On Her Majesty’s Secret Service Mercury Cougar for auction

By: Alex Affat, Unique Cars magazine

Date: 17.11.2020

A first-time auction appearance for the Bond star car

A 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible that featured in the classic Bond flick On Her Majesty’s Secret Service will make its auction debut at Bonhham’s Bond Street Sale in London on December 16.

Following a lengthy nut-and-bolt restoration, the former Bond star car is estimated to fetch between AU$180,000 to $270,000 (GBP£100,000 to GBP£150,000).

In the film, the Mercury Cougar is owned by ‘Bond Girl’ Contessa Teresa (Tracy) di Vicenzo, played by the late Dame Diana Rigg was famously driven on ice in a high-speed car chase scene.

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Eon Productions procured three identical Cougars from Mercury for the 1969 film. Bonhams asserts that early research indicates that this very car was used in the barn scene where James Bond – played by Australian actor George Lazenby in his only 007 appearance, proposed to Tracy as they sheltered from a blizzard.

The Mercury Cougar itself was built on February 6 1969 as a special order, and was registered in the UK one week later.

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The Cougar presents as one of only 127 XR7 convertibles produced in 1969, powered by the desirable 428 Cobra Jet Ram V8. The car was finished in red paintwork, with red interior and steel wheels. For its starring role, the Cougar was fitted with Kneissl skis and French temporary ‘visitor’ registration plates.

The Cougar was not red carpet ready upon discovery by the vendor, who was initially only attracted by its desirable powerplant. Upon discovering the car’s James Bond connection, he embarked on a nut-and-bolt restoration bringing the Cougar up to concours condition over a 30-year period.

Head of Bonhams Motor Cars UK, Tim Schofield stated: "We’re delighted to offer this unique Cougar which is not only an important piece of film history but also a stunning example of a 1960s muscle car".

You can view Bonham’s entire Bond Street Sale catalogue at Bonhams.com

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