1979 Mercury Cougar XR-7

Personal luxury powered by 1979 Mercury Cougar XR-7 engine family.

Exact-year, stock-presenting white XR-7 retained as the family baseline for the 1979 grille, headlamp frames, hood ornament, formal roof, opera-window louvers, moldings, wire covers, whitewalls, and stance.

Body Two-door XR-7 personal-luxury hardtop on a 114-inch wheelbase

Engines 302 two-barrel V8 or optional/California-required 351 two-barrel V8

Transmission Select-Shift three-speed automatic

Chassis Independent front coils, four-link coil rear, power steering, power front discs

Production 163,716 reported XR-7s

Story

1979 Mercury Cougar XR-7

The 1979 Cougar XR-7 was Mercury's two-door personal-luxury coupe on a 114-inch wheelbase. Its formal roof, louvered opera windows, horizontal-theme tail lamps, padded Landau vinyl roof, and Continental-style deck treatment distinguish it from the regular two- and four-door Cougar bodies. Those regular Cougars belong on a separate family page.

Two V8 paths and one automatic

Outside California, the standard engine was Ford's 5.0-liter 302 two-barrel V8. The 5.8-liter 351 two-barrel V8 was optional and was required in California. Both used Select-Shift automatic transmission. Engine family, emissions calibration, carburetor, transmission, cooling, exhaust, axle tag, dates, and records must be reconciled before identifying one car's original power team.

Ride-engineered chassis

The XR-7 combined independent coil-spring front suspension with a four-link, coil-spring live rear axle. Power steering, power front discs with rear drums, 15-inch wheels, and a rear stabilizer bar were standard. The optional Cross-Country Suspension added heavy-duty front and rear shocks and heavy-duty rear springs on XR-7s; Traction-Lok remained a separate axle choice.

Trim, choices, and proof

XR-7 equipment included walnut-tone instrument-panel trim, special sound insulation, Flight Bench seating, and model-specific exterior details. XR-7 Decor and Chamois Decor groups changed seats, moldings, wheels, roof, deck, striping, and cabin materials without creating separate car identities. Production references report 163,716 XR-7s and a $6,430 base price, but no reviewed ledger divides that total across engines, colors, trim, options, plants, build dates, exports, or surviving cars.

**Rear view of the same white XR-7 retained for the padded Landau roof, opera-window louvers, deck treatment, horizontal-theme lamps, bumper, scripts, moldings, and stance.**MercurySable99 via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Specs

Car type: Personal luxury
Seats: 6
Body: Two-door personal-luxury hardtop coupe with formal roof, louvered opera windows, and Continental-style deck treatment
Engine: 1979 Mercury Cougar XR-7 engine family
Horsepower: Application- and emissions-calibration-specific SAE net rating for the 302 or 351 two-barrel V8
Torque: Configuration-specific factory rating follows engine, induction, emissions equipment, and transmission
Carburetion: Two-barrel carburetion with application-specific emissions controls

Equipment

XR-7 formal two-door roof with louvered opera windows
302 two-barrel V8 or optional/California-required 351 two-barrel V8
Select-Shift automatic, power steering, and power front discs
Fifteen-inch wheels and standard rear stabilizer bar
XR-7 Decor and Chamois Decor personalization groups

Linked Parts

Price history

Values

Nominal dollars from original price sheets, auction archives, and approved value references.

Original Price

Base MSRP $6,430

Cougar XR-7 two-door hardtop (1979)
Reported original MSRP before destination, engine, paint, trim, packages, accessories, taxes, and dealer-installed equipment.
1979 Mercury Cougar XR-7 two-door original MSRP

Values move with paperwork, originality, options, condition, venue, and body style. High bids and guide values are labeled separately from completed sales.

Reference records

Options, Colors & Components

Source-backed details for trim, chassis, production, and authenticity.

Engine Details

5.0-liter 302 two-barrel V8 302 cu in; two-barrel carburetor; calibration and rating vary by emissions application · Standard outside California · engine assembly / specification
5.8-liter 351 two-barrel V8 351 cu in; two-barrel carburetor; engine family and calibration follow VIN, emissions label, and build records · Optional outside California and required in California · engine assembly / specification

Transmission

Factory transmission Select-Shift three-speed automatic with column or floor selector according to ordered seating

Options

Engines and Induction summarized from reviewed factory and marque references.Classic Muscle · Reference illustration

351-2V 5.8-liter 351 two-barrel V8 factory · performance · VIN, calibration label, engine family, carburetor, emissions equipment, transmission, cooling, exhaust, axle, dates, and records must agree.
TRACTION-LOK Traction-Lok differential factory · performance · Axle tag, carrier, ratio, housing, lubricant, dates, and records define one installation.
CROSS-COUNTRY Cross-Country Suspension factory · performance · XR-7 application used heavy-duty front and rear shocks and heavy-duty rear springs; parts, dates, wheels, tires, and records must agree.
SPORTS-INSTRUMENTS Sports Instrumentation Group factory · performance · Ampere, oil-pressure, and coolant-temperature gauges, tachometer, trip odometer, clock, steering wheel, wiring, senders, dates, and records must agree.
XR7-DECOR XR-7 Decor Group factory · appearance · Seat choice, console where applicable, steering wheel, door and quarter trim, moldings, styled road wheels, racing mirrors, carpeting, hood stripes, colors, and records define the group.
CHAMOIS-DECOR XR-7 Chamois Decor Group factory · appearance · Half-vinyl roof, crossover strap, louvers, padded deck, stripes, moldings, polycast wheels, sound package, bucket-seat cabin, colors, and records must reconcile.
BUCKET-CONSOLE Bucket seats with console factory · comfort · Two-door application, seat structure, console, floor selector, trim, belts, wiring, dates, and records must agree.
MOONROOF Power moonroof factory · comfort · XR-7-only roof opening, panel, motor, tracks, drains, headliner, wiring, finish, dates, and records define one installation.
POWER-EQUIPMENT Power seats, windows, locks, and convenience equipment by order factory · comfort · Switches, harnesses, actuators, trim, date codes, invoice, and build evidence must agree.

Paint

**Exact-year front detail retained for grille texture, body-color tape, bright surround, headlamp and parking-lamp frames, Mercury script, hood ornament, and bumper construction.**Greg Gjerdingen via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

1C Black factory · solid
9D White factory · solid
1G Silver Metallic factory · metallic
1N Dove Grey factory · solid
2M Dark Red factory · solid
3F Light Medium Blue factory · solid
3L Dark Blue Metallic factory · metallic
46 Dark Jade Metallic factory · metallic
5P Pastel Chamois factory · solid
8N Dark Cordovan Metallic factory · metallic
83 Light Chamois factory · solid
2H Medium Red Metallic factory · metallic
3H Medium Blue Metallic factory · metallic
7L Medium Jade Metallic factory · metallic
5N Medium Dark Orange Metallic factory · metallic

Production

Transmissions summarized from reviewed factory and marque references.Classic Muscle · Reference illustration

1979 Mercury Cougar XR-7 total · 163,716 · reported

Authenticity

Rear Axle and Ratios summarized from reviewed factory and marque references.Classic Muscle · Reference illustration

VIN, body, and XR-7 identity 1979 Mercury VIN and certification-label evidence, body code, matching title, XR-7 formal-roof coupe shell, plant and sequence evidence, and ownership history that agree · Windshield VIN, driver-door certification label, title, cowl and frame structure, roof, opera windows, quarter panels, deck, trim mounting, build records, and ownership history · fraud detection
Engine, emissions, transmission, and axle path 302 or 351 two-barrel V8 matched to VIN, certification label, emissions calibration, Select-Shift automatic, axle ratio and Traction-Lok status, cooling, exhaust, dates, and records · VIN and labels, block castings and assembly evidence, carburetor tag, emissions label and hardware, transmission case and controls, axle tag and carrier, cooling, exhaust, dates, and records · numbers matching
Brakes, suspension, steering, wheels, and tires Standard power front discs/rear drums, power steering, front and rear stabilizer equipment, springs, shocks, wheels, and tires matching the car's ordered XR-7 and Cross-Country configuration · Build evidence, steering gear, control arms, springs, shocks, stabilizer bars, brake hardware, wheels, tire labels, component dates, and service records · date correctness
Paint, roof, deck, exterior trim, and cabin Label- and record-supported paint, vinyl roof, deck treatment, stripes, moldings, wheels, seats, upholstery, instruments, console, comfort equipment, and component dates · Certification label, protected paint, roof and deck seams, stripe edges, trim holes and clips, wheels, upholstery, dashboard, wiring, invoice, and restoration records · trim correctness

Still Researching

production The reported 163,716 XR-7 total is not an audited configuration ledger and does not resolve engine, transmission, axle, Traction-Lok, suspension, paint, roof, trim, Decor group, plant, date, export, or survivor counts.
paint colors Fifteen factory paint codes and optional two-tone treatment are documented, but no complete selector resolves every roof, stripe, trim, interior, plant, supplier, special-order, and build-date combination.
interior The factory brochure documents seat types, major materials, colors, and options but not every trim code, material, exterior-color pairing, package, supplier, and running change.
authenticity markers Public model-year references cannot establish one survivor's born-with shell, engine family, emissions calibration, transmission, axle, chassis, finish, roof, deck, cabin, options, or component dates.