1968 MERCURY COUGAR GT-E 427, Nut & Bolt Restoration, Rare Collector, Documented

Description for Mercury Cougar 1968

1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 427. 1 of 357 Earth Motorcars is proud to offer for sale this Extremely Rare . Investment Grade 1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 427! Following its incredibly successful launch for 1967 and Motor Trend “Car of the Year” honors. Mercury’s Cougar was available for 1968 in limited edition. high-performance GT-E form. Offered on both standard and luxury XR-7 models. the GT-E package added $1. 11 to the Cougar’s price. Features were many. including chrome rocker covers. “7. 0-Litre” emblems. quad chrome exhaust tips. C-6 Select-Shift Merc-O-Matic transmission. power steering. power brakes. Power-Dome hood scoop. styled-steel wheels. the Super Competition Handling Package. and blacked-out grilles. No fewer than 11 paint colors were available. all over Argent lower body surfaces. Just 394 GT-E Cougars were built. including 115 standard models and 279 XR-7s. with 357 of them powered by the wicked 427 “side-oiler” of Shelby 427 Cobra fame. While conservatively rated at 390 horsepower with a single Holley 4-barrel carburetor. the “W-Code” 427 delivered awesome performance as expected. The GT-E also marks the last Ford Motor Company product equipped with this legendary power unit. Hagerty Price guide Grade 1 is $147. 00 Dec 2014 Edition! Documented by Mercury expert Jim Pinkerton and listed in the 1968 Cougar GT-E Registry. this outstanding restored example is one of precious few. Delivered when new as a W-Code 427-powered Cougar. it was originally built on March 1. 1968 and 1 of the 134 cars originally finished in Cardinal Red. It is rarer still as 1 of the 4 factory-fitted with Dark Red upholstery and just two known to still exist. Other originally delivered equipment included a C-6 automatic transmission. 3. 50:1 Detroit Locker rear end. AM/8-Track radio. clock. headrests. rear-window defogger. remote left-hand mirror. Tilt-Away steering wheel. and tinted glass. During 1998. the Cougar was located in Canada near Brandon. Manitoba and identified as an original GT-E from its VIN. radiator-support tag. and physical evidence. A noted Massachusetts collector commissioned a complete professional restoration by a Cougar expert. with work starting in September 2002. While the Cougar’s original body was complete but fundamentally damaged earlier in its lifetime. the decision was made to preserve this historic and rare muscle car by re-bodying it with full disclosure given to 1968 Cougar GT-E Registrar Jim Pinkerton. A sound. standard-trim (Code 65A) Cougar body was secured from Tennessee and the GTE’s original VIN stampings were expertly transferred to the painstakingly restored replacement body. all documented with photographs of the well beyond repair original uni-body. Proper mechanical components were restored and installed. including the 427 side-oiler engine. C-6 transmission. 3. 50:1 9-inch Detroit Locker rear end. and HD suspension. The restoration was completed in October 2005. and has recently benefited from a full freshening of the cosmetics. it has been stored in a private collection in a climate controlled garage! In addition. a comprehensive rebuild of the legendary 427 engine was just completed by Sports and Collector Car Center of Tempe Arizona. Listed in the 1968 Cougar GT-E Register. the GT-E is accompanied by excellent documentation including restoration images and in-depth details of the process. and a Marti Report. Incredibly rare and highly collectible. it marks a handsome and fascinating example of Ford Motor Company’s all-out “Total Performance” program of the 1960s. Contact Arthur or Frank your Ford Experts at 214-483-9040 or email us at sales@earthmotorcars. com This is Mercury's answer to the Boss 429. A much more special car and extremely rare. This was the last of Ford's breed to utilize the side oiler 427 engine found in Million dollar shelbys!!! If you have seen the values of the Boss you can rest assured this will be next!