With the current database, how possible is it to find a cougar that my father previously owned? We don’t have the Vin but can remember what the factory setup was and of course where it was located. I know it’s a tall order but just curious on what’s possible.
Thanks,
Devin
I guess your father wasn’t the original owner?
If you know enough about how the Cougar came from the factory, where it was sold new, etc., you can give that info to Kevin Marti and if the info is detailed and unique enough he could possibly find the VIN.
The cougar database can connect dots easily if you know all the options and the dso
Unfortunately he is the second owner so we don’t have a dso. Can remember most of the options and when he bought and sold it. There couldn’t have been too many '67 gt burgandy 390 4 speeds sold in Utah. Hm, well if it’s worth it I’ll try contacting the database guy and try Marti, but it looks like only way to get a hold Mr. Marti is by telephone, can’t find an email address.
Also, is it possible to find the VIN with a license plate number? I can’t imagine the Dmv having records that far back…
I was able to have Marti find my VIN by providing the exact setup of the car. It was a paid research task but worth it to me.
It’s not hard to call your Utah DMV and ask. A car that rare should be easy to identify if it is in the CCOA database run by Phil Parcells. Also, if you know what insurance company your father used it is possible the insurance company has a record of the VIN.
It was a no go with the insurance and I can’t even get a hold of the dmv because of covid haha. I’ll have to try the dmv when this all blows over. I just emailed the gt registrar to see if they can dig up anything. Thanks for your help! One day I’ll be a cougar owner… Probably not my dad’s cougar, but any cougar would be nice.
I’ve had some luck with both CO and KS by going to their websites and finding a link to apply for a title search. Most states will only share owner data with the owner or a close family member but you should be able to get registration records for your dad’s years as owner.
I’ve seen post like the original poster question before and the great advice that follows. I understand the more information someone has the better their chances of finding a certain Cougar. I mean no disrespect to Phil or the Cougar database but shouldn’t something like this be a pretty easy database search? I know if I were looking at my copy of the XR7G registry, a Cougar could be found with pretty simple query as long as it’s in the database. I understand that the XR7G registry is much smaller than the Cougar database; a search query in either a large or small database should be about the same process. Am I way off base or is Marti, DMV, or insurance companies better for locating information?
Steven
Well it’s a 390GT 4 speed in a known color which narrows it down quite a bit. It’s from Utah, a state not known for salting the roads. So the combination of a desirable color and engine size and the rarity of the transmission make it way more likely to have survived.
The database search is pretty easy if it has been reported. If not then Kevin Marti might be the only hope. There’s not a Utah DSO, I think it would be a Denver DSO.
^This is the key factor. It has to be in the database in order for it to come up in a search. Phil has a huge amount of Cougar data, but he only has what he has. Another possibility is that the VIN may have been reported, but no other details. That happens more than you would think :-/
If you or your father ever entered it into the CCOA database, then Phil can most likely look it up by your name(s). If you ever had the car at a Cougar show, there is also the possibility that someone saw it and submitted it to the database. But that data submission might be incomplete.
If Phil can’t find it in the database, then I’d go with Marti’s research.
This is what I have from Scot at Marti Auto, back in 2017…
Mike
They would need to email: > sales@martiauto.com
The information they would need to provide would be:
Original Selling Dealer and a detailed description of the car. They should only list options they are 100% on. If they are not sure then they should not list it.We will see if it’s enough information and let the customer know.
The cost for this is $100 but it doesn’t include an emailed Deluxe Marti report.
Scot Hulvey
Marti Auto Works Inc
623-935-2558 – Office
Thanks Mike. Since he was the 2nd owner we have no idea what dealer it was bought from. He hasn’t owned the car since 1981, never at a car show or anything. I knew this would be a long shot, but a shot I needed to take. I do love communities like this though because everybody has been so helpful even though this same question has probably been asked dozens of times.
After reading up that his 390 4 speed was probably quite rare, it makes me sad he got rid of it even though it was probably because of me that he did haha (needed money the year I was born). But, it’s less of the rarity and more of that big block rumble that I wish I had. Hard to find those 390s out in the wild. But, hopefully I’ll own one in the next several years. Would love to experience that part of his life with him while he’s still around.
Not really my business, but what is your intent if you do find it. The owner might even be on here watching and wondering that themself.
Good question! No intent. Just curiosity. Just wondering if it survived and if somebody is enjoying it. I’m more interested in a restomod anyway. I guess it would be nice to know if it survived if it ever did go up for sale. I’m not trying to track a guy down, knock on his front door and and strong arm him into a sale if that’s what you’re getting at. I really just want to enjoy any muscle car with my dad, not just the one he had. I guess I should have made that clear before asking about it!
Was it originally sold in Utah, or is that where your Dad sold it?
Do you or he remember the name of the buyer at all? Or what dealership it might have been traded in at?
Does your Dad remember when and where HE bought it? Does he remember the name of the person he bought it from?
It’s entirely possible it’s in the Registry under a previous or later owner’s name.
'67 GT. Was it an XR-7 or no?
390-4V, 4-speed…
Burgundy paint… Did it have a vinyl top?
What color interior?
Was it a decor interior or the standard interior? (I don’t know how to tell the difference on a '67, but folks here can help you narrow it down)
Did it have head rests on the front seats?
Did it have a console?
Power steering? Power brakes?
AC? Tilt steering?
Did it still have the factory radio in it? If so, what kind was it? AM, AM/FM, AM/8Track?
…Ok, that’s all I got, but I’m sure the others can help with pointed questions that could be used to help Phil and / or Marti narrow down the VIN.
Always love a good car mystery 
For 1967s there is only the standard or XR7 style interior. For 1968 the 1967 standard style interior became the 1968 decore style interior.
Headrests were not a 1967 option. 1968 was the first year for that option.
Randy Goodling
CCOA #95
If you or your Dad still live in the area where he sold car in 1981, it might be worth talking with Cougar owners at local shows about his car(after this COVID mess). If the car was in decent shape it might have been tucked away or at least someone might remember it. The car being 13 or 14 years old when your Dad sold it makes condition important for its survival chances. Cougar guys like talking so who knows what you might find out.
Regarding the database that was put together with a lot of legwork by dedicated people over many years and isn’t just a download of an existing file. My Cougar got listed in the mid 1990’s when Phil Parcell’s saw it parked where I worked. I just happened to drive the Cougar as it was a nice day. I was surprised to find a note from Phil on tucked under the wiper when I left for home saying he got vin. Was my introduction to CCOA which I later joined. I’ve owned my Cougar since 1980 and until 2013 when I retired it sat mostly in garage even though it was licensed and registered. There are more cars than one might think under covers.
This shows the dealership. I’m from Utah originally, (Fillmore). So I’d check on the dealership. If you can get a plate or VIN just a little bit of, I know some PD back in Utah that will run it for me.
I would start with Marti. a 67 390, 4bbl, 4 spd, going to either SLC or Denver wasn’t that common. Especially with the color. Did it have AC?
Cougar Marti Rpt.pdf (217 KB)
Sorry, I should have just posted all the details I have about it here. I sent a lot more info to the database guy originally. Here’s all I know:
1967 Standard GT (not XR7)
390 4 speed (my dad thought it was a 2v, but I don’t know if 4v was the only possbility)
Burgundy poly
Hard top
Black interior (he said it was leather, don’t know if that means it had some sort of upgraded comfort options)
Power steering
Power disc brakes
No AC
AM/8 track
No console (I have pictures of the inside and outside, I’ll have to upload them later today when I can go get copies of them)
He believes the factory wheels were some mag-like alloy type wheels. He may have meant the stylized wheels, but I also have pics of them that I can upload and I’m sure you guys could identify them.
Unsure about tilt steering.
License plate number was Utah FHJ 901.
Edit: we found some more exact dates of the purchase
He bought it from a guy in Farmington, Utah in November of 1971 (my dad was actually the 3rd owner). He doesn’t remember his name and didn’t know where the 2nd owner or the original bought it from or if it was originally purchased in Utah. He then sold it to “3 or 4” teenagers in 1981 in Centerville, Utah where he was living at the time.
My dad said he also altered the front dash by adding 3 gauges (like oil temp or pressure or something like that) across the center of the dash, right above where the stick shift would be. He said he was also in a rear-ender accident at some point in the 70’s and had to rebuild the front end.
That’s all the details I can think about it right now. I will upload pictures of the car later today.
Those pics will tell us a lot. Leather would mean it was an XR7. There will be other clues. Most likely a standard since the XR7 already had most of the gauges people cared about.