Dan Gurney Special: 1968 Mercury Cougar
During the period from the sixties through the nineties, the marketing departments of the Big Three automakers were always coming up with gimmicks to sell cars. From pace cars to special editions, customers looking for a distinctive ride could always count on something waiting for them in their local showroom. This 1968 Mercury Cougar for sale on Craigslist in York, Pennsylvania is a special edition of a different sort. This Cougar is one of the seldom-seen Dan Gurney editions that capitalized on Gurney’s role in winning the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans with A.J. Foyt and his relationship racing Cougars in SCCA’s Trans Am series. While no specific reference to his racing for Ford was made, the company wasn’t going to leave a stone unturned in making money off their driver’s name. Despite some rough areas, this Cougar is solid and complete. Is the $10,900 asking price above market value for a Cougar in this condition because of the Gurney name? Does that name make the car more desirable to collectors? Thanks to Philbo 427 for the tip!
While it borders on sacrilege to even type these words, some of our readers may not even know who Dan Gurney was. If you know anything about racing in the fifties through the seventies, then you have run across his name numerous times. Gurney competed in Formula One, NASCAR, CAN-AM, Trans-Am, and Indy Car racing over those decades and was a force to be reckoned with. He not only raced against the greatest drivers of the era, but his All-American Racers company also built many of their cars. He even won a Formula One race in a car he designed and built. His most famous victories were at the fabled 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans and the first Cannonball Run in 1971. Gurney was active in racing through his All-American Racers after his retirement until he passed away in 2018. One of the last projects he worked on was the revolutionary Delta Wing race car. It is hard to sum up just how influential Gurney was, but if there was a Mount Rushmore for American race car drivers. Foyt and Gurney would be the first two faces chiseled in the stone. Everyone else would have to fight for the other open spots.
So, in recognition of Dan Gurney’s success as a Ford driver and the marketing department’s insatiable desire to sell cars, they came up with a Dan Gurney Special package for the Mercury Cougar. The choice of the Cougar was not a coincidence. Gurney raced Cougars for Bud Moore Engineering with Parnelli Jones and others in the SCCA’s Trans Am Series as well. The Dan Gurney Special was available only on standard Cougars in 1968 and, believe it or not, consisted of several trim items that contributed nothing to make the car go faster or handle better. These items were either installed at the factory or the dealer.
The parts that made up the package were turbine wheel covers, whitewall tires, a 289 cubic inch V-8, a chromed engine dress-up kit, and a Dan Gurney signature decal. The chromed engine dress-up kit consisted of a chrome air cleaner lid, chrome valve covers, a chrome oil dipstick, and a chrome radiator cap. The package must have been a success, as 11,899 of these cars were built. Part of the marketing line was “…with special extras inspired by racing champ Dan Gurney.” Dan must have not been feeling very inspirational that day.
The car you see here is advertised as a legitimate Dan Gurney Special, right down to the sticker that made Dan go so much faster than all of his competitors. With the lighting, it is hard to determine in the pictures the exact color the car was painted in. The seller tells us that it is green with a black interior. Perhaps Sea Foam Green? Regardless, the car certainly has the potential to be beautiful in this color and interior combination.
A look in the trunk and underneath reveals a car that, for being in Pennsylvania, seems to be quite free of rust. Surely there is some, and anyone knowledgeable in Mustangs and Cougars of this era will tell you to examine the car carefully before considering a purchase.
Inside, the car looks like any other heavily used car from the sixties. The ad says that it has 90,000 miles on the odometer, but there is no way of knowing if that is the first time around and the car has lived a hard life, or if this is the wear that represents a second time around. A dash pad and a full upholstery kit would be required at this point, but there are some bright spots. The rest of the dash, the radio, the faux wooden steering wheel, and the center console all look to be in good shape.
The seller tells us that this Cougar is equipped with a 302 cubic inch V-8 backed by an automatic transmission. Power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning were also added to the build sheet. Interestingly, there is no chrome to be seen under the hood. Perhaps one of our eagle-eyed readers can tell us if this is the original engine for this car.
Overall, this is a very restorable Cougar in an interesting shade of green. It has some very desirable options and is a Dan Gurney Special. Does that package add to the value? My guess is not really. It would have been nice if the package mandated a higher horsepower engine, a manual transmission, wider tires, and some other go-fast goodies. As it is, the offering is just a small footnote in Ford’s marketing history. My advice is to buy the car, not the chrome package, hubcaps, and sticker. The car itself has potential to be a knockout.
Would you pay extra for a Dan Gurney Special? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
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Comments
Good write-up Jeff. I knew of the Dan Gurney Special, but didn’t know (or had forgotten) what it did, and didn’t, include. Overall this Cougar looks pretty good. I agree, Sea Foam Green. I even like the whitewall/ wheel cover look. Being a Dan Gurney might provide a bump in value, just because it is unique. Perhaps our resident Cougar expert CATHOUSE will chime in with his usual excellent perspective and knowledge.
Well by the time I got here the CL listing was deleted so I can only go by what Jeff has written and the photos he used from the listing. In my opinion the Dan Gurney Special option really does not add much, if anything, to the value.
To correct a few things in this article there was one 68 XR7 built with the Dan Gurney Special option. The 289 engine was not a part of the package. A Dan Gurney Special could be had with any available 1968 engine. There are cars built with the C code 289 2V, F code 302 2V, the J code 302 4V and the S code 390 4V.
I took one of these in at the wrecking yard in the 80s. The one we aquire was a 390, ac, disc brakes with a tilt wheel. The car was a goldish color with saddle interior. Now before the OMG! you scraped it and yes I scraped it. The guy was well intoxicated went through a fence, took out a small tree, went up an embankment and out into a 12 foot deep pond and survived. The car not so much. When the towing company dumped it at the yard it had spent two weeks at the bottom of the pond. I had no idea what a Dan Gurney special was until my Ford buddy saw it and almost died drooling over what was left. I recall the disc brakes came off as did the tilt and the fancy wheels. The rest is well..history. A nice one here, too bad it wasn’t set up like the one long ago.
Nice write up Jeff! To me, Dan Gurney was a legend as I followed him and many others growing up in the 70’s. My uncle used to take me to Louisville Motor Speedway back in those days. I met Bobby Allison when I was 12 and saw the Joey Chitwood Thrill Show!
I’m hopeful this car will strum someone’s heartstring and it will get restored back to its original state. It does appear that maybe an engine change took place or someone simply didn’t like the dress up kit. Will make a big difference in value if it’s original. It looks like a pretty solid project considering where it spent its life. I wonder if you can still get the stickers to replace the cracked ones? This will surely be a hit at the car shows, as is or redone.
Oh, I can think of a few drivers that would belong on the Mt Rushmore drivers monument, like Phil Hill, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Ken Miles, and this is just American drivers. I’m sure I missed a few more
Question about Ken Miles – I just watched Ford V Ferrari, so I know that he was born in England, and raced the GT 40 , winning at LeMans, but did he ever get his American citizenship?
This one’s a cool find. The only unique thing about the Gurney Special was a decal, given the other items could be ordered other ways; but it’s cool in retrospect! The F code VIN supports it being a basic, 2-barrel 302, but it’s interesting that the chrome goodies are gone. That makes me wonder whether the engine was swapped at some point, which could be good or bad.
It’s a bit of a shame that these weren’t built with the G-code 302 4-barrel, which was a 1968-only engine choice – basically a replacement for the legendary K-code 289 Hi-Po and, arguably, a predecessor to the 351, as far as its position in the lineup.
@ChrisCornetto: It’s possible that what you saw was a Cougar XR7-G. That one was available with big block engines (390 or 428, depending on preference and timing) and had more unique parts – notably a really cool hood scoop/bulge and fog/driving lamps. Those were also marketed using Gurney’s name.
XR7-G=Gurney, slap a decal on & charge 500$ bucks more for the already upgraded XR7 model only other thing would be those turbine piepan hub caps marketing scams ya gotta love em.
Being out in NO Where’s Ville Sodak as a kid even tho we owned GM & Import franchises & sponsored a stock car at South Soo Race track- I was absolutely Clueless about this stuff & Ford dealer was directly across the street.
Disc brakes for the win – other stuff meant nothing.
The G code Boss 302 engine was not available in any 1968 Ford product. That engine was only available in the 1969 and 1970 model years and only in the Mustang fastback and the Cougar Eliminator.
The Dan Gurney Special option was available with a big block engine.
Doh! I meant J-code.
Chris,
I presently have one in my garage in Pittsburgh which has the 302 and Goodyear wide oval tires. No chrome package though. That was switched or stolen prior to purchase but the decal is still on the rear side window,
It seems the only thing left of Dan Gurney is a couple weathered decals. Either way, the car is worth the price, and well worth saving. Hard to say about the motor, if it’s an early 68, it’s a 289, a late 68 would be a 302. Too bad the original chrome pieces are gone. If they were actually ever there
It still has the correct wheel covers. According to another poster this car is an F code 302 2V engine. I did not get to view the original CL listing so I can only go by what that poster has said.
The base engine for a 1968 Cougar was the F code 302 2V. Ford was having some problems with the 302 production so they decided to make the C code 289 2V the base engine for a standard 1968 Cougar. The base engine for a 1968 XR7 remained the 302 2V. The factory started to put the C code 289 2V into standard 1968 Cougars in January 1968. In 1968 the Cleveland engine plant produced the 302 engines and the Windsor engine plant was still producing 289 engines.
My 66 Mustang has a Dan Gurney for President rear bumper sticker, This was a running joke at Car and Driver.
It would still be a good idea if he weren’t dead.
Only the ’67 Dan Gurney Specials came with the engine chrome. ’68’s did not.
Incorrect. The 1968 Dan Gurney Special option did include the chrome engine dress up parts for the 1968 model year.
According to Don Rush at West Coast Classic Cougar the majority of them did not get the chrome:
https://forum.classiccougarcommunity.com/t/stunning-1968-cougar-dan-gurney-special-going-up-for-sale/14647/13
My ’68 DGS came with the stock blue valve covers and air cleaner which is why I researched it in the first place.
the price actually sounds attractive. Sea Foam Green – normally I’m put off by that color. But it works here. Its the wires hanging down out of the column that bothers me….
Wires are fixable, don’t sweat the small stuff lol
Yeah and the courtesy lights under dash still work….how rare is that along with many other things about this car? The old timers here know what I’m talking about without going into great detail!
It was the winter of 1979 my grandpa bought a 1968 dan gurney cougar 302-4v no chrome on motor just the ethel man on top of the air breather suggesting 110 oct.mim.cruseomatic c-4 p.s. a.c. white blk vinyl top w burgundy interior 47××× original miles off of the original owner
For a Whooping $900. That Lil car was a beast it would lay black marks all the way across town hold you back in the seat until I let off of it I was all of 13 would sneak it out every chance I got God I miss my g
Grandpa an that Lil car
I worked on army shelters with interiors that were that sea form green. Also, live next door to sea foam green siding nearly 30 years. The car could be called that for lack of a better name. Had a 69 cougar in green but not sea foam.
Seamfoam green is probably a fairly uncommon color for the Cougar. I’ve only ever seen one other Cougar painted in this color. The shade looks quite “mellow” compared to other greens. It’s like the sky blue of greens, kinda pastel-ish looking. Love the 67-70 Cougars. Absolutely hate the aftermarket “door ding” molding. Yuck. Takes away from the lines of every single car that this crappy product has been affixed to. Hopefully it’s not riveted in…those who do that to cars, there should be a special place in classic car purgatory for you!
If this car was originally paint code O Sea Foam Green then there were 3911 1968 standard Cougars and 1192 XR7s for a total of 5103 in that color. For this particular car if the interior code is 2A, as I suspect that it is, then there would be 615 standard Cougars built with the paint color and interior combination. All production numbers are from Kevin Marti’s Cougar By The Numbers book.
Already deleted by author
Gurney Special or not, this is worth saving just because it’s a fairly solid ’68 Cougar. With the mileage, this car can be spruced up and enjoyed without jeopardizing its value a lot. And I think the ’68 came with the 302 as standard; the 289 was standard for the ’67 only.
Some ’68s came with the 289 as standard — there was an insert to the sales brochure that stated that. The insert noted product changes since the brochure was printed. For the Cougar standard engine it said: “The 289 CID V-8 (195 H.P.) replaces the 302 CID V-8 as the standard engine in the base Cougar. The 302 CID V-8 is included in base Cougars with the Decor Group Option and in the XR-7.”
Once had 13 cougars .
1 was off yellow Dan Gurney version .
Couldn’t seem to find anyone that knew what stickers meant in mid 80s b4 the internet .
Just like 67 with 7.0 Liter auto .
Couldn’t find anyone that knew what engine that was either until 20 years after I sold them when my children were small .
Austin Texas area
The Dan Gurney Special and the XR7-G were two different models,the XR7-G came with special medallion in the grille, a twin split hood scoop,Styled 5 spoke or basketweave wheels,hood pins and most came with a sunroof made by A.O Smith( a few got out without the sunroof)Also special lucas foglamps,extra leather bit’s in the interior,bullet mirros,special horn and much much more.
Mine had a cobra emblem on dash n grille n said cobra on fenders. 302 boss chrome intake manifold w Ford stamp on it.
No, just no. No such thing
I’m a dyed in the blue, (Oval), Ford/Mercury guy. What a great selection of rides today. 1972 429 Galaxie, 1982 Cougar GS wagon, 1970 429 Thunderbird, 1972 Galaxie convertible and a 1968 DG Cougar! Choices, choices, choices! It’s a great day at Barn Finds. Thanks BF!!!!
I always said Cougar was a lot classier and 50 times better looking from a cheap looking Mustang!!
Good reads gentlemen, had mustangs of the era but always loved the Mercury’s too. hope this one found the right home.
I own a ’67 XR7 Dan Gurney Special with an A code 289. Completely restored. Love the car, this Sea Foam Green would be worth restoring.
where did you have it restored? I have one also with 119000 miles,
In mid 80s, I bought a 1968 302 2V C4 A/C nice, base Cougar for my wife. $4000 nice car, everything worked, no issues, sold it in 1993 for $2700.
In ’86 I worked with a mechanical engineer Mike who sold his Cougar, a very different animal. Mike asked if I would share time driving his 1968 XR7 GTE 427 side oiler from Texas to Vero Beach, FL where the owner of a Ford dealership had bought his Cougar to restore. Sure.
Mike had gone through the mechanicals, rebuilt the drivetrain, 427, C6, 9 inch, and brakes (front discs). The rest of the car was ragged, original dark green paint and black vinyl top were thin. Like the vinyl top, the interior was badly oxidized, UV sun scorched. The front seat leather was cracked, curled up creating large gaps of seat foam exposed, and discolored. It had lived outdoors and came from west Texas or a dry hot desert state.
Mike had spent some money and done the work himself but it needed a lot more money and work to complete areas of restoration. Mike did not have those skills or time/money for, he had moved on to other interests. It was a rare and dry car, worth restoration, especially in hindsight. At that time, it was not well recognized. I never considered offering to buy the car.
I eagerly made the trip for only expenses and the privilege of the drive. We headed out after work. It pulled hard and ran smooth. In Shreveport, Mike handed off the car to me so he could rest. It was too late and we had no time planned for stops just cruised through New Orleans, climbing onto the Lake Ponchartrain Bridge I-10E, we ran out of fuel.
The gas gauge did not work, Unknown, the Holley carb, power valve was blown, increased fuel consumption, and reduced the range on a tank of fuel Mike said to expect.
We were not far onto the bridge. After a cat nap, daylight traffic woke us. We hopped out and walked back to nearby docks visible from where we had stopped to find enough fuel to get across the bridge into Mississippi and the next fuel station.
There was no marina to buy fuel but we spotted a small boat with a small gas carry can and 2-stroke fuel. Mike asked if 2-stroke would work and be ok in his cat. Sure it will. He left a few bucks on the boat seat for the pre-mix and we quickly headed back, poured in the fuel saving a little to prime the carb and it fired right up.
After refueling we stopped for a new power valve, removed the front fuel bowl, fixed the Holley carb in the auto supply parking lot near Gulf Port, Mississippi. Back to driving.
Sightseeing – stopped at the Battleship and Submarine exhibit in Mobile, Al. Next day toured Don Garlit’s Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala. It was a slow day at the museum, we were the only ones there and were invited into the back shop to meet Don, Big Daddy. Another great memory, nice guy.
We delivered the car in the evening at the Ford car dealership in Vero Beach. Buyer was excited planned to have his dealership shop start the restoration right away. He explained it was a gift for his son. How nice.
We flew back the next morning. I remember getting seated on the plane, a little tired, but thinking, I would probably never have the chance to drive another one like it. I remember also thinking how I would like any Ford 427, maybe a Galaxy 7 litre. Nope, never again, too rare, too expensive.
I don’t know what Mike sold it for but probably 6-8k and definitely less than 10k. The owner sent Mike some photos soon after we returned and it looked great $$$$.
Last time I checked on Mike he was still working at the same place and still married to another employee who he was dating back when I was there. They have grown kids now.
These cars help create and color our memories. That is why some people pay so much for them. If you haven’t created those memories around cars it doesn’t make any sense to you. If you can’t afford it or the people around you don’t value those car related memories, it is just sentimental old times.