys that put a moon the moon before packet calculators were a thing.
Underside is clean. I don’t know if the A.C. works, the belt is off. The fan and everything works, and the compressor spins free, so I’m hoping it just needs freon. This literally was a little old woman’s grocery-getter. The only rust i see is in the trunk, there is some surface rust forming in the wheel wells, not real bad though, i should be able to handle it.
My 7 year old is both amazed and confused by the non-electric windows.
Okay this keeps getting better. This also has the Decor interior and also the Check Control panel like an XR7 or Eliminator. You need to get the Marti report as I am seeing some great options here.
Here’s a link to the Cougar Club of America ( written by Bruce Wallace 1969 Sport Special Registrar ) article on the Sport Special :
https://cougarclub2.org/registry/sportsspecial/ The optional package “B” seems to have involved the three spoke steering wheel, which in this case does look like an XR-7, but that does seem a bit unusual - a PO / dealership change ? I looked with my magnifying glass - and yes it is XR-7 ! Here are some images ( from WCCC ) as to what it should look like :
The check control panel is in the center of the dash, above the A/C register. I’m not sure about it’s application in the Eliminators, but it was part of the interior Decor group as part of the ( Sport ) Special value package “B” as well. This type of check control panel was NOT in the XR-7’s, as most of those indicator lights were incorporated into the drivers instrumentation pods.
A tilt ( actually all tilt were ‘tilt-away’ columns from 1967 - 1969 ) was optional in ANY Cougar or Mustang.
It was not standard in any model, not even the XR-7.
it was part of the interior Decor group as part of the ( Sport ) Special value package “B” as well.
I can’t find this in the literature.
This is completely correct:
This type of check control panel was NOT in the XR-7’s, as most of those indicator lights were incorporated into the drivers instrumentation pods.
I was speaking to functionality, in particular the low fuel light, door ajar and I believe parking brake and belts lights.
I am asking this as there is an anomaly in the book Cougar by the Numbers by Kevin Marti. It shows that the Convenience panel was included in every XR-7. (23914 Hardtops and 4024 convertibles) This make sense. And we know it was a part of every Eliminator (2250 built). However the book shows
only 610 code 91 standard hardtops with the feature. (no Eliminator convertibles built)
All 69-70 standard Cougars received the visual check panel. In most cases none of the lights actually worked though. Making any of them work would have been an option. No XR7s received this panel, all the warning lights that would have been in this panel are incorporated into the instrument cluster. An Eliminator would have the chrome part of this panel but had a special cover that covered all the lights. Once in a while you will find an Eliminator that had the Headlights On option and in that case the lights would be exposed.
