I apologize in advance, the picture quality is not very good. Apparently, the newspaper editor hadn't had his coffee yet...(the title should be XR7-G)
Thanks to Lowell, Phillip and Royce for these contributions.
(https://www.saac.com/forum/gallery/8-200124074815.jpeg)
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INTERIOR VIEW, LOOKING UP at the power operated sunroof also shows the safety lights, mounted overhead in the center. The lights indicate when fuel is low, door ajar, emergency brake is on and remind occupants to fasten seat belts. Special amp? lights are also included"
(https://www.saac.com/forum/gallery/8-200124075002.jpeg)
This might be the COE engineering building or AO Smith in Ionia? Thank you Phillip for the additional contributions
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If anyone has comments or additional photos, please email me directly and I will add them to the conversation.
Coralsnake68@hotmail.com
Original photo by Jack Reddeker
(https://www.saac.com/forum/gallery/8-200124104500.jpeg)
(https://www.saac.com/forum/gallery/8-200124104518.jpeg)
Thank you again Phillip
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From Royce Peterson:
The photo of the car with a molded in spoiler is in the prison body shop. AO Smith donated two Cougars to the prison in the early 1970's. That particular car is an early X code car. The prisoners painted it over and over, resulting in the thick paint that cracked over the years. The car still exists since the prison closed and the cars were sold.
The car was not converted to an XR7-G however it may have been used to make the hood scoop and valances.
Additional comments or additional photos, please email me directly and I will add them to the conversation.
Coralsnake68@hotmail.com
More information from Royce:
AO Smith wanted the punch so they could install sun roofs - they thought. It turned out to be such a problem they ended up removing that fixture after a few hundred cars and sending the cars to American Sunroof for conversion later.
So the pictures showing the roof punch are rare - they represent a brief period of time where AO Smith was trying to do all of the job in house.
Scott adds this:
...the sunroof was an option for the XR7-G. There are a few without a sunroof.
However, all of the Hertz-G cars did have sunroofs, they were all S code. They also had the following options: automatics, A/C, P/S, P/B, sunroof, and had tilt-swing columns.
https://xr7g.mercurycougarregistry.com/history/
A great thread! Thank you all that have contributed
Some "G" ads
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Schanzmeyer also sold Shelbys at the Ford dealership!
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"thoroughly enjoy the Cougar article too- good stuff!"
-Dave
This is a moderated thread, please send comments and contributions to Coralsnake68@hotmail.com
From Jeff H
"Super interesting thread. Esp installing the sunroofs. Thanks for putting together a great thread."
From Lowell O
Nice post on the Cougar. I have the original full page newspaper article from the Ionia Sentinel Standard that includes all of those photos. Its cool stuff that a former Ionia Shelby Automotive Employee had saved it all of these years and then gave it to me back in the year 2000.
The photo of the black cougar is in fact a 1967 cougar that was donated to the Michigan Training Unit prison in Ionia. This specific photo was taken by Bill VanEss of West Michigan when he and some other SAAC members briefly toured the prison in 1987. Bill and I actually returned on another tour together in 2018.
I suspect that the cougar was donated the same time as my car was. There is a news article that said two cars were donated - not two cougars - and both cars were Shelby Engineering Inventory vehicles.
The other cool thing about this Cougar is that the build date was 04G - which is a fourth of July Ford preproduction car flag date. This is a 1967 car with the last six of the VIN being 500030. Think about that - one of the first cougars ever made. At some point the spoiler deck lid and end caps got switched out because they were no longer on the car when I saw it in 2000 or 2001.
Another detail I noticed is that the Shelby engineering inventory document states this cougar was a 289-4v car.
I have gotten a lot of positive emails about this thread. many are from people who don't regularly post here.
I have decided to make this a Coralsnake webpage in an upcoming update. Thank you all and please continue to contribute if you have something on the "AO Smith" Cougars
Also from Jeff H
"In post #1, #6 and #9, the model is referred to as the XK7-G rather than the XR7-G. I am wondering why and have two guesses, the first is the paper got the name wrong and repeated in through the article. The second guess is more fun - in post #6, the caption says the modified Cougar is "termed the European Cougar." Was the model initially an XK7-G as a play on the Jaguar model numbers? Giving it a Euro flair? And the Jaguar lawyers said no, no, no, XK is ours and you need to change that?
Thanks for putting together a great thread. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. "
From Gregg
"Thank you so much for your regular input and sharing of knowledge of Shelby's
It's greatly appreciated
I am not much of a poster but really enjoy the reading and learning more all the time
These old ads you have are great"
From Roy S
"With respect to reply #5:
INTERIOR VIEW, LOOKING UP at the power operated sunroof also shows the safety lights, mounted overhead in the center. The lights indicate when fuel is low, door ajar, emergency brake is on and remind occupants to fasten seat belts. Special amp? lights are also included.
I believe the last sentence should be:
Special map lights are also included."
Phillip In response to Roy S's comment about the XR-7 overhead console in a sunroof Cougar.
The overhead console was a part of the XR-7 package (all Gs started out as XR-7s). If a Cougar got a sunroof then the overhead console had to be moved forward towards the windshield a few inches to get it out of the way.
This necessitated a little custom piece to be fabricated so that the end of the sun visors could be secured.
Bob said
"A really great, and respectful thread. Reminds me of the old forum, before the nonsense started"
Phillip sent this AOSmith blueprint for the XR7-G
It is for an upper console bracket
(https://www.saac.com/forum/gallery/8-220124174823.jpeg)
I continue to get positive comments on the thread. I appreciate all of them.
"Thank you for the photos and research" ....my first car was a 1967 Cougar XR-7....while I now have a Shelby GT350, I still reminisce about that beautiful Cougar"
And....
"I agree that the forum is a much better place without any in-fighting. We are here for the cars"
From Chris...
"AWESOME thread! My first ever car was a '73 Cougar with a 4bbl Cleveland. I have always been a Cougar man."
Royce adds...
"The first 12 XR7-G's were part of the Hertz order. All of the first 12 cars were X code 390-2V....Hertz did not specify colors except that they specified no metallic or metalflake colors be used - this because they know that rental cars would be wrecked and they would have to be fixed.
(Note that a single S code 1967 Cougar was used to gain Hertz approval of the XR7-G concept)
The final 188 cars in the Hertz order were S engine code. All of the Hertz cars, both X and S engines, have identical options on their Marti reports. And none were metallic colors."
Tony T sent along this photo of the unique "g" bracket on upper console.
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Tony's car was an advanced show car. It was shown at the 1968 Hemisfair in San Antonio.
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Tony's car came from Main Lincoln Mercury in San Antonio
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If anyone would like a digital copy of the Ionia newspaper article, please email me directly
Coralsnake68@hotmail.com