1968 Mercury Cougar

GTE 427 "W" Coupe

8 - Cyl.

Automatic

8F91W538337

Gasoline

I have the distinct pleasure and privilege to bring to auction one of the coolest vehicles ever produced by the Ford Motor Company and undoubtedly one of the rarest Muscle cars of all time. If your reading this then there is a good chance that you already understand the rarity and significance of the 1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E 427. The 1968 Cougar GT-E was the only Production Vehicle to come out of the Ford Motor Company in 1968 with Ford's legendary 427 engine which would never again be offered in any Factory built Ford Vehicle. These very Cool Sleek and Sexy 1968 Cougar GT-E's are not just the only Ford/Mercury production model to offer Ford's 427 engine for 1968 but this exact 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 Vin# 8F81W538337 is one of the Cougar's used in Mercury's advertising campaign for the Cougar GT-E 427 as per one of the worlds leading authorities on Cougar GTE's. This Cougar GT-E is said to be one of the Red GTE's used in 1968 Mercury Cougar Sales Literature that would grace the Wall's and Desk's of every Mercury Dealership throughout the United States and Canada. This Cougar GT-E is very cool car for many reasons(1) Rare 1 of 101 Base Cougar GTE 427 (2) Complete Matching Numbers Born With 427 Engine (3) Extensive Original Documentation (4) 36,098 Original Miles (5) One of the Original Cardinal Red Cougar GTE 427 used in Mercury's 1968 Advertising/Brochure (6) REAL RED ON RED GTE 427 (7) Documented Owner History from Day 1. This Cougar GTE is a truly unique Muscle car in so many ways but even with its low Production Numbers, Low Miles, Documentation History etc etc, the thing that I find most appealing about this Cougar is its outright Stunning Good Looks, Drop Dead Gorgeous Paint and that it flat out runs and drives beautifully! This is one Hard running GTE 427 and I assure you that its performance will amaze any Muscle car enthusiast! IF YOUR LOOKING FOR A SUPER RARE, WELL DOCUMENTED MUSCLE CAR TO ENJOY AND I MEAN TO REALLY ENJOY, TO ACTUALLY DRIVE AND SHOW THEN LOOK NO FURTHER BECAUSE THIS ALL NUMBERS MATCHING COUGAR GTE 427 IS NOT ONLY INCREDIBLY RARE WITH A PEDIGREE SECOND TO NONE BUT IT PRESENTS A WONDERFUL INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY AS WELL! THIS IS A MATCHING NUMBERS GTE WITH NO MYSTERY OR GUESSING INVOLVED. THIS GTE WAS WITH ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS FOR OVER 33 YEARS AND STILL HAD ITS ORIGINAL DATE CODED SPARK PLUG WIRES, FILTERS, HOSES ETC ETC WHEN SOLD TO ITS SECOND OWNER BACK IN DECEMBER OF 2002. THIS IS A NO STORIES, NO BULL, STRAIGHT UP DETAILED DESCRIPTION ABOUT AN INTERESTING AND VERY ORIGINAL 36,098 MILE COUGAR GTE 427 THAT IS NOT ONLY EXCEPTIONALLY ORIGINAL RIGHT DOWN TO ITS INTERIOR BUT IT HAS A VERY COLORFUL HISTORY AND ITS COLOR COMBINATION, WELL IT JUST DOESNT GET ANY BETTER! If you want a very special Cougar, well this my friends is THE ONE!!! This is a REAL DEAL Matching Numbers car and is a Real Factory Cardinal Red car with the Red Decor bucket seat Interior which by the way still has its original 36,098 mile interior. There is no such thing as a common Cougar GTE, but in my opinion it doesnt get much better than Red on Red especially when you take into consideration that Brown, Gold, Green and Tan were very popular colors at the time that these cars were built. Take a quick look through ebay and check out all of the Muscle cars produced from 1967-1972 and you will see what Im talking about....every other cars seems to be some variaton of Brown, Green, Tan or Yellow. If your going to own an Original 427 Cougar GT-E then Red on Red is the way to go or I should say, a REAL DEAL Heavily Documented Low Mile GTE 427 in Cardinal Red on Red is the way to go! By the way, check this out...Original 1968 Cougar GT-E Television Commercial showing a Red on Red GT-E 427! Now this is a Super Cool way to view a car and something you just dont see everyday! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t5O6oopY3A&feature=related NUMBERS MATCHING, 36,098 MILES, HEAVILY DOCUMENTED AND ABSOLUTELY THE REAL DEAL, YOU WILL BE GIVEN A DETAILED COMPREHENSIVE DESCRIPTION OF THIS CARS CONDITION AND ITS HISTORY STARTING FROM DAY 1 . DONT MISS THIS RARE COUGAR! ENJOY THE LONG TALE OF A VERY RED AND VERY RARE CAT! FAIR WARNING, THIS WILL TAKE AWHILE TO READ SO GET A NICE COMFY CHAIR TO SIT IN AND A GOOD OLE' HOT CUP OF COFFEE AND STRAP YOURSELF IN! THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK AT THIS AUCTION. Tony 215-499-2693 I'd like to give you as much background on this rare 427 Cougar GT-E as possible. My love for Mercury's started in the 70's with the purchase of my neighbors 1967 Cougar 390, 3 speed manual in Sage Gold with an Inverness Green Painted Roof and standard Saddle Interior.(Thank you Mrs Shapley) I loved that Cougar although its color combination was surely typical late 60's and would probably make some people nauxious....although not the greatest colors, it served me well as daily transportation for several years starting in the late 70's and was the car that started my genuine enthusiasm for all things Mercury! Over the last 4 decades Ive had the privilege of being caretaker to some very cool and fairly Rare Mercury products including my share of wonderful Cougars. I have enjoyed driving many cool HIPO Mercury's from early 406 Tripower cars to 428CJ's and everything in between. Its been a blast and I count my blessings! Just so there are no misunderstandings, I am an avid car guy and have had loads of fun with these old cars over the last 4 decades with the Mercury's always having a place in my heart and in my garage. I do not claim to be the worlds leading expert on Cougar's or the 1968 Cougar GT-E's although I certainly have gained quite an education on Mercury Cougars through my many years of ownership of these very cool cars and I am quite confident that my knowledge on the Cougar and Cougar GT-E's is strong enough to answer any question that you have about 1968 Cougar GT-E Vin # 8F91W538337. I can tell you without any uncertainty that this 1968 Cougar GTE has its Original Born With Matching Numbers Drivetrain and not a date coded or date correct drivetrain. This baby has its original motor, transmission, exhaust and intake manifolds, cylinder heads, carburetor, distributor, etc etc. I welcome the opinions of the Cougar faithful and encourage the Cougar GT-E experts to share their wealth of knowledge concerning these rare Cats! I will gladly post any information that I feel pertinent to the auction. I know this Cougar GT-E quite well as I've had the pleasure of driving it, working on it and showing it. This is a classy car and an absolute pleasure to drive and is by far the most responsive FE powered Cougar that I have ever driven. The Cougar GT-E was offered for the 1968 Model year and that was the end of Cougar GT-E Production. These Rare Cougar GT-E 427's total "357" units of which "256" were built as 1968 Cougar XR7 GT-E while the Base Cougar GT-E 427 like the Brochure car in this auction Vin # 8F91W538337 is 1 of just "101" such cars produced. These NON XR7 Cougar GT-E's are in my opinion, the coolest Cougars ever made. A Wolf in Sheeps clothing so to speak/ This 1968 Cougar GT-E is 1 of 101 produced with the 427 Side Oiler Cross-Bolted Main engine which was conservatively rated at 390 Horsepower. Keep in mind that these Cougar's were built during the Horsepower Wars and Insurance Companies were looking at High Performance cars extra hard as they represented a substantial portion of their claims and were therefore considered a high risk. The Insurance companies were slamming everybody with Super High Premiums on anything that either looked like a Hot Rod or Sounded suspect by name alone. Cars with now famous monikers like the Roadrunner, The GTO JUDGE , Mustang GT , 442 , Cuda or anything that sounded like a Hot Rod was deemed a huge liability risk and especially in the hands of a young man. These Cougar GT-E 427s were surely looked at quite hard by Insurance Companies but with a nicely optioned model nearing the $5000 mark, there were likely few New Cougar GT-E Owners that presented a high risk. When you take into consideration that you could buy a new 383 4 speed Roadrunner for $3,000 in 1968, its debut year or a 1968 Mustang GT 390 for around $3500 then you can bet there were very few takers for the Cougar GTE in its one and only year of production, thus the low production numbers of just 357 units or "394" if you count the "37" 428 Cobra Jet powered GTE's. There were very few young guys who were able to afford $4500-$5000 for a well optioned Cougar XR7 GT-E or base Cougar GT-E 427 for that matter. These cars were marketed toward more established gentleman who could not only afford the higher monthly payments but also represented a far less risk of loss to insurance companies. If you think about the monthly payments in 1968 dollars, these cars could very well have cost their owners as much or more than their Monthly Mortgage payment. I believe that the overall cost to purchase and insure a 1968 Cougar GT-E is what ultimately led to their low production numbers. I would bet that the typical 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 purchaser were men very much like Mr Clair Koehler who was in his mid 40's at the time he bought his New Cardinal Red Cougar GT-E. Of course this is just speculation but it makes sense and after doing my share of homework on these cars I have not found a single 1968 Cougar GTE that was purchased new by a young kid. These 427 Powered Cougar GTE's were absolute terrors on the street and are extremely rare to find today in any condition let alone finding one with its complete Matching Numbers Drivetrain. This is not an engine that "period correct" or "dated correctly". This car retains its ORIGINAL MATCHING NUMBERS ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION along with all ORIGINAL ENGINE COMPONENTS! This Cougar GT-E not only retains its complete Matching Numbers Drivetrain but it also retains most of its Original Documentation from the Day it was sold to its Original Owner. These cars are highly coveted by Muscle car collectors and very few originals remain with their Original Drivetrains. These 427 powered Cougar GT-E Models have the very unique distinction of being able to be driven comfortably with seating for 5 and in the blink of an eye they are ready to handle just about all comers on the road should somebody decide they would like to take you on. These cars are outright Fast and there is simply no other way to put it. A well tuned Cougar GTE 427 will surprise the hell out of you should you get into the throttle as they seem so docile at idle. This 1968 Cougar GT-E was ordered new by a Dealer in Eau Gallie Florida and is one of the earliest Cougar GT-E's to be ordered with an order date of December 18, 1967. The owner of the Dealership was a gentleman by the name of George Alto and George was said to be a very interesting guy who loved his New High Performance Mercury's and would order up a brand New High Performance Mercury for his own driving pleasure every year. Alto Lincoln-Mercury was located at US Highway 1 and Sarno Road in Eau Gallie Florida and is said to have been well known for their ample inventory of interesting High Performance Mercury's of the day. George Alto was obviously familiar with the Mercury Cougar's as his Dealership sold many new Cougar's in its introductory year of 1967. The success of the New Mercury Cougar's for 67 was almost instantaneous and led the 67 Cougar to be awarded with Motor Trend's prestigious "Motor Trend Car Of The Year". When Mercury announced to its Dealers that they would be producing a Special Performance Edition of the Cougar for the 1968 Model Year, George Alto was one of the first to order a New 1968 Cougar GT-E 427. On December 18, 1967 George Alto ordered up his Cardinal Red 1968 Cougar GT-E 427. I guess you might say that Mr Alto was ordering a Christmas present for himself because the car was ordered exactly one week before the Christmas holiday. This 1968 Cougar GTE 427 was Scheduled for Production on February 23, 1968 and as is the case with many Special Order Ford Products, the car was Built 10 days behind schedule on March 4, 1968 and released from the Dearborn Michigan Assembly Plant on March 6, 1968. The Beautiful Cardinal Red 1968 Cougar GT-E arrived at Alto Lincoln-Mercury in Eau Gallie Florida in the second week of March of 1968 and was immediately used as a Showroom display car in the Dealership. This Special Ordered and nicely optioned Cardinal Red 1968 Cougar GT-E with its "W" Code 427 Side Oiler engine is rated at 390 Horsepower although I have no doubt that these engines were making well over 400 Horsepower. The Cougar is equipped with the original C6 Automatic Transmission which was the only way that these 427 GT-E's were produced. The Cougar GT-E was the first and only Production vehicle that Ford offered with the 427 and an Automatic Transmission as all previous 427 Ford and Mercury products were equipped with the 4 Speed Manual Transmission with a few Rare Special Order exceptions. This GTE is nicely optioned with Power Steering, Power Disc Brakes, Floor Console, Tinted Glass, Styled Steel Wheels, Decor Group, AM Radio and FR70-14 Firestone Wide Oval Whiteall Radial Tires. The Radial Tire Option on this Cougar GT-E is unique as there were only a total of "199" Cougars produced for the 1968 Model year with the FR70-14 Radial Tires. This is by far the earliest documented vehicle that I have encountered to come with Radial Tires from the factory! I thought this was interesting to say the least as many of us believe that Radial Tires were introduced in the mid 70's when they were in fact first produced by Michelin as early as 1948 while Firestone, Goodyear as well as a few other Tire Companies were using Radials as early as 1965 in the American market. I just thought this was an interesting piece of tire history and since this 1968 Cougar GTE is the earliest vehicle that I have ever seen documented as delivered new with Radial Tires, I thought I'd share my findings with you. This 1968 Cougar GT-E ordered new by George Alto owner of Alto Lincoln-Mercury Inc of Eau Gallie Florida is a very Special car in many ways! This is not only one of the 1968 Mercury Cougar Brochure cars but its also 1 of just 101 Cougar GTE 427's built on the Base Cougar. The remainder of the GTE 427's were built on the XR-7 platform and although production is very low at just "256" units, these 1968 Cougar XR7 GT-E's are more common than its brother in the plain brown wrapper so to speak. This 1968 Cougar GT-E is a complete Matching Numbers vehicle from its original engine block, cylinder heads, exhaust manifolds, distributor, carburetor, radiator, all pulleys, transmission, 9" rear and still retains its original Aluminum engine identification Tag on the passenger side of the engine. The Tag is the original and not a reproduction. I just wanted to get that out of the way before I continued with this rare and interesting cars history. This GTE arrived at Alto Lincoln-Mercury in March of 1968 and would remain with George Alto for the next year before he finally decided to sell the car. This 427 Cougar GT-E was ordered by the Dealership's Owner George Alto as Mr Alto was very much into Performance cars and not only ordered up something special for the Dealerships showroom every year but also ordered up something that would really light his fire. This Cougar GT-E was such a car and after doing its job in the Showroom of Alto L-M, it was then driven by George Alto to and from his Dealership to his home. Mr Alto lived in the same small community where his Dealership was located so he only managed to put a little over 300 miles on the car before it was sold some 16 months after the car was originally ordered in December of 1967 and just over 12 months after the New Cougar arrived at Alto Lincoln-Mercury. Lets face it guys, it is not commonplace for a New Special Ordered vehicle to arrive at a Dealership and stay on the MSO for over a year! This was not your run of the mill Cougar nor were any of the circumstances surrounding its very interesting beginnings. This 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 is the Original Dealer Brochure car as well as being 1 of just 101 Cougar GTE's built on the base Cougar platform. This 1968 Cougar GTE 427 was ordered by George Alto of Alto L-M in December of 1967 and was built and delivered to Mr Alto's Dealership in March of 1968 where the unusual Cardinal Red GTE would remain for over a year before George Alto was ready to part with his very cool 427 Cougar. Enter Mr Clair Koehler and his teenage son Doug who lived in the same small community as the Dealership in Eau Gallie Florida. The Koehler's were natives of Western Pennsylvania who eventually made their way to Florida sometime in the early 60's.. Mr Clair Koehler was a family man in his mid 40's with a history of owning interesting performance cars as well as having done some Drag Racing back in the 50's behind the wheel of a Multi-Carbureted Hudson Hornet. What Im getting to is that Mr Koehler was no stranger to fast cars! In March of 1969 while searching for a New "family car" Clair Koehler and his teenage son Doug made the rounds visiting quite a few New Car Deales to see what was available in good old Detroit built iron. Mr Koehler and young Doug test drove quite a few cars including several Corvette's and some SS396's just to name a few. What Mr Koehler was really looking for was something that he would be driving most of the time so to call his search for a new car a search for a new "family car" might be a little misleading. After making the rounds at some of the local Dealership's known for their large inventory of High Performance cars, the Koehler's ended up at Alto Lincoln Mercury which was just a few miles from their home in Eau Gallie Florida. In 1968 one of the last Dealerships I would think of for New High Performance cars would be a Mercury Dealer. Lets face it, there just were not many HIPO Mercury's in 1969. Sure there was the Mercury Cyclone and Cougar Eliminator but what else would Mercury really have to offer in 1969??? Well as luck would have it, there just happen to be a very unique and somewhat unknown High Performance 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 sitting right outside the front doors of the Dealership and the cars Beautiful Color combination along with its very cool lines, Special Scooped Hood, Chrome Exhaust Tips and Factory Mag wheels quickly got Mr Koehler's attention. Apparently the car was also a hit with the younger of the two Koehler men there that day. Young Doug Koehler remembered the day as though it was yesterday when he and I spoke on the phone back on the 4th of July 2008. When Doug and his Father(Clair Koehler) visited Alto Lincoln-Mercury which was just a short trip from their home, they drove into the dealership and were immediately drawn to the Red Cougar that was sitting right outside of the showroom. While looking over the 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 that was now a 1 year old vehicle with a little over 300 miles on the odometer, the Koehler's were approached by non other than George Alto himself. George Alto knew this car intimately by March 19, 1969 as he had Special Ordered this Cougar nearly a year and a half earlier and he had put on the 300+ miles that were showing on the odometer. It was time for the Cougar to be sold and George Alto had his buyer in Clair Koehler. Keep in mind that the 1969 Cougar's were already on the lot and I have absolutely no doubt that there was either a New 1969 Cougar XR7 428 Cobra Jet on the lot or a 1969 Cougar Eliminator Boss 302 or 1969 Eliminator 428 Cobra Jet powered machine. There was just something about the 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 that Mr Clair Koehler loved and I guess it didnt hurt any that George Alto was going to give Mr Koehler a good deal on the car....afterall it was over a year old. After a test drive in the Cardinal Red 1968 Cougar GTE 427, a deal was struck and Mr Clair Koehler would become the first registered owner of the 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 that would have its place in Muscle car history as one of the 1968 Mercury Cougar GTE Brochure cars. Who would have known back in March of 1969 that this was not only one of the cars used in the advertising Brochure but also that this would be 1 of just 101 base Cougar's with the GT-E 427 package? An interesting note, Doug Koehler told me that the right rear tire was quite worn at the time that his Dad purchased the GTE with just over 300 miles on the odometer which should give all of us a litte insight as to how George Alto drove this car when it arrived at his lot then again lets face it guys, it doesnt take much to break the rear tire loose on a light pony car that was pushing some serious Horsepower and Torque to the rear wheels. By the end of the day, Mr Koehler purchased his Red 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 with a 2 year Warranty which started on March 19, 1969 and was good through March 19, 1971. This Cougar GT-E still has most of its Original Paperwork as Mr Koehler was a stickler for keeping records. The Original Owners Manual with all of the Original Owners Information typed into the Manual is still with the car which also includes the name of Salesman "George Alto" who was the owner of the Dealership as you know by now. The Original Invoice is with the car and all Original Florida State Safety Inspection Certificates including the very first Inspection done on the Cougar back on March 24, 1969 and the Florida Inspection Technician found the Cougar to need a Headlight Adjustment along with an Adjustment me to the Left Rear Brake....go figure... a new car with 300 Miles and like everything made in those days it needed a few little adjustments to make the car fit for a strict Florida State Safety Inspection. I think its amazing that all of this Original Documentation still exists with the car after nearly 43 years. There are State Safety Inspection Certificates from 1969 through 1976 if memory serves me and all of these Inspection certificates authenticate the low miles on the car through the years. The Original Warranty Card is still with the car as well as the Original Warranty Booklet. The Original Cougar Dealer Brochure with a Red Cougar GTE 427 pictured is still with the car.There are Florida Registration Cards as well as State of Florida Safety Inspection Certificates which have been with the car from new. In fact the very first Florida State Safety Inspection Certificate issued on March 23,1969 and all of the State of Florida Safety Inspection Certificates and Registration Cards are with the car from 1969 through 1976 including the very last State of Florida Safety Inspection Certificate dated January 26, 1976. It appears as though all of the Safety Inspection Certificates were issued each and every January except for the first which is dated March 23, 1969, just 4 days after Mr. Koehler purchased his then New 1 Year Old Cougar GTE. This 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 was originally purchased as a driver for Mr Clair Koehler although it didnt get driven very much after the first few years. According to Clair's son Doug Koehler, the car was Dad's driver for a couple of years and then it was Mom's driver for a few years. It was used as Mrs Koehler's transportation to and from work for a few years although the car was driven very little as Mrs. Koehler worked just a few miles from their home. The car would get driven to and from work and then it was parked in the driveway of their home most of the time and would rarely be driven. If you look at all of the Florida State Safety Inspection Certificates then you will see the mileage marked on these slips and the car received very little use between Yearly State Inspections. I would like to tell you that this 68 Cougar GT-E led some type of glamorous life but the fact is that the cars only drivers from the time of purchase on March 19, 1969 until the time that the Koehler family moved back to Pennsylvania in the Summer of 1976, were Mr. and Mrs Koehler. I told you it wasnt a very glamorous story but certainly the kind of people you'd like to buy a car from! Young Doug Koehler who was just a teenager of just 16 years of age at the time that Dad purchased the Cougar GTE new was not allowed to drive the car. It was just that simple. Doug did tell me that Dad allowed him to drive the car one time while they lived in Florida and of course his Father was sitting alongside of young Doug in the passenger seat so needless to say, Doug was on his best behavior. Can you imagine being a teenager and your father has a New Bright Red 1968 Cougar GTE 427 fire breathing monster in the driveway and your forbidden to drive the car? That must have been torturous for young Doug and if I were in his position, I know without any uncertainty that I would have snuck out in the evenings and taken that Cougar out for a blast and worried about the consequences later! Doug's big break to drive the Cougar came in the Summer of 1976 when the family decided to move back to Western Pennsylvania to be closer to their families. Mr and Mrs Koehler were both native Pennsylvanians and most of their family still lived in Pennsylvania. The Koehler Family Station Wagon was used to transport the family back to Pennsylvania while a U-Haul trailer was rented and loaded with the family belongings in tow. Doug who was now 22 years old was given the privileged responsibility of driving the 1968 Cougar GTE back to Pennsylvania which proved to be a real treat for Doug as he was finally going to enjoy driving the 427 Powered Cougar well over 1200 miles. Doug told me that the Cougar was a pleasure to drive down the Interstate and that the Cougar averaged over 15 mpg for the entire trip. Not too bad for a 400+ Horsepower beast with 3.50 gears in the rear! Keep in mind that the Florida State Inspection Certificate which was issued on January 26, 1976 showed the mileage on the Cougar GTE to be just 29,028 so the car likely had around 30,000 Miles on it when Doug Koehler started his trip from Eau Gallie Florida to Western Pennsylvania. Take this into consideration and this takes the total mileage on the Cougar right around 31,000 give or take a few hundred miles. Once the Koehler family settled into their new home in Pennsylvania, the Cougar was rarely used. Doug said that the Cougar was driven by Mr and Mrs Koehler very little from the Summer of 1976 until 1979 with just another 3,000-4,000 miles put on the Cougar before Clair Koehler decided to put the Cougar into the Barn behind the family home where it would sit for the most part untouched for another 7-8 years. Mr. Koehler would start the car from time to time to keep the engine in good running condition but for the most part, the car would remain in the old barn unused. Keep in mind that the old Barn at the Koehler family home was just that, an Old Barn and the Barn was in disrepair but at least it was keeping the 427 Cougar from being exposed to the elements. Then in 1985 the Koehler's had to deal with the untimely passing of Mrs Kolhler. It was shortly there after that Mr Koehler gave the Cougar GTE to his son Doug who was now in his 30's with a family of his own. The all original 34,900 mile Cardinal Red Cougar GTE continued to sit in the Koehler family barn. By this time young Doug had become a family man with a wife and young children of his own. Doug and his family were living a short distance away from his Dad and the old Cardinal Red Cougar GT-E was still sitting in Dad's tattered barn with just under 35,000 miles showing on the odometer. During this time Doug began construction on a small barn at his home which he specifically built for the Cougar GTE and just as the New Barn was coming to its completion, the old Koehler family barn started to fall apart with pieces of the barn falling in on some of the equipment in the barn. Fortunately the majority of the debris fell onto a large Tractor which was parked alongside the Cougar so the Cougar was spared from any serious damage to its Original sheet metal and original paint. The Cougar did however receive some minor damage from the collapse which resulted in a broken windshield and a few small dents on the drivers side of the car which were relatively minor when you think of what could have happened had that large piece of farm equipment not been parked next to the Cougar. This piece of equipment was apparently quite large and tall and took the brunt of the old fallen materials thus saving the old Cougar GTE from near certain demise. Thankfully the nearly 100% Original 35,000 Miles Cardinal Red 1968 Cougar GT-E was spared any major damage and just in time for the finishing of Doug Koehler's new barn. The Family Cougar GTE now found itself comfortably tucked away in Doug Koehler's newly finished barn which was specifically built for storing the Cougar. As a few years ticked by and Doug started to plan a freshening of the Cougar, he was introduced to a computer which then led him to a few wonderful websites where Doug was able to reseach his GTE 427 while also finding other enthusiast with the same interest in the same type cars. This was a great thing for Doug as he now continued to plan on freshening up the old Cougar which by then had been in his family for some 30 years! This changed everything as Doug now had a regular support system in the other Cougar guys who he'd met through the websites and Cougar Forums and it was on these Websites and through these Forums that Doug was able to find out Production figures and other specifics which up till then has been a bit of a mystery as there was very little in print on the Cougar GT-E's even back in the 90's. I should say that there was some information on the GTE's available before the days of the computer but much of the information was either incorrect or just outright misleading and with the new wealth of information found on these Cougar Forum's Doug was up and running! During this time Doug became more and more interested in bringing Dad's old Cougar back to the condition it was when he first laid eyes on it when he and his Father purchased the car on March 19, 1969. As things go, Doug's family continued to grow and he now had a wife, children and of course a mortgage payment, car payments and all of the other things that often find their way into our lives while we are busy making other plans. You guys know how it is as Im sure that Doug is not the only guy who felt the need to part with his very special family Cougar GTE because of a growing family. I have been there and understand this as much as anybody as I had to sell my small 2 car collection to help fund the purchase of my first home just 18 months after I was married......that's right, second child on the way and I had to find a way to buy a house and so my cars were sold. Heartbreaking, absolutely but it was the right thing to do for my family. As Doug continued to do his research, he found that the 1968 Cougar GT-E 427's were finally getting the recognition that they deserved after many years of living in the shadows of the many High Performance Mustangs that were produced. The following of these very rare and unusual Cougar GTE's was at an all time high as were the prices. I personally remember seeing a 1968 Cougar GT-E on Ebay back in 2001 that was a major project in need of a complete restoration but it was a real deal documented "W" Code GTE. This car brought far more than I ever imagined possible at the time and it surely opened by eyes to the collectibility of these Rare High Performance Cats! Im guessing that Doug Koehler may have seen the same Cougar GTE sell on ebay especially with his involvement with several Cougar Websites & Forums so by the Winter of 2002, Doug decided that it was time to advertise the 427 Cat. He had given this much thought and came to the conclusion that this was the best thing for him to do for his family and for the Cougar as well as he did not see himself finding the time or the extra funds to bring the car back to its former glory. If memory serves me right, Doug advertised the family Cougar GT-E on one of the Cougar Forum's where it was quickly purchased by another well known Cougar and Mustang collector. This gentleman drove up from South Carolina to Pennsylvania and personally inspected the nearly all Original 35,000 Mile Cardinal Red GTE and found the car to be amazingly original. He later said that " I checked this car out really well before I bought it and it was super original right down to the wires, filters, hoses, etc." This car still had its Original Date Coded Spark Plug Wires, Original Fuel and Air Filters, Original Radiator and Heater Hoses and these are all common maintenance items so this should give you a very good picture of just how Original and Untouched the Cougar was at the time of sale to its second owner. Well let me correct myself, the only things that were changed on this 1968 Cougar GTE 427 at the time it was sold back in the Winter of 2002 were the Rear Shock Absorbers, Fuel Pump was replaced at the Dealership when it was a few years old and a power steering belt was replaced, Tires, Battery and that was about it!!! Feeling quite comfortable with the gentleman who wanted to purchase Dad's old 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 after it had been part of the family for over 33 years, Doug proceeded to sell the car to this gentleman and the car was off to South Carolina where it would find a great new home with a guy who loves these cars. I know the second owner and I can say without any doubt that he is a genuinely good guy and has a wonderful understanding of these old Ford 427 and 428 Powered vehicles. He is a Real Car Guy who not only appreciates, restores and drives these old cars but he is still drag racing a 428 Cobra Jet Mustang that he bought New!!! How cool is that? You gotta love it! After 33 years with its Original Owner Mr Clair Koehler and his son Doug Koehler, the rather unusual and extremely interesting Cardinal Red 1968 Cougar GTE 427 was now on its way down to South Carolina to be with its second owner or third if you count Doug Koehler taking on the responsibility of caring for the Red GTE. What I find particularly interesting is that this Cardinal Red 1968 Cougar GTE 427 was one of the cars used in Mercury's 1968 advertising campaign along with several others used in the 1968 Mercury Sales Literature, 1968 Cougar Sales Literature and other Commercial Mercury advertising and after 33 years of ownership, the Koehler's had no idea of their GTE's place in Mercury advertising history. Of course the car would go onto its second owner in South Carolina and still nobody knew of the cars place in Mercury's advertising. I often wonder if George Alto knew of the cars use in Maercury's advertising and therefore received a substsantial discount on this Cougar GT-E...maybe he would be getting the car at the Dealer price of a standard 1968 Cougar which was $2910.42. Keep in mind that the 427 GTE Package alone was $1311.00 which was nearly half the price of a standard 1968 Cougar. Who knows? It could very well be one of the reasons that good old George Alto didnt mind having GTE 427 around the Dealership for a year. Not only did George Alto order up a Special High Performance car for his Showroom every year but he also loved driving Hot Rod Mercury's but just maybe \with this Cardinal Red Cougar GTE 427 George Alto may have received some type of Dealer discount because of the cars use by Mercury's advertising people. Im afraid we may never know the answer to this scenario but things like this would surely make sense as George Alto kept this car in his New Car Inventory and the car was still on its MSO until sold to Clair Koehler on March 19, 1969. Just. These are questions that will likely go unanswered forever but its pretty interesting stuff to think about. I will have to contact Doug Koehler and see if he can remember more specifics on the transaction to see if he can remember the exact amount that Dad paid for the car back on that beautiful Spring morning of March 19, 1969. I do know that I asked Doug Koehler about the Window Sticker when I spoke with him back in July 2008 and he said that the window sticker was not on the car at the time that Doug and his Father first saw the car on the lot back in March of 1969! It seems as though Mr Clair Koehler got a pretty fair deal on this car although it was a one year old car with 300+ miles showing on the odometer. I do know that the Sticker price for this car was $4560.82 and Mr Koehler took a loan for the car with(FMCC) Ford Motor Company Credit for $3757.68 and the car was paid off like clockwork at the end of the 36 month loan. By the way, the original Title with the Lien Release dated 5/4/72 is still with the car and shows that there was a loan to be paid off over a 3 year period of 36 monthly payments to be made on this Cougar GTE. Enough of speculation on things that happened over 40 years ago. The 1968 Cougar GT-E was sold by Doug Koehler on December 7, 2002 and it was now in the hands of an avid Collector and Ford Drag Racer as well as a well versed Ford 427-428 guy who just loved these cars and had a real knack for not only finding the rare ones but for enjoying them as well. As it turned out, the second owner happened onto another 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 and he purchased this car as well. He decided in the Spring of 2003 to sell both of the GT-E's for whatever reason. On April 22, 2003 the 1968 Cardinal Red Cougar GT-E 427 with 35,000 Original Miles made its way to Texas after being purchased by its 3rd owner who is also quite a nice guy and a diehard Ford collector. This gentleman would go on to do a beautiful restoration of the incredibly original and super solid 35,000 mile 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 which was still wearing all of its original paint at the time. The car received a Beautiful Restoration which included everything from rebuilding the complete Original Matching Numbers Drivetrain to going over the suspension, trim, all electrical components and of course repainting the car for its very first time since it left the Dearborn Michigan Assembly Plant some 42 years ago. The Paint on this GTE is absolutely Stunning and Pictures dont even come close to doing it justice. The only deviations from its Original as delivered Interior is the addition of a Tachometer which was installed in the little Dash Blank where the optional Clock would be installed so nothing was cut or harmed for its installation and there is a Vintage Ford AM-FM Stereo which fits Nicely into the upper portion of the Console where the Original AM Radio once resided. The Radio was also a nice addition and required no cutting and can be removed in a matter of 15 minutes with the original installed back in its place should you prefer to do so. The Cougar also has new Reproduction Firestone Wide Oval F70-14 Whiteline Tires although the car was delivered with the Firestone Wide Oval FR70-14 Radial White Sidewall Tires. Unfortunately the FR70-14 Wide Ovals are impossible to find so the next best thing in my opinion is the very cool period correct Reproduction Firestone F70-14 Wide Ovals. They certainly look great mounted on the Cougar's original Styled Steel Wheels. This Cougar GTE is as straight as they get and looks absolutely amazing when your standing alongside the car and looking down either side. There were no corners cut in making this very original car the beauty that you see here today. The cars exterior, interior, undercarriage and drivetrain are solid and clean with everything in proper working order. The Cougar is an absolute pleasure to drive and as mentioned earlier, looks much better in person as pictures do not come close to showing the quality or depth of the paint. Its just outright gorgeous. After completing the restoration of the 1968 Cougar GT-E, the cars 3rd registered owner used the car for local shows and cruise nights but drove the car very little when you come right down to it. The car was eventually sold in the Spring of 2007 to a very close friend of mine from Illinois who was very happy about adding such a wonderful car to his somewhat extensive collections of Rare Ford and Mercury Muscle cars. The car was personally delivered to Illinois by the collector from Texas who did the restoration on the 35,000 Original Mile Original Paint Cardinal Red Cougar GTE with its original "Born With" drivetrain. Upon receiving the 1968 Cougar GT-E 427, the collector from Illinois was absolutely thrilled with the car. In fact he called me to share his excitement about his new arrival and I could not have been happier for him. What a wonderful acquisition for any Ford/Mercury Muscle car collector. This was a car that my friend had always wanted for his collection and sure enough he now had one and one that he could be very proud of with its concrete owner history and with its very original overall condition even after it had been through a rather easy restoration. Keep in mind that this Rare Base Model 1968 Cougar GT-E 427 was 1 of just 101 Cats built on the Base NON XR7 platform which made this car nearly 3 times as rare as those built with the XR7 GT-E 427 Package. With my friend in Illinois quite happy with his purchase he continued on seeking out other interesting Ford and Mercury Muscle cars and Drag cars to add to his very impressive and growing collection. As fate would have it, my friend was now onto another very interesting and super rare Ford factory built Drag car and so it was decided that a car or maybe even two of his cars might be offered for sale and thats how it goes with him. Its nothing personal as I believe he loves them all equally but there is a thing that he has which I too have come to do and that is the last one in is the first one out and so it was decided that the Cougar as well as another very Rare Ford Muscle car would be offered for sale. It was at this time that I offered the car to several people who wanted this Rare Cougar GTE 427 but they failed to come up with the funds to purchase this Highly Documented and incredibly gorgeous Cardinal Red Cougar GTE. It was then that I decided to offer this car on several public venues where the car was very quicly sold to its 4th Registered Owner(technically owner #5) and that was back in July of 2008 and the car has remained in the collection of this all Ford Muscle car collector since July of 2008. Just to keep the record straight, I have spoken to or personally know each of this cars owners. I have learned quite a bit about this car from Doug Koehler who was there the day that his Dad Clair Koehler purchased this Red Cougar GTE on March 19, 1969. I have also spent some time talking with the gentleman from South Carolina who purchased the GTE from Doug Koehler back in December of 2002 and I am proud to say that I have found this guy to be a real car guys guy if you know what I mean! He is just good people! I have also had the opportunity to speak with the gentleman from Texas who did a wonderful job on this all Matching Numbers Cougar GTE 427 and this guy is also a straight up NO BS guy who knows how to restore a car. Of course the last two owners are very close personal friends and I am currently representing this GTE for the current owner who lived here in Pennsylvania. This car has been garaged since the late 70's or stored in a barn at the very least. It is truly a REAL DEAL MATCHING NUMBERS CAR THROUGH AND THROUGH AND I WELCOME ANYONE TO COME OUT AND INSPECT THIS RARE 1968 COUGAR GT-E 427. This is an excellent Investment quality car for anybody who wants something that is not only truly unique but a car that will always retain its value not matter what the economy is like. This is an extremely rare car and one that every Ford or Mercury guy or any Muscle car collector for that matter would love to have in their collection. I would like to thank the gentleman at the Cougar GT-E Registry for bringing the cars unique history as one of the Mercury Cougar GTE 427 used in the Sales Literature to the current owners attention. Thanks for your help Jim. With all of that said, this is an extremely Rare 1968 Cougar GTE 427 "W" Code with its Original "BORN WITH" 427 Engine, Transmission and complete Original Drivetraon for that matter. The Documentation is second to none. The engine is not only the original but was rebuilt about 5-6 years ago while being restored and receipts for the engine rebuild are available. I have documentation showing all previous owners and will be happy to pass along the names and numbers of all previous owners to the New Owner as long as I have no objections from any of the previous owners. I see absolutely no issues or problem with that. The car is amazing in every way and as I mentioned earlier, the pictures do not do this car any justice. Absolutely everything on this Cougar GTE 427 works as it should from the Hide-Away Headlights to the Sequential Turn Signals. All Lights and Signals work as they should. The Body is absolutely dead straight and free of any rustm dents, dings or damage. The paint is absolutely breathtaking to say the least. The Interior remains for the most part very original with original seat covers, Original Dash and Dash Pad, Original Console. Original front and Rear Door Panel coverings, Original Sun Visors....the only things changed on this interior are the Headliner and the Carpets which were just original and starting to show their age after nearly 43 years so they were replaced with correct style exact reproductions. The Chrome and Trim on the car is excellent including the GTE specific aluminum trim that goes from front to back along the lower sections of the car. The cars engine compartment is very nice although the very High Resolution photos used in this auction tend to make it look less than super nice. I assure you that the engine compartment is very nice and will come with a complete set of correct Reproduction Belts, Hoses, Hose Clamps, etc etc to give the car just that final finishing touch. Keep in mind that this car was completed some 5 years ago and has been driven about 1,000 Trouble Free Miles. This car is perfectly tuned and retains its correctly rebuilt and refinished Holley Carburetor and its correct distributor. The car also has its Original Drivers Side Door Tag which is in excellent shape and is NOT a reproduction like so many others that I see on special low production High Performance cars. The Vin Number is also stamped on the front inner aprons and can be seen in person if you so desire. I dont know what else to say except that this is one that you should give some serious consideration if your in the market for something very special and for something that truly holds a special place in Muscle car history as well as in Mercury Cougar GTE History with its ties to the 1968 Mercury advertising campaign. To what degree this car was used in Mercury's 1968 advertising, well thats anybodies guess but take a good look at the cars shown in both the 1968 Mercury Brochures as well as the 1968 Mercury Cougar GTE 427 Television Commercial and you be the judge. I can assure you that there were not very many Base NON XR7 Cougar GTE 427's that were painted in Factory Cardinal Red with a Red Decor Interior and the cars shown in the advertising campaign certaintly appear to fit the description. By the way, this is not something that I made up or decided on my own to be a possibility, I was informed of this cars use in the 1968 Mercury Cougar GTE 427 Brochure and 1968 Mercury Brochure as one of several such cars used in the campaign by this Cougar GTE 427's owner and he was made aware of this by none other than the 1968 Mercury Cougar GT-E registar. Thanks again for your help Jim. I want to thank you all for taking the time to read over this very repetitious description and for hanging in there for what may have turned out to be an hour of reading. I have yet to go over the auction completely to see just how long it is and I thank you in advance if you've managed to make it through the whole auction with me. I have a very keen understanding of this particular car and have enjoyed both driving it and showing it as well as working on a few things while it was in my care and all I can say is that this is a truly special car in every sense of the word. This car starts easily and quickly settles into a nice throaty idle which is unmistakable once you've become familiar with these 427 power vehicles. There is nothing quite like an FE Powered "Pony" car as they are called but I find the term "Pony car" to be rather mundane when describing this Cougar GTE 427 as it is so much more than your average Pony car! Surely there will be no disappointments with this wonderful car and as I said earlier, this one absolutely without any uncertainty has its "BORN WITH" Engine and Transmission. This is a wonderful original 36,098 mile car with enough documentation to cover the entire car from front to rear. If your serious about owning that one Special Cougar then I suggest that you give this one some serious consideration. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT MY FEEDBACK AND YOU WILL SEE THAT I TAKE MY EBAY AUCTIONS VERY SERIOUS AS I TAKE ALL OF MY EBAY AUCTIONS VERY SERIOUS. WHETHER IM THE BUYER OR THE SELLER, I ASSURE YOU THAT YOU WILL BE TREATED THE SAME WAY. YOU WILL GET THE SAME HONESTY AND RESPECT THAT I WANT FROM ANYBODY WHOM IM DEALING WITH. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL TONY 215-499-2693 EMAIL TONYHEMI63@AOL.COM KEEP IN MIND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING DONE TO DOCTOR UP ANY OF THESE PHOTOS AS I FELT IT BEST FOR YOU TO SEE AS MANY HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS AS POSSIBLE AND YOU WILL SURELY HAVE NO SURPRISES THIS WAY. THE WINNING BIDDER SHOULD CONTACT ME AT AUCTIONS END AND THE CAR SHOULD BE PAID FOR WITHIN 7 DAYS OF AUCTIONS END WITH A DEPOSIT OF $500 DUE AT AUCTIONS END. THE BUYER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS ALTHOUGH I KNOW SEVERAL REPUTABLE INSURED PROFESSIONAL AUTO TRANSPORTERS WHO CAN PICK THE COUGAR UP FOR YOU AND SAFELY DELIVER THE CAR TO YOUR HOME BY ENCLOSED TRAILER AT A REASONABLE RATE. I TAKE THE TRANSPORT END JUST AS SERIOUS AS I DO THE REST OF THIS TRANSACTION SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL OR EMAIL ME IF YOU WOULD LIKE A SHIPPING QUOTE. I ALSO WELCOME ALL PERSONAL INSPECTIONS OF THIS 1968 COUGAR GTE 427 AND HOPE YOU DECIDE TO TAKE ME UP ON THE OFFER AS I FEEL THERE IS ONE WAY TO INSURE THAT THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND THAT IT BY TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK AT THE CAR IN PERSON. IF YOUR NOT ABLE TO COME AND SEE THE CAR IN PERSON THEN YOUR WELCOME TO HAVE ONE OF YOUR COUGAR FRIENDS OR ONE OF THE GUYS FROM THE FORUM COME AND INSPECT THE CAR FOR YOU BUT ALL I ASK IS THAT YOU GIVE ME 48 HOURS NOTICE AND THAT YOU ARE SERIOUS SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO COME AND LOOK AT THE CAR IN PERSON. YOUR ALSO WELCOME TO HIRE ONE OF THE MANY INDEPENDENT AUTO INSPECTION SERVICES TO COME AND LOOK THE CAR OVER FOR YOU. THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO GET A LITTLE PEACE OF MIND WITHOUT SPENDING YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY. WHATEVER YOU DECIDE, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO HELP MAKE THIS TRANSACTIONS TO GO AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE. THANKS AGAIN FOR LOOKING AND PLEASE CALL TONY 215-499-2693 WITH ANY QUESTIONS AND UNDERSTAND THAT THIS AUCTION CAN END AT ANY TIME AND FOR ANY REASON WITHOUT NOTICE./ THANKS AGAIN FOR LOOKING. TONY 215-499-2693 TONYHEMI63@AOL.COM