The 5 Rarest Mercury Cougar Models of All Time

Rarest Mercury Cougar Models of All Time

If we say classic cars of all time, surely the Mercury Cougar is always part of the list because of its unbelievable features and stylish looks. In addition, it’s known for being the classy yet affordable muscle car of the ’60s.

However, although it does not surpass the sales of the Ford Mustang, one of the popular muscle cars of that time, the Mercury Cougar had left a great impression on the world. Thus, its popularity as a classic car is still prominent even today.

Mercury Cougar has various models, but the rarest models are the ones that catch the attention of most collectors and Mercury Cougar fans. So, here’s a list of some of the 5 rarest Mercury Cougars of all time.

1. 1968 Cougar GT-E
2. 1969-1970 Cougar Eliminator
3. 1967-1968 Cougar GT
4. 1967 Cougar XR-7 Dan Gurney Special
5. 1968 Cougar XR7-G

51968 Cougar XR7-G

Rarest Mercury Cougar Models of All Time: #5. 1968 Cougar XR7-G

The Dan Gurney Special Cougar is always confused with the 1968 Cougar XR-7-G since it was launched after the Gurney Special. However, they are not the same models as they have lots of different features. However, the XR-7-G still carries Dan Gurney's name, (hence the G) so the confusion among car enthusiasts was completely understandable.

Compared to the Dan Gurney Special, Cougar XR-7-G is known as Lincoln's answer to Shelby’s Mustang, which is why it’s also known as “Shelbyized” Cougar. Its features are more refined than the first XR-7 Special because of its engines. It’s powered by 302 and 309 V8 power horse engines, and some of them are even configured in 428 CJ engines.

Furthermore, in terms of rarity, the XR-7-G Cougar is rarer than the Dan Gurney Special, with only 617 units built. Its 428 Cobra Jet versions are known to only have 14 of them, making it an attractive find for a rare Mercury Cougar.

41967 Cougar XR-7 Dan Gurney Special

Rarest Mercury Cougar Models of All Time: #4. 1967 Cougar XR-7 Dan Gurney Special

XR-7 Cougar is the known standard model of 1967, the time of the prosperous reign of Mercury Cougar cars. The Dan Gurney Special is the result of the partnership of Lincoln-Mercury with the famed racer Dan Gurney. He wanted to take advantage of the luxurious opportunity to give more emphasis on the standard XR-7 model through Dan Gurney Special.

The features of the XR-7 Gurney Special are almost the same as the standard Cougar but with notable package inclusion. In the passenger rear window of the Dan Gurney Special, there’s a sticker with the racers’ signature along with turbine wheel covers. The package also includes are dress-up kit for chrome engines to make it more unique. Moreover, under its hood, there lies a 289 V8. With the unique inclusions, the Dan Gurney Special has gained its spot on the rarest lists of Mercury Cougar, aside from the fact that it is under the name of the most famous racer of his time.

31967-1968 Cougar GT

Rarest Mercury Cougar Models of All Time: #3. 1967-1968 Cougar GT

Cougar GT comes in along with the GT-E Cougar with the same powerful 390-V8 horse engine. The GT models also did not disappoint the fans with their excellent look and sportier visual, among other Cougars. It’s also one of the rarest Mercury Cougars, with only 11,959 units built from 1967-1968.

The Cougar GT won in 1967 as Motor Trend's Car of the Year. Lincoln-Mercury then used that as leverage to boast about the Cougar GT as the best-equipped luxury car that money can buy. It was a huge part of their advertising during that year, since banking on the success of the Cougar GT. As a result, more people scrambled to purchase the sports car. But with production making a little less than 12,000 units, it became one of the most popular Cougars during those two years.

Since it is a GT, it meant that it was built with an FE big-block, which was either 428 cubic inches or a 390-inch displacement. According to the Marti Report, which was like a birth certificate for a Lincoln-Mercury or Ford muscle car, Mercury produced only 419 GTs in 1968. Not only that, the GT was part of the two percent of all Mercury Cougars that had four-speed manual transmission built that year.

21969-1970 Cougar Eliminator

Rarest Mercury Cougar Models of All Time: #2. 1969-1970 Cougar Eliminator

The Cougar Eliminator’s name might sound weird, but it’s deemed the perfect choice for racers because of its undeniable engine performance. Aside from its excellent power horse, it became popular because its name was derived from the Cougar of “Dyno” or Don Nicholson, which he called Eliminator. He used the car to participate in the drag racing season in 1966.

How rare is it? In 1969, only 2,411 Cougar Eliminators were made, while in 1970, only 2,200 units were produced. So, with over 172,412 units of Mercury Cougars built in the years 1969 to 1970, you can only find a total of 4,611 Eliminators-- that’s how rare it is.

11968 Cougar GT-E

Rarest Mercury Cougar Models of All Time: #1. 1968 Cougar GT-E

Mercury Cougar has plenty of model variations, including the Eliminator, convertible, XR-7, GT, GT-E, hardtop, and Dan Gurney Special, and most of them can be deemed rare. However, only a few of the models are sought to be the rarest of them all, and one of them is the 1968 Cougar GT-E.

It is believed that only 264 GT-E units are ever made with horse engines of either 427 390 horse V8 or 428 CJ engines. Only the 37 of the 1968 GT-E Mercury Cougar are built with the 428 Cobra Jet, while the rest got the 7.0-liter V8. With its unbelievable horse engine, this model is known to be the powerful and rarest Cougar of all time.