1971 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible 429 Cobra Jet 4 Speed in Green - My Car Story with Lou Costabile 

Hi, If you like this video, please click on SUPER THANKS ❤ with the $ in the middle which is the SUPER THANKS button under the video. Thank you! Lou

Boy, this Cougar definitely has it all, and you're right, there's no mistaking its growl. Thanks for finding and sharing Mr. Wicks and one rare Kitty!

That is the finest Mercury Cougar I have ever seen! I love the 429 4-speed the most! The color is fantastic! Thanks, Lou! You made my day!!

The '71 Cougar is THE most underappreciated (and classy) muscle cars ever. The '67-'70 gets all the attention, but there was always something about the '71, especially the convertible, that I really liked. Things went downhill styling-wise with the big bumpers, but the 71-72's just looked right. It's a shame more people didn't order Cougars with performance options, they were great cars. Love this video Lou!

One of the nicest Mercury Cougars from that era that I have ever seen!Outstanding automobile guys!

Very nice Cougar. When I was a kid, my mothers friend had a non-wild version of this (XR-7, convertible, same colour, but automatic and I think 351 ). It always seemed like a cool car, especially compared to mom’s Pinto. The one in the video just impeccable. Fantastic restoration. Thanks Lou for bringing this classic to us.

And Lou, THANKS for featuring my car!! Yes I know it really is no longer mine but in my heart that car will always be mine. Decades of fantastic memories go with that car.

Incredible Cougar Lou !!! Wowzer ! I built a 68 XR7 with a 428 - 4 speed and although I still have my BB Mopar (4 speed) I do miss my Cougar..always loved them from the 1st time I saw my uncles 67 but that 429 show car is so rare, I love it ! Great find and video 👍🏼

Beautiful car, great restoration. I love that the side markers blink with the turn signals.

Always admired these Cougars. Very nice!

A super rare piece there. I was checking that car out at MCACN. A beautiful and thorough restoration .nice work!

Lou, what a beautiful Cougar I had no idea that this car existed 429 with a 4 speed awesome and a convertible to boot and the green paint with a ginger interior beautiful, thanks for getting my Friday off to a great start 😀!!!

Amazing that cars like this still exist. Beautiful

I've always loved the Cougar XR7's from the early years to 72. With a 429 CJ and 4 speed, wow. My legs couldn't take the clutch action anymore but she's a beauty.

Lou that is beautiful old treat, I Love it

Edsel still has one. Yes that Edsel! 429 Hardtop XR7 1971..

Stunning vehicle. The green paint must really pop in the sunlight.

The 429 CJ + 4-spd, convertible top, perfect paint color, magnum wheels + white letter tires. Every box is checked on this one. I have lusted after many of the cars featured here by Lou, but none more than this one. A++++++

This is by far the nicest Cougar iv ever , and never seen many convertibles, one of my new dream CARS

Was privileged to see this car run the Tulsa drags back in the 80s, it did not disappoint!!! good to see the car again!!!

In the spring of 1971, I ordered an XR7 coupe with the 351 Cleveland engine and 4-speed manual. Mine had full power with power seat, power windows, front disc brakes and power steering. It also had the Competition Suspension and 15 inch wheel option and the AM-FM radio. My car was medium brown metallic and had the brown leather interior. I lived in the SF Bay Area at the time but ordered the car in Roseville CA. I moved the Contra Costa County in 1974 and I took it in for service in Concord to the Lincoln Mercury dealer for service in 1976. I remember the Service Manager had a double take when he saw that my car was a manual. He said that he had never seen an XR7 with a manual before but they had sold some Cougar GT's with manuals. It was then that I thought I had a very rare car. I drove the car for 8 years and 92,000 miles and finally traded it in on a 1979 Mercury Capri. The 351 Cleveland had 11:1 compression and was very fussy on gas. The main reason I traded it in was that I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get premium gas for it. I loved that car, and I wish I could have kept it. While I don't think it would be worth as much as a 429, I think it would be still very valuable today.

That's one sweet Cougar XR7! Love the color of it along with the brown leather interior, Typical cold natured 429, but had a sweet lope to it once it warmed up. The sequential blinkers were always cool in either the Cougar or Thunderbird. It's cool it has a Hurst factory 4-speed manual transmission. A ride would've done it justice! Another one of those dreaded indoor car show venues. All show, and no go!

Beautiful Cougar with great equipment ! Thanks for posting Lou !

Best example I've ever seen. What a beauty!

Thanks for sharing this video. I saw this car at the MCACN show and had never seen a 429 with 4 speed Cougar convertible before!! Now I know why = super rare car - wow!

A gorgeous car. Restoration done perfectly which this cat deserved well done. ! I know because I have one …a 71 XR7 convertible M code with every option with the ginger interior bronze color brown ext black top Build 11/3/70 you never see these cars and this 429 is a truly rare beautiful Merc

I remember seeing this car at the show. I didn’t realize how rare it is. Thanks for featuring it.

Beautiful time travel Couger! 😍😍😍😍😍 Thanks Lou!

The Cougar always puts me n mind of the later thunderbirds. What a Cool Car! I had no idea!

Hi, Lou! Opportunity definitely knocked--or should I say growled---for Jim with this fine feline! With the 429 CJ, the 4-speed and a ragtop, this has to be the ultimate Cougar! Oklahoma shouts OK! Thanks to both of you for spotlighting this rare performance gem! At the sign of the cat! ROWRRRRR!!!

Absolutely cool!!!

Very beautiful looking 71 Mercury Cougar brother.

I miss the days when cool cars could be bought at the local car lot. I couldn't afford them but some of my friends did.

What a gorgeous car! Thanks, Lou, and thank you for all your videos, they always make me smile. It's not just the cars, it's also the enthusiasm, friendliness and joy you bring.

Thanks, Lou! What a beauty. This was the car that James Bond and his wife Tracy drove through, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Probably the greatest Cougar they ever produced in the looks department - the very definition of sporty elegance!

Wow! What a lovely green beauty you brought to us! Thanks Lou!

Love the green/tan color scheme and look, a 4-2-9 and a four speed! You're spoiling us again Lou. Thanks to owner as well on an outstanding collector muscle car.

I'm surprised you never mentioned it was Ram Air I love that Ford color green I wonder if not her shifter knob is original those babies are cold-blooded will you have the best car as always strangely a friend of mine's father died in Vietnam and I talked to him yesterday and he said he was going to build a cougar tribute card to his father because his father had a cougar and Lou shows up with this video the next day unreal thanks again

Muy llamativo este Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible de 1971 con ése color verde metalizado! Los interiores, también, muy elegantes con mucha madera en puertas e instrumentos y los asientos muy bonitos y cómodos. El sonido, o rugido, que producía su Cobra Jet le hace los honores a este felino! ¡Excelente video, como siempre, Lou!

Great looking Cougar! 😍

A very smart looking Mercury Cougar even with the top up. ❤

That is a great 👍🏿 paint finish 👏🏿.

Goodday Lou, What a cat with the lot. That is one special cat I didn't even know such a cat could exist, but trust you to find it. True testament to your dedication to your channel. Definitely can see this Cougar doing 11's. Your number 1 Fan in Melbourne , Australia. Louis Kats 👍🙂🇺🇸🇦🇺

That's one thick Cougar! GREAT VIDEO LOU.

Another great episode, Mr. Lou! There is a gold, 1967 Chevrolet Impala in the background in front of this Cougar that needs your attention, as well.

Beautiful work of modern art 🎉 !!!!!!!!!!

Jim bought my gold 1972 Cougar convertible last year. It meant a lot to me because it was given to me from my grandpa who kept it after my mom drove it in high school. I’d love to see what he did with it.

Great car great owner ford did a few things right and the cougar was a unique entry in sporty luxury. I had 3 in my early years and miss them all. Restoring history is always the honorable thing to do. Great story Lou 🇺🇸

WOW is that thing MINT!! Would LOVE to own a 429! Doesn't get much better than that! Thanks, Lou! 👍😎👍

Oh my god that is a very nice car…i love the sound and style .. this is my dream car!!!thank you lou To find this owner with good story!!!(Brazil)

Absolutely breathtaking

A Beautiful Cougar with some Growl! I always thought the Ford Cougar was a Sports Car with a hint of 50's Thunderbird Class in its DNA! Love these videos!!

Of the 62,864 1971 Cougars, 1,717 were XR7 Convertibles, of which 14 came with 429-4V Non-Ram Air Engines, 5 of them had 4 Speed Manual Transmissions 2 of these were painted Dark Green Metallic 1 of those had Ginger Leather Bucket Seats 1F94C544913 is that Cougar!

Best looking wheels of all time Chrysler and GM had em too!!!

Beautiful Ford !

Awesome car..thank you for sharing it with us..A thing of beauty for sure

You always seem to find and feature the most unique and coolest cars! This is one of them Thanks.

Just amazing is right. Best xr7 I've seen

Showroom fresh, just like I like them. Gorgeous car Lou.

Look at that front bumper. Looks like the Bunky Knudsen influence is still going strong.

Man that is clean... not a big ford fan but some cars just have it.

I love that vintage of Cougar. Nice car - thanks for sharing, Lou! Paint is beautiful. Quality is far superior to stock OEM!

One word Lou: impeccable. 🙌

My dad had one of these in the 90s. It was burgundy with brown interior. He sold it to someone in Canada. I remember hunting for a ram air cleaner which we found. Sold the car before rebuilding it. Not sure where it ended up but 4spd big block convertible XR7 are super rare cars.

Beautiful Car, I love the Ford LTD of this year that had similar front nose and tail lights.

First one of these I've ever seen, stunningly beautiful! From the side with the top down it looks more like a GM body than a Ford product.

a real "wow"- car 👏👏👏

I've really enjoyed seeing how he paid attention to the smallest details on restoration of a great car love the sound of a old big block call it a cougar but bet its as fast as cheetah

Holy cow, Lou. Ya got me with this one, big bro. As usual ;). This gorgeous 'n sexy kitty certainly sounded angry there, like she was gonna tear up a guy's lap before settling into a nice lopey purr lol! She gonna have me in my stocking feet for sure, big bro? Thanks for bring all us car guys these rare beauties, Lou! :) JV Johnny

great era of cougar.

Hi Lou, what a great looking Merc, a realy nice colour as well. you all have a great lot of special cars over in the US, great show.👍.

Thanks again Lou

Well I just about had a heart attack. My cousin sent me a link to this video and told me my car was on RU-vid. And indeed it was!! I bought this very cougar while serving in the Navy in San Diego California. I bought it in the summer of 73 off the used car lot of an Oldsmobile (of all places since Cutlasses had a very similar silhouette) dealership. At that time muscle cars were not very desired because the price of gas had taken a huge upturned. It was sitting at the back of the used car lot. I had just inherited some money and it was burning a hole in my pocket. What I was really looking for was a Mustang. My best friend in high school had a brand new 70 Mach 1 with a 428 cobra jet and Hurst 4-speed shifter with the embossed shift pattern on the shift ‘T’ handle. I asked the salesman if he had any mustangs for sale. He told me he did not but he had a Cougar at the back of the lot. I knew Cougars shared the same frame and drive train as the Mustangs so I said “OK let’s take a look”. As soon as I saw that it was a convertible it got my interest. When we walked up to the car and opened the door and I saw that Hurst shifter with the T handle, exactly like my friends Mach 1 had my interest level went up even higher. Then we opened the hood and I saw that big a** engine and the 429 Cobra Jet sticker on the air cleaner I just about had a heart attack. I didn’t know that much about engines back when I was 20 years old but it was close enough to my friends Mach 1 with the 428 cobra jet that I knew I had to take a ride. It only had 23,000 original miles and looked and drove brand new. A naval officer had bought the car brand new and for whatever reason decided to trade it in two years later. I was a young, dumb 20-year-old sailor and did not know what I had on my hands. $2750 later it was mine. Not knowing how rare the car was (if I had known then what I learned years later I would never have modified it the way I did) I immediately began driving and racing the shit out of it. I am sad to say that over the years that I owned it (from 1973 to 2006 33 year) I had greatly modified The drivetrain always with the goal of making it faster in the quarter-mile. My best HP dyno rating was 692 1/2 (yes one half) HP and 702 foot pounds of torque. This was with 514 cubic inches and Blue Thunder aluminum heads and about 12 1/2 compression. Painted everything Ford blue and lied. Just told everyone it was a warmed over 429 with a cam. I always wanted to run street tires and full exhaust and I did. However the street tires were the Mickey Thompson soft compound M 50/15 size and I loved going to the drag races and beating many of the other cars with their slicks and exhaust removed. No trailer. Just drive it to the drags and back home. Plus many drag races on the streets which was not very smart I suppose. I surprised a lot of GM and Mopar owners who didn’t expect it to run so hard. If they had slicks they often had me by several car lengths off the line but I usually could run ‘em down (hitting 120 top end) before the crossing line. And yes, my car was well known in the Tulsa metro area among the cruise/street/drag scene. Unfortunately for me divorce and other financial issues put me into a situation where I had to sell it. I had known Jim Wicks for many years because of the big Ford/Shelby event that he started in Tulsa that has bloomed into one of the largest Ford events in the country every year. I knew he had the Knowledge and ability to restore the car to its original showroom condition which the car deserved. Often I have fantasized about inheriting a fortune and being able to buy the car back but alas I don’t think that’s going to happen. I miss the car very much but I am glad that Jim was able to restore it. And yes, it did run (after many years of trying different modifications) 11s on street tires in full exhaust.

Thank You, Lou!!!

Love the car Lou , and it's not red ! Shame you couldn't go for a rip in this one. Hope your new year is off to a great start.

I had a 71 RX7 351c 4 speed convertible. Same color, same interior. I cry at night thinking I got rid of it in the early 80’s.

A classy stunning car! Enjoyed watching.

Words cannot describe

Absolutely beautiful!

Beautiful Cougar Lou! :-)

Very nice restoration. I have always liked the cougars much better than the mustangs. If this one was turning 11's on street tires, I would have left the drivetrain alone on the restoration except for appearance items. This is one fine cat! Thank you.

Wow what a beautiful car damn

I'm a fan of the original 1967 as most Cougar fans are. To me, these were just too big in size, and lost the sleekness of the original. It just wasn't as sporty to me. But this is a great example of the second generation car. I love the green color! It looks so sharp from the side and it looks good with the top up. Oh man, the sound of the engine!!! Love your detail of the car. Now don't kill me anyone....but I am also a fan of the Fairmont based 1981 Cougar! I like it for a different reason. I thought it was classy and love the styling. Maybe you'll feature one of those one day!

Beautiful lou jus beautiful

Love this Mercury! Sharp car!

Nice Cat! Lou, as an fan of automotive unicorns I recently acquired a vehicle that you probably never knew existed (I know I certainly did not 🤔) it's a 2004 Crown Victoria LX sport this vehicle came about because dealers in California were clamoring for a vehicle to offer to their customers as an alternative to BMWs and Mercedes. Ford solution? the LX sport. Unfortunately did did not quite achieve their goal however the car is unique and pretty damn nice features include the Revised springs, shocks, and stabilizer bars. 17" alloy 5-spoke wheels. Rear air suspension. Leather seating. Front bucket seats with a floor mounted shift. I purchased it from my friend's grandfather who was the original owner it's got a 97,000 original miles on it. And the total production that year was 3,235. If you're ever in New York hit me up and I'll show it to you!

This is just awesome!!!

Lovely Cougar....

As cold blooded as my 71 TA 4speed 400ci.. Love the gallop of a healthy cam.

💕👍 real great class, on any level ! 😀

Beautiful Car

Amazing car! 👍😎👆

I had a 76 cougar xr7, miss it badly

Cool car!!

Fantastic automobile!

Nice 🥰

They must have snuck a few of these out the door in late 1970 because the new emission standards hit at the start of 1971 and the big 3 had to de-tune or get rid of the big engines. I still like the sporty cougars of the late 60’s better. Thx Lou.

Ce Mercury cougar décapotable de 1971 malgré ces 52 Ans d âges n'a pas pris une ride même les décapotable de nouvelles générations il n'ont aucun charme face cette merveille des années rock and n Roll d ailleurs toute les voitures américaines de cette époque c'était des belles caisses

Mercury Candy 😈🤩💚

Not a Ford guy but thats a great car great colors!