1968 Mercury Cougar XR7 Bad Kat in OR
December 15, 2008
1968 Mercury Cougar XR7 – This 68 Cougar makes it’s way onto Auto Nationals for everyone to enjoy by way of Oregon where it’s current owner Andrew dubs it one “Bad Kat”. Andrew lived the muscle car craze as a young boy and growing up, his father being an avid collector before him, and like most that passion was tucked away for years as life brought him a family, children and travel. His boys shared the same desire to build hot rods and muscle cars by their early teens and so the minivan was put away and a return to actively attending swap meets and car shows followed…
This 68 Mercury Cougar XR7’s Interior was kept 100% original during a complete nuts and bolts restoration performed by Andrew and his boys which led it to win several awards at car shows. I personally think that the 8-track tape deck and big analog clock built into the lower dash are hot don’t you?
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The XR7 has bucket seats and you may also notice that seat belts are of the lap only variety, no shoulder restraints for the Bad Kat! The retractable quarter windows that open up a big enough area to make climbing into the back seat easy were a nice touch although leg room appears cramped. The 68 cougar made for a great daily driving muscle car if you had younger kids.
The 1968 Mercury Cougar XR7 Engine in the Bad Kat is a 390 cubic inch V8 that has been bored out during rebuild. It’s interesting to see that the intake draws air directly from the engine compartment and doesn’t have an elaborate vent system to pull it from the grill. The hood has a ram intake appearance but the air filter doesn’t have the tell-tale seal around it to fit snugly against the hood.
This is a great 68 XR7 rear end picture that shows off some of the Cougar’s characteristic traits. The molded lower bumper trim has exhaust tip openings to keep the appearance clean, a feature also popular on Mustang’s at the time. The wing was also a popular option and although a wing seems out of place on today’s production muscle it suits the Cougar XR7 well. One of my favorite features on this model is the correct stance, it looks ready to move fast doesn’t it?
The engine numbers match, the body is flawless, the parchment colored leather interior looks great and the C-6 transmission churning into a 411 posi traction’d rear make me say yes please. The Bad Kat even has factory A/C and a remote trunk release plus the original owners manual with California dealer & owner records are still with the car too. Well done Andrew, and nice family picture with your father too!