This 1971 Mercury Cougar XR-7 Is a Museum-Grade Classic With a Rare Feature

The Cougar arrived in September 1966 with a unique front fascia. But Mercury's muscle car was more than just a rebodied Mustang. Positioned between the latter and the Thunderbird, the Cougar had a more luxurious interior and a more comfortable ride.

While not as popular as the Mustang, the Cougar was considered a success for the Lincoln-Mercury division. The nameplate remained in continuous production until 1997. From 1974, it was sold as a personal luxury car, so it shared underpinnings with the Mustang for only seven years.

As the Mustang grew bigger in 1971, so did the Cougar. And even though the split only occurred three years later, the second-gen Cougar was a notable departure from its Ford sibling. To me, the 1971-to-1973 version is also the best-looking Cougar out there. It's not a popular opinion, but hey, I love its vertical center grille and land yacht-like overall aesthetics.

And that's precisely why I'm here talking about this 1971 Cougar finished in dark green metallic. Well, it's also because this Mercury is a show-ready example that's also rare, thanks to a couple of features.

Spotted at a local cars and coffee event, this XR-7 is scarcer than the average Cougar simply because it left the assembly line with a soft top. While Mercury sold 62,864 Cougars in 1971, only 3,439 were ordered with convertible roofs. What's more, just 1,717 were also XR-7 models. If you're unfamiliar with the badge, it added extra premium features to the car.

But wait, there's more. This Cougar also rocks a four-speed manual transmission. Why is that important? Well, most Mercury vehicles were ordered with automatics. Manuals were quite uncommon compared to the Ford Mustang, to the point it made up less than 10% of total sales each model year.

In 1971, for instance, only 1,335 Cougars were specified with the four-speed manual. This figure includes hardtops and convertibles, as well as standard versions and XR-7 cars. That's only 2.1% of the total production. There's no statistic on how many XR-7 Convertibles got the same gearbox, but I'd venture to say Mercury delivered anywhere from 40 to 150 units.

That's rare no matter how you look at it, and the numbers would drop dramatically if we also included the color combo and the 351-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) V8 engine into the equation. It's not quite as scarce as the 1971 Cobra Jet manual drop-top, of which only five were made, but it's definitely a hard-to-find gem.

I also love the color combo, and needless to say, I'd take it over any version of the 1971 Ford Mustang, including a Boss 351. How about you?