[CATNAPPIN]

Going across the block today. No reserve!

http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=IA0712-132826

 

[GavinS]

Greg,

It will be interesting to see what it sells for. Have you spoken with the owner? Great cat to add to anyone's collection!

 

[GavinS]

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012307140023

Nice write up in the paper for your shop!

 

[0F91H570075]

I like almost everything about that car. It's not 100% exactly the way I'd order one new, but I'd settle for it to be that one (just one) "dream car" that I'd love to buy if I could. If I had it, it wouldn't remain that good looking because I'd drive it a lot.
It looks funny that the carpet and console are black while other things are tan. Do you think that's the way it came? I don't know much about that sort of thing.
I just love the fact that it doesn't have a vinyl top.

 

[CATNAPPIN]

getting ready to go

 

[CATNAPPIN]

41k no sale

 

[2720r]

Mecum hasn't been a good venue for Cougars lately!

 

[Bad69cat]

I thought about going today - but chose a local cruise event instead....I don't know if it's just that Mecum isn't the draw it used to be or if the car market has seriously softened. I haven't seen the resto guys around the events like I used to, so it has me wondering if things are getting tight when they don't promo their stuff at small events much now..?

It's to bad it didn't go - it would have been encouraging. Some really sweet cars lately are still available after lots of selling effort - kinda scary!

 

[jsv]

Frankly, I am not surprised after viewing the photos. The reason Brian Aust's car brought so much was not just because 2 bidders wanted a rare GTE. It was also because it was done right. This car, while not a GTE, is still rare. If this car belongs to anyone here, I apologize, but just from the pics, here are a few of the things that are not right:
-Wrong shifter handle
-Radiator not FoMoCo
-Pitted left fender apron
-Screw holes in fire wall (did this car have cruise?)
-Vacuum hoses routed over and not under shock tower
-Wrong air cleaner snorkle
-Upper radiator hose not stamped
-Smog tubing painted incorrectly
-No Autolite battery
-Mercury 428 sticker missing from ram air
-leftover plastic grommet stuck in underside of hood

I'm writing this to make a point. $2500-3000 in parts and a weekend of proper attention would have turned a 41K bid into a 50K+ bid, IMHO. The market is not as soft for rare muscle done well as some say- Brian's car proves that. This car is not done well, and shows little if any attention to the details that make the narrow market segment of buyers for rare Cougars take notice. It says "sell it but I don't care to even spend $275 for an Autolite battery- the Costco one is OK". Didn't it cost more in time and effort just to detail and enter the car?

 

[0F91H570075]

Frankly, I am not surprised after viewing the photos. The reason Brian Aust's car brought so much was not just because 2 bidders wanted a rare GTE. It was also because it was done right. This car, while not a GTE, is still rare. If this car belongs to anyone here, I apologize, but just from the pics, here are a few of the things that are not right:
......................
-Screw holes in fire wall (did this car have cruise?)
...................

Are you talking about the area where intermittent wipers should have been? It looks like it had the box at one time and it was removed.

 

[Four-55]

Frankly, I am not surprised after viewing the photos. The reason Brian Aust's car brought so much was not just because 2 bidders wanted a rare GTE. It was also because it was done right. This car, while not a GTE, is still rare. If this car belongs to anyone here, I apologize, but just from the pics, here are a few of the things that are not right:
-Wrong shifter handle
-Radiator not FoMoCo
-Pitted left fender apron
-Screw holes in fire wall (did this car have cruise?)
-Vacuum hoses routed over and not under shock tower
-Wrong air cleaner snorkle
-Upper radiator hose not stamped
-Smog tubing painted incorrectly
-No Autolite battery
-Mercury 428 sticker missing from ram air
-leftover plastic grommet stuck in underside of hood

I'm writing this to make a point. $2500-3000 in parts and a weekend of proper attention would have turned a 41K bid into a 50K+ bid, IMHO. The market is not as soft for rare muscle done well as some say- Brian's car proves that. This car is not done well, and shows little if any attention to the details that make the narrow market segment of buyers for rare Cougars take notice. It says "sell it but I don't care to even spend $275 for an Autolite battery- the Costco one is OK". Didn't it cost more in time and effort just to detail and enter the car?

I agree when someone wants over 40k for a car I would want that car to be perfect. The things you mentioned, except the left apron which should have been done at the body shop, needed to be done correctly.

 

[2720r]

There are indeed some things on this car that are easily made right. I concur that it probably contributed to the no-sale, but would remind you that Esmerelda has all of these things correct, and still only managed $50K (from a dealer) at the Indy auction. There's no mention here whether the engine components are date-coded or not, which might have had an impact as well.

Mecum is a volume auctioneer. Much of the income generated from his business model comes from consignment fees. There is no real way to know who is in the crowd, and what they want to buy. That being said, a few things made right on this car probably would have helped.

 

[jsv]

I think you are right. My mistake. Cruise would likely have been on the other side of the fire wall?

Are you talking about the area where intermittent wipers should have been? It looks like it had the box at one time and it was removed.

 

[0F91H570075]

I think you are right. My mistake. Cruise would likely have been on the other side of the fire wall?

I have no idea where speed control, AKA cruise control would be located. I just know that the intermittent wiper box goes there if they were ordered.
With your (six?) super nice cars from 69 or 70, I'd think at least one of them would have that option.
My 0F91H didn't come with them. I got the box and switch as a gift on that holiday that falls on Dec 25. If I remember right, my car didn't have holes there. We had to drill them. I guess the car we're talking about had the box at one time. Either factory or not. The box was removed. Maybe to keep the car original or maybe a previous owner just wanted to keep it.

There is another car that happened to that we've talked about here. The white 1969 sunroof Eliminator 390. It went up for sale a few times and we discussed it here. The sunroof was put in perfectly, but not original. It had no intermittent wipers at the time we talked about it, but I have picture of the car from (1986?) and it had the box back then.

 

[jsv]

None of my cars has the speed control option. In 69, it was pretty rare with only 658 XR7 HTs so optioned of the 100,085 total Cougar production. According to Cougar...by the numbers, Speed Control was an option 67-69, but it is not listed as a 1970 option.

 

[Tom Morgan]

The first post said no reserve then I see 41k no sale. So there was a reserve and it was over $41k?

 

[CougarCJ]

That is correct, speed control was eliminated as an option after 1969.

 

[0F91H570075]

None of my cars has the speed control option. In 69, it was pretty rare with only 658 XR7 HTs so optioned of the 100,085 total Cougar production. According to Cougar...by the numbers, Speed Control was an option 67-69, but it is not listed as a 1970 option.

I was talking about intermittent wipers. Not speed control. I do know speed control was a rare option. I would think with the (six?) neat/special 69-70 cars you have, at least one would have the intermittent wipers in the spot where there are two holes on the car were are talking about. After AC, intermittent wipers are a favorite option of mine. My car was my daily driver from 1980-1993. It was nice to have after I finally got it.

 

[70B302Cat]

I was talking about intermittent wipers. Not speed control. I do know speed control was a rare option. I would think with the (six?) neat/special 69-70 cars you have, at least one would have the intermittent wipers in the spot where there are two holes on the car were are talking about. After AC, intermittent wipers are a favorite option of mine. My car was my daily driver from 1980-1993. It was nice to have after I finally got it.

IIRC, Intermittent wipers were not available from the factory in 1969. 1970 was the first year, which is why a '69 should not have holes or the dimples in the cowl for the control box.

 

[Bad69cat]

If this car had a pony on the grill - I don't think this would be the same discussion. Maybe we should consider ourslves lucky that the cats remain in "reasonable" territory....great if your a buyer - not so much as a seller. But like most of us, we bought it not as an investment anyways. The car market has always been fickle. You see crapped out E body mopars missing half the original stuff go for way more than they should by comparison.....it's hard to guage sometimes what will be "popular"