1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 HardTop Coupe

The #77 Bob Estes Mercury Cougar began as a near-new Onyx Black trade-in, traded into the Bob Estes Lincoln Mercury used car lot by an unsatisfied secretary. After much pestering, ex-Shelby employee and GT350 BP racer Mark Waco convinced renowned Indy car owner Bob Estes to donate the Cougar to a dealer-sponsored A Sedan race car project. The Cougar race car conversion was performed primarily by ex-Shelby employee Bernie Kretzschmar, with assistance from Mark Waco and Nels Miller. Kretzschmar's primary responsibility with Shelby American was the construction of the GT350 R-Model race cars and the Group II Mustang coupe race cars. This Cougar was to be the first project in Bernie's new shop in Huntington Beach, California, after his departure from Shelby American. The parts bins from both Shelby American and Bud Moore were utilized in the build of this car. The front spindles and brakes are original and rare race parts. The engine has parts sourced from the Shelby race engine shop. The radiator, lightweight front fenders and Magnesium wheels were sourced from the Bud Moore team.

Driving duties were shared by Nels Miller and Mark Waco. Miller raced the Cougar in Cal Club regional events and Waco raced the car in SCCA National events and a Trans Am race. The first race for the #77 Bob Estes Cougar was at Santa Barbara, CA on May 8, 1967, where it finished 1st Overall. In 10 Regional races in 1967, this Cougar recorded six wins and two seconds to secure the Cal Club A-Sedan regional championship. The Cougar went on to have a successful race record in 1968, scoring six 1st place finishes out of 17 starts. The Bob Estes Cougar #77 (#79) was entered in the Trans-Am Mission Bell 250 at Riverside, CA, on September 8, 1968, where it was driven by Mark Waco. It finished in 16th position after completing 79 of 96 laps. The Cougar was running in 4th place before a cracked brake rotor put the car out of contention. During this event, the competition ID number was changed from the normal #77 to #79 to avoid conflict with the Jerry Titus #77 Firebird competing on the national level.

The #77 COugar is a true survivor. After being side-swiped in a race in 1968, the Cougar was repaired and painted by none other than the legendary George Barris. The Cougar still wears the bright yellow lacquer paint applied in 1968. The Cougar was brought out of retirement in 1984 by Dale Estes, son of Bob Estes. Dale vintage raced the car in 1984 with the Vintage Auto Racing Association at Riverside Raceway.

The car was sold to brothers Craig and Brad Cline in 1985. Michael Eisenberg purchased the car in 2001, and he remains the 3rd owner.