The first ever Mercury Cougar will be on hand at the Carlisle Ford Nationals in 2017.
The event, set to take place from June 2-4 next year in Pennsylvania, attracts visitors from all across the globe and, with rides like these, it’s not hard to see why.
2017 will mark the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Cougar, with the first of Mercury’s pony cars going on sale in Fall 1966.
As for Cougar No. 1, it began its life stuck at a car wash in Canada for three years. A local dealership had expressed interest in having it as a show car but, since the car didn’t include the Manufacturer’s Statement of Origin, it could not be sold.
The car finally made it to the dealership in 1969, where it stayed for 10 years until the dealership was forced to file for bankruptcy. The car was then put up for auction, where it was awarded to a local hardware dealer named Dale Garland. Garland drove the car from 1979-1982. In 1982, he sold it to Cars & Parts Magazine.
No one ever came to see the car, however, and very little was heard of it during the next decade.
In 1994, Mark Ogden, a member of the Cougar Club, found an old issue of Cars & Parts Magazine. He found out about the car and contacted Garland to see if he still had it.
Garland explained that the he did indeed still have the car stored in a Quonset Hut near Moncton, New Brunswick.
Garland shared this information with others at his next Cougar Club meeting, including the wife of Jim Pinkerton.
Pinkerton’s wife was able to connect her husband with Ogden, and the sale was made for the car with Garland.
Mr. Pinkerton will be on hand with the car at the 2017 Carlisle Ford Nationals. The full 50 years of the Cougar will be celebrated in Building T at the event. Visit www.CarlisleEvents.com more more information.
