Best Muscle Cars
1969 Mercury Cougar Eliminator R Code 428 Cobra Jet
VIN: 9F91R562615
Engine: 428-4V Cobra Jet Ram Air V8
Transmission: C-6 Cruise-O-Matic 3 Speed Automatic
Exterior Color: Grabber Blue
Price: $75,000.00
The ’69 Mercury Cougar Eliminator may not always be the obvious choice for collector’s muscle cars, but in top-notch condition it’s equally as worthy. It was Fords luxury muscle car with an air of European styling which was the aim here.
335Hp with 440 lb.ft. torque and a 1/4-mile time of 14.3 seconds was good for 1969. By 1970, the Cougar went the way of later 1970’s muscle cars, trying to be all luxury, but no power.
Technically, the 1969 Eliminator was not a model of it’s own but an option package. Two were available, the Eliminator Equipment Package and the Eliminator Décor Group. The Eliminator Equipment Package for $129.60 and gave lots of options like back bucket seats, Rallye clock and trip odometer, spoilers, blacked-out grille, functional hood scoop, stripes and 3.50:1 performance axle amongst others.
Ford made a few versions of the 428, but the 428 Cobra Jet with optional Ram Air which is the focus here. Not as much pep as the 427, but it still was useful on the road with a big block and plenty of torque.
Only 162 were made in 1969 which included a 428 Cobra Jet engine, select-Shift automatic transmission and Ram Air as per this example. This one was originally blue metallic with blue interior, but now in Competition Blue/Grabber blue and a black interior. The car comes with a Marti report to prove everything is correct, but obviously things like broadcast sheets and the like would be needed.
Hagerty value a ’69 Cougar Eliminator with a Cobra Jet as $86,500 in good condition. This one is in great condition, but loses points for the color change, different interior and while the under side is clean, it has touches of rust. The fang front end and blacked out grille make the Cougar Eliminator a fine example of late 60’s muscle car and would make a fine piece of rolling artwork as well as a future investment.
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