Car owner: Ed Northcott Words & photos: Clive Branson
If you are at an age when you can remember the hula-hoop, the mini skirt, Etch A Sketch, Laugh-In and Jefferson Airplane, then you can probably appreciate when cars were distinctly recognizable. Thanks to people like Ed Northcott and his ilk, who either purchase a piece of yesterday or sweat and toll for years in some suburban garage resurrecting an amorphous piece of metal into a piece of art, we are allowed to appreciate and recall those halcyon days. Yes, most of today’s vehicles have superior performance, are economically and environmentally savvy and noticeably more comfortable, but there is a vortex of homogenization (except for the retro models); basically, they aren’t as much fun. They simply lack personality. Can you think of a car today that immediately seizes your attention by its rumble? When you can, it will generally be a retro model, such as a heavy-laden V8 powered Charger, Challenger or Mustang.
Ed has owned a 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 for almost 30 years and has no intention of selling it. He bought it whilst at Kruze Brothers Auctioneers in Auburn, Indiana. While watching, in a semi-stupor, an assembly line of cars drift by, he suddenly was taken off guard by an ocular orgasm. There, in its emerald display, emerged the ‘cat’ with its darkened, hidden front lights and embossed white lettering on the tires. It looked both muscular and exotic and made everything else seem banal.
“The forest green colour simply stood out, asking to be bought,” remembers Ed, wiping a lock of salt-and-pepper hair away from his forehead. “It was fully restored with only some detailing to be done.”
Mercury sold 437,025 first-generation Cougars (1967-1970), and was just under a spitting distance to 3 million in its duration (1967-2002), making it not only synonymous with Mercury, but the highest selling vehicle every produced by the car manufacturer, securing its title as the company’s flagship brand.
Though the Mercury Cougar piggy-backed on the Ford Mustang’s platform (the Mustang was initially called a Cougar during its conceptual stage), it had some features distinct from those of its cousin, such as a three inch extension to the Mustang’s 111 inches, that gave the Cougar a better wheelbase for its wide options of engines from a 289 cubic-inch 4.7-litre to a 302 cubic-inch 4.9-litre, or if you really wanted to flex your muscle, either a 427 or a 428 cubic-inch 7-litre monster. The added dimensions gave the car superior handling, smoothness and performance. Ed’s gem houses the original 302 cubic-inch 4.9-litre, four-barrel V8 equipped, though a Holley 650 carburetor was added – a .030 over bore – to elevate the engine’s prowess supported by a double-sprocket timing chain with strengthened suspension and brakes. Ford wanted a ‘pony car’ that appealed to a more high-end clientele and gave the green light to Mercury to produce something, but once the Cougar was impregnated with a mighty 427 engine, it silenced its muscle car critics. It was as cool as the underside of a pillow. In fact, it won the newly formed Trans-American racing series in its debut year.
The obvious Magnum 500 wheels are head-turners while the Dan Gurney rear valance with chrome cutouts for slash cut “pipe-in-pipe” exhaust tips are a nice finish to give a more menacing look. These upgrades were masterfully applied in 1986 by Kerry Skaggs, whose shop is in Louisville, Kentucky. The paint didn’t need a new coating until 2003 by Classic Auto in Limoges, Ontario.
“Even though I bought this car restored, I have been a Cougar guy for most of my life and previously worked on a ’68 and two ’72 Cougars that I sold. I currently have a ’70 Cougar XR-7 convertible project in my garage.”
It has a mouthwatering presence and has won several prizes, including some at ‘All Ford’ shows. “It seems that everyone knows someone who owned one,” comments Ed.
Though the Cougar was less curvaceous than the Mustang, it nevertheless drew its popularity from several factors: It came with a convenient ‘tilt-and-swing’ steering column that allowed any sized driver ample space to get in and out of the car and prominent front and rear fascias incorporating the elaborate use of slats and chrome. The wide dual-grill treatment allowed retractable headlamps (surprisingly, the cloaked headlamps were only used on first-generation models, but it is these vacuum-operated units that most people recall when they think of the Cougar). But the piece de la resistance was the stimulating rear lights. When they came alive, they had a mesmerizing sequential rotation display to signal left or right. “Everyone likes it and they all explain to their spouses or children about the sequential signal lights.”
Still, with every old classic comes a surprise or two. Ed was driving down Montreal’s Decarie Boulevard when the Cougar’s crankshaft blew due to a faulty main bearing cap. This is not the place you want to have problems. The Decarie is a sub-level, three-lane expressway that is sandwiched between three-story high slabs of concrete in the heart of the city.
“The car suddenly expired, so I shoved it in neutral and, being on the right hand side, I was able to coast it to the shoulder,” gesticulated Ed with a swerving motion of his hand. “CAA Plus towed me to my house.” With such a narrow margin between the shoulder and the laneways, it was amazing the car wasn’t hit. “Thankfully, that has been one of the very few problems I’ve encountered. The car is a ‘driver’ with close to 50,000 miles on it. It drives like a new car: no rattles or shakes and it’s particularly good on any straightaway. Every time I get in the car, I think of the freedom of the road, and I feel youthful again, reminiscent of those days in my youth.” Could you ask for anything more?
