This is My Cat

I am the second owner.  The first was a little old lady from Victoria BC.  True story!  The car was so clean the back seat was hardly used and the jack is to this day, still in the original Ford parts box.

Owned Since 1988

Back in the 1980's, she brought the car to a Ford dealership in New Westminster BC along with her late husband's mid-60's Lincoln Continental.  As she moved on with her life, she wanted a smaller car with air conditioning and good gas mileage.  She got what she wanted.  The Lincoln sold the next day.  I became the proud owner of the Cougar about a week later.  

Not my first rodeo

Houndstooth Vinyl Roof 

Shortly after my wife and I got married in 1971, we bought our first Cougar.  It too was a 1970 but not an XR7.  It was a standard.  The paint was more of a clay colour.  It had the same "houndstooth" roof and interior but none of the luxury features and the 351 Cleveland engine had a two barrel carburetor with much lower horsepower.  Still it was a terrific car to drive.

We sold it in 1977.  Ten years later and driving a station wagon to transport two kids, sports equipment, suitcases and grocery bags, I began a search for a toy car.

One look at the "houndstooth" roof in the used car lot at that New Westminster Ford dealership and I was sold.  In the words of New York Yankee great Yogi Berra, “it was déjà vu all over again”.

Almost all the options

Matching Houndstooth Interior

XR7, 351 Cleveland, four barrel carburetor, dual exhaust, factory rated at 300 horsepower, automatic transmission, "houndstooth" roof and interior, power windows, tinted glass, pulse wipers.  The only options this car does not have are air conditioning, tilt wheel and a top of the line audio package.  Unfortunately, my car has just an AM radio.  In 1970, you could order an AM/FM and for the musically adventurous, there was an 8-track tape player.  Clearly the little old lady wasn't into The Temptations and The Beatles.

Today

The engine, transmission and differential have all been rebuilt.  With just 80,000 original miles, it still has many original parts.  The top and interior are in great condition, but the body needs a paint job.  It was re-painted once over 20 years ago but now has many chips.  The only damage was self-induced.  I backed into a lamp post at our daughter’s wedding.  As a result, the rear bumper is creased and there is a dent in the trim along the leading edge of the trunk.  This year though, the critical upgrade will be tires and possibly wheels.