Dan Gurney Special! 1968 Mercury Cougar
With the Ford Mustang’s ubiquitousness, we could cover them here on Barn Finds 24/7. No doubting their popularity with their sheer production numbers and multiple iterations, there is something in a Mustang for everyone; sort of like Mustangs out the ying-yang. But here’s a treat, like a Mustang but not quite, its corporate cousin, the Mercury Cougar. This 1968 example is located in Mill Valley, California and available here on craigslist for $12,900. Thanks to Roger for this tip!
The Mercury Cougar was introduced in the ’67 model year as a slightly larger, more upscale version of the Ford Mustang. It was heralded as a competitor to Pontiac’s new Firebird pony car. Like the Mustang, the Cougar came in both a standard version and a performance variant known as the XR7. Additionally, in both ’67 and ’68, Mercury added a “Dan Gurney Special” edition as an option package that sought to create a more sporting appearance through a tie-in to Gurney. Dan Gurney was an auto racing champion who scored victories in Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR and LeMans, among others, between the years 1959 and 1970. He went on to team ownership after his racing career ended.
This Dan Gurney example is listed as a “survivor” and is being sold by a seller for the original owner. What separates this Dan Gurney Special from more pedestrian Cougars? Well in ’67, its initial year, it was a list of equipment that included: turbine wheel covers, F70-14 white stripe tires, various chromed engine bits and radiator cap, standard V8 engine and of course, a Dan Gurney Special signature decal. By ’68 it was down to the wheel covers, V8 engine and the window decal – not much of a special really. To add to the confusion, there was an XR7-G (“G” for Gurney) offered in ’68 and its design and intention was more along the lines of the Shelby Mustang. This example is just the standard Dan Gurney edition, one of about 11,000 + copies produced that year. The seller does provide a Marti report to verify its authenticity.
At 146,000 miles, this survivor looks pretty good. It is a San Jose, California based car and has been garaged its entire life. It has had one repaint in the original Lime Frost finish and the seller tells us that it looks good still though it has some minor cracking. There is no mention of body/underside integrity but there is no visual evidence of a problem either. Being from the San Jose region and having been garaged, I would expect this Cougar to be quite sound.
The standard engine for this Dan Gurney Special was a 302 CI V8 that produced 210 HP. Of note is that ’68 was the first year for this Windsor based small-block engine as it followed on the heels of Ford’s venerable 289 CI V8. The seller states that “Fires right up and drives great.” It operates through a three-speed automatic transmission. The seller further adds that “All lights, windshield wipers, fans/heater, and gauges work as intended”, all very positive signs. Also referenced are specific parts that have been recently replaced. This 302 engine is stated as the original and, obviously, at 146K miles, it will need some internal attention at some point before too long. For now, though, it’s sound.
The interior of this Cougar looks about how you would expect it to appear on a 52-year-old automobile. The vinyl seat upholstery is faded, though it doesn’t look ripped, and the dash pad seems to have encountered some warping. Beyond those typical matters, the rest of the interior, including the door cards, carpet, instrument panel, console, etc. looks to be all there and functioning as intended.
I have to admire a car of this age and condition. Its owner has shown it the proper care and maintenance over all of these years and has avoided the temptation to monkey around with it by modifying or hot-rodding it. It shows as a really nice, older, sporty Mercury that is representative of the time when it was designed and produced. Mustangs are great but this similar “non” Mustang is a nice diversion. I have never owned a Cougar and don’t believe that I know anyone who has. How about you, any experience among you with Mercury’s contribution to the pony car market?
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Comments
Nice looking car. I’m not sure if 67 Cougars with 289 2bbls will sell for that much, no matter how nice.
It’s a Bay Area car, buyers, if patient and persistent can find desirable 60’s and early-70’s cars in this condition for reasonable prices.
The main caveat, I’d want to make sure the seller is actually selling it for the original owner and not a flipper that skipped paying registration. That can create expensive and time consuming headaches for buyers.
Steve R
Mom and Dad bought one new.
Good cars.
This one is very nice with Gurney designation and Marti report.
Going to need rings soon and a 4 bbl carb would be nice.
Might be worth asking price , which is a nice change here
Seems unusually rusty under the hood and of course there are no pics of the underbelly, plus i’d like to see under that trunk mat. Looker over good, presents nicely as a used Cougar. Some guys said a mercury is a Ford with the bolts tightened an extra turn. Its a rustangs’ cousin. If its genuine and non rotten, super.Nice to see one like this!
Cheers
GPC
I grew up less than 10 miles from where the car was originally sold. If it was garaged the undercarriage will definitely not have any rust. I recently sold my 67 Chevelle which was rarely parked inside for the 15 years I owned it, it had never been undercoated and had zero rust in the floorbaords, that’s typical for cars in the area. When the floors are rusty it’s often due to leaks around the windows or from being parked on dirt for extended periods of time. Many sellers from that area, especially if they are selling to the local market, don’t think of including undercarriage pictures since floorboard rust isn’t an issue for cars that have spent their life there.
Steve R
Yes, there is some rust on the underside of the hood. Hard to say what happened. It could be that the original hood blanket that is now missing held some moisture under it. The more important area to look at would be the overlap of the inner fender panels to the shock towers, and those do not look to show any signs of rust to my old eyes. This is one of the first areas to rust out. If this area is still solid most likely the rest of the car is too. And a Mercury is a Ford with more sound deadener.
Really nothing special about a DGS. You got a sticker and a set of fancy wheel covers. Otherwise, it is just a regular ’68 Cougar and this one is missing the hood trim and the horn ring is broken.
The hood trim is the same as every other 1967-1968 Cougar and is not hard to find. The horn ring is reproduced and is a quick 10 minute job to replace.
I thought possibly a rim blow wheel?
1969 was the first year of a rim blow steering wheel being available in a Cougar.
? I was under impression that by `68 the vent wings were gone, yet this one has them?
Nope. ’68 still had them. They went away in ’69.
All 67 Mustangs and Cougars have the vent wings. 68 Camaro’s lost the vent wings.
No vent wings in ’69 because people just magically quit smoking by then.
I had a ’70 Cougar XR7, a ’72 , as well as a ’75. I loved them all! So much, to me cooler than a Mustang. Just my opinion. They were excellent cars.
It isn’t mentioned anywhere, but car is equipped with power steering and what MIGHT be power brakes.
I have seen these Gourney Specials WITHOUT consoles (I think), so that may be an extra on this car.
Not my favorite shade of green, though my sister’s 67 Mustang was repainted this color over its factory original Copper color, and I loved that car.
This car does have power brakes, you can see the power booster in the engine bay photo. A console was not a part of the Dan Gurney Special package and would have been a separate option for this car. On a side note the 1968 Cougar XR-7G (G for Gurney) package did include a special console just for that model. The Dan Gurney Special and the XR-7G packages are 2 very different options.
shouldn’t all pre 71 cars need new valve seats, valve guides etc to run on unleaded gas?
You can buy additives to deal with this
Alternatively, deal with “needed” engine work when and IF a problem occurs. Chances are it might not, especially if the engine isn’t constantly beaten upon and used constantly at its limit!
I thought a California car from this period would have the Ford Smog pump, otherwise known as a Thermactor, if it is in fact the original engine.
Some ripped it out, but I think that would cause it to fail the CA smog test, or they would visually look for the smog system back then when doing inspection. I don’t see evidence of that system from the one pic they included. They could have ripped it out and plugged the holes, those were things done back then.
It’s a myth that all cars from that period had smog pumps. Requirements in the late-60’s would often change year to year, engine size and transmission selection. To know for sure you would need to contact CARB, the California air resources bureau. It would be hard to tell on a small block Ford since it only used one fitting at the front of each cylinder head. Most likely, this car never came with a smog pump.
Steve R
In ’68, Ford used two different systems to control emissions. One was the Thermactor, which used an air pump. The other was called IMCO, which used a carburetor and distributor calibrated for lower emissions and no air pump. It was used on cars with automatics and two-barrel carbs.
The dual-diaphragm distributor, two-barrel carb and no air pump on this car indicates that it was equipped with the IMCO setup. Thermactor cars had a one-diaphragm distributor and the carb could be either 2 or 4 barrel (V8s).
I like it!
I know that Ford Mustang was making 302 windsor engines and some 289 windsors.
My mustang is NOM but it does have a cool 289 windsor. When the valve covers are off its stamped 289 windsor.
I read up on them once where they were trying JIT inventory and thought they were out and ran a batch of canada windsors then found a warehouse with 289s.😂
The 67 and 68 Cougars were always my favorite years. Even as a child I was quite fascinated with them.
If it’s as good as it looks I’d say it’s sensibly priced. A one owner Cali car in drive as-is condition, even the Slime Green color looks good on it.
With the original owner still alive there might also be the added bonus of asking about the vehicle’s history and he/she might also possess pics from back in it’s glory days which IMHO is an absolutely PRICELESS addition to any vintage vehicle
I’ll ask original owners (still the owners) if they have any good pics.
I saw this car in Mill Valley a couple of months ago. Everyone down in southern Marin usually drive a BMW, Benz, etc… This Cougar stood out. I was quite amazed that there was no rust, and seemed to be all original. I didn’t know the back story at the time of being garaged all of its life, but I guess that’s how it survived all these years in such good shape.
Never knew there was a non-XR7 Dan Gurney Special and by the looks of it, I can dee why. Nothing really sets it apart from a regular Cougar.
Love this car! Had a 68 Cougar with the same engine and a 3 speed manual. It was a great car. Love the color combinations. Brings back loads of wonderful memories. Would buy it in a second but still getting kids through college so new projects are on the back burner for a while.
Mercury did not use Dan Gurney just because he was a race car driver. He was one of the Team Cougar drivers for the 1967 Trans Am season.
For anyone looking to possibly buy this car a few other items you can use to help bring the price down. With the repaint the pinstripes are wrong, the vinyl top is not original to the car (most likely added by the selling dealer back in 1968), the left door mirror is not the correct one.
I do not think that the price is too high, although it probably should come down some given that this is a fairly low option standard Cougar. The plus side for this one is if it really is a solid car with no rust issues that goes a long way, especially when you consider what rust repairs cost..
I always loved the interior and exterior styling of the Mercury Cougar of that vintage. I remember my school guidance counselor drove one and it looked very impressive next to a teacher parking lot full of full sized American iron. The Cougar was a grownup sports car that usually had better standard equipment and a smoother ride than the Mustang. In 1974, the Cougar grew in size and weight to compete with the Monte Carlo and Grand Prix but it think it lost its dual niche appeal as both a slightly smaller personal luxury car or deluxe pony car. This California example is definitely a beautiful example of a long lost breed of attractive cars.
Hello, seller here. Yes selling for the original owner and car is still registered and insured by them. I’m far from a Cougar expert by any means, just trying to get a fair price for the car for all parties involved. I believe this to be a solid car but agree maybe the most desirable options. It’s always been kept as a driver over the years and parked in the garage. I have driven the car a bit and drive fine. Goes straight down the highway and stops on a dime, or two dimes! Fires up and comes to idle nicely. It’s a nice fairly original car, not perfect but nice. Come see it!
Thanks for posting. Good luck with the sale. If I can be of any help to you just let me know.
Had a 69 cougar purchased it in Buffalo drive it back to Pittsburgh on A February day where I was lucky it was 30 but sunny as the Driver window only when half way down or up.
Car was repainted a purple color. So I sent in for the Marti Report. They sent it back and asked for a paint sample from a non painted area if I could find one. Found a place in the trunk area
Turns out it was a rare “Rocky Mountain Cougar” who knew.. got transferred for work and had to sell it. Loved that car ..
The Rocky Mountain Cougars were all made for a Canadian insurance company. They were all painted a special purple color. There are still a few out there.
I had a 69 cougar XR7. liked 69 style much better. That was my highschool car. 351W 2bbl. Ran pretty good back then. Wish I still had it, but being from Michigan you’d be lucky to have seats left from the road cancer. https://photos.app.goo.gl/TvcNwX16gcpRk32TA
Don’t know how to post a picture on here but this is it if you can make it work.
I had a slime green ( thanks local_sheriff) ’68/’69 Cougar convertible back in the early seventies. I think I paid 700 bucks. A lot of money for a pizza delivering college boy. Still like their looks more than a simlar year Mustang. Had a ball with it. On a related subject you know that time has REALLY passed when the writer has to explain who Dan Gurney was…….sic transit gloria
1969 was the first year the Cougar was offered as a convertible.
Not exactly a stand out like the Cougar Eliminator, to me the hot blonde of Cougars, but it’s okay. I thought all Cougars came standard with V8’s, no sixers.
Actually don’t know anyone personally who ever owned a Cougar, just remember beating several in the stop light race scene, in a Mustang. Ha ha.
Correct, there were no 6 cylinder Cougars until sometime in the 1980s.
O M G. $12,900.00 for this plain Jane just because it has crappy looking hub caps and Dan Gurney decals on it. If that’s the case my 1968 Black on Black Cougar XR7 with factory ford style mags on F-70 tires, vinyl roof and a 390 CI high performance engine would have brought over twice the asking price of this commoner, DGS decals and all.
8/2021 Right out of Army bought new a 68 XR-7, 302 4 bbl. Did moderate engine mods, Crower cam, think it was a Holley 4bbl switched to, Was the suspension that was modified from Mopar 51/2″ NASCAR safety rims, to air shocks at rear and (again, if memory serves) Gabriel adj shocks on front, and car was lowered, used an aircraft proportioning valve (work!) for rear brakes to eliminate hopping at high speed, Weighed 3720lbs. This is someone who grew up in mother’s MG TD, and ultimately owned 5 different Austun Healeys.(raced one briefly in D prod, at a time when 240Zs dominated). Loved that XR-7, .Unfortunately made car about 4 foot long and walked away!
Dan Gurney Specials had:
Turbine wheel covers
F70 x 14 wide-oval nylon cord whitewall tires
Chromed engine dress-up kit: Chrome air cleaner lid Chrome valve covers Chrome Oil Dipstick Chrome Radiator cap
Dan Gurney signature decal
Cougar 289 cu. in. V-8
This example only shows a decal and no other features of the claimed model.
Often people think the 1968 XR7-G is the Dan Gurney Special, it is not but it is the best looking, especially the hood scoop and blacked out grill, The 427 engine doesn’t hurt either.
Davesworld, yeah it was a dress up not a true performance setup
Yes it was, then there is the XR7-G that had a nice floor console more like a Shelby Mustang but still with the clock and the nice hood scoop that matches the hood lines with dual blacked out inlets on each side of the hump. The real monster was the XR7-GT E which inspired a resto mod I did back in the late 1980s where I took a 67 XR7 GT, modified the front suspension with the Global West negative roll system and had custom built springs front and rear as well as putting the famous del-a-lum bushing kit on the reat leafs just like the shorter upper control arm that comes with the negative roll kit have in them, it’s like a suspension bearing free to move in one plane only and the delrin will absorb some energy but it has superior memory and strength. This created a car that could pull the 9s on the skidpad with 16″ gatorbacks and corrected the geometry so well that I could not add a rear swap bar or it would oversteer on street tires, with racing slicks the rear sway would be acceptable. It would hold the front wheels and tires at zero degrees camber going straight but would move to 1/2 degree negative camber in the turns which is peak grip. I also had the front and rear grills powder coated with black teflon at level 6 where 0 would be flat and look cheap and 10 would be gloss. It was perfect and slightly satin like. I also used a reproduction hood scoop for the XR7 G and the GT E. I mistakenly called out the 427 which only existed on the GT E. The stock suspension geometry was so bad it drug the tires with severe positive camber in hard turns. Basically that underpinning started with the Falcon and carried all the way up to the Granada.
I had a 68 Mustang fastback before the Cougar and it was a big jump up. Even stock, the handling and ride of the Cougar was superior due to articulated struts to the lower control arms and more sound deadening material. When my Cougar got totaled in 1991 At Beach and Garfield in Huntington Beach, Ca due to someone not yielding when they took a left turn, both it and the 89 Camaro the other person was driving were totaled. The 67 Cougar had the mounts for shoulder harnesses built into the body so I took the seatbelt/shoulder harness from a 71 and I had high back buckets and installed them. I unbuckled and walked away after we hit head on. I then got a Lincoln Mark VII LSC to replace it, the Mark VIII was not to be out for two more years and yes, I am on my second one of those as well, a 1998 Mark VIII LSC. I still miss the Cougar though, no other looked like mine or handled like it when I was finished with it.