SOME TATS OVER THE WEEKEND

PAUL - Dude I work with at NZ VANLINES
SIONE - Friend from High School

cont..Urban/Popular Aesthetics

…...obviously, it goes without saying much that each reflect certain aspects about themselves and the geographical as well as social identity elements important to them as musicians firstly--yet, are these elements reflective of or products emerging from each's relationship with the media? The ways in which these elements are utilized and how they work amongst all these different processes is obviously quite dynamic and complex. It therefore goes without saying that this invites various criticisms from the outset. However, I think the important thing is and probably something that is true from the outset is that the media is a very strident influence.

Savage opens his verse with a juxtaposition of his standpoint (space where he speaks from—South Auckland) and that of Scribe’s (as understood in the original track—Christchurch, Canterbury)—A direct response not only to Scribe but perhaps also to listeners and viewers already familiar with the original track. His response also brings into focus various things not immediate in the track itself, which I might interpret here (these various things) as conditions firstly.

[Intro: Savage]
Pito Saute Aukilagi!!! It ain't good, it ain't good 'cos you'll get jumped in my hood
Pito Saute Aukilagi!!! It ain't good, it ain't good 'cos you'll get jumped in my hood, ah!
[Adlibs] It's the remix! yeah, uh, yeah, c'mon...ah, savage

[1st Verse: Savage]
I'm hearin' you still talking that shit but none of your actions here are speakin' to me
I'm talkin' it, walkin' it, my stompin' style will stop your movement'
Hold up who's this? (aarrah!) Still leavin' you with cuts and bruises
So cut the bullshit before I rrrrock your face with a pool stick
Dirty, Dawnraid and Frontline, P-Money, Scribe, Savage and Con Psy
Everybody is feelin' that shit, I'm out your speakers like Ill Semantics
On stage for the crowd reaction, Everyone just bounce your asses
Keep it movin', uh-huh, New Zealand music
South Auckland raise your arms!!
Let me see you throw it up!!
And I will always represent my crew decep-deceptikonz! What!!


2bcont…

LAST NITE TATTOO

JAMES, Nga Puhi falla I work with at NZ VANLINES Furniture Removals

cont..URBAN & POPULAR Aesthetics

…urban aesthetics or popular aesthetics explains the kind of relationship dynamic between image/sound and the individual—that is, the reception of the image/sound and its outward expressions as projected from the individual as he or she may personally interpret its significance to him/herself in the act of self-re-presentation—but is not the image/sound the very space towards which this process proceeds? To whom does the self re-present him/herself? Is it not the very image/sound from which this self acquires the means through and elements with which to re-present oneself that the self appeals to? Some refer to such processes as a kind of identity formation through negotiating oneself in terms of the social conditions within which that person finds him/herself, yet here, there seems to be an absence of any elements of negotiation—especially as the idea of negotiation implies a critical or active dialogue between two or more parties—here, it lacks the active sense of involvement on the self’s behalf. Rather, what is given musically and visually in this face to face encounter possesses a higher or authoritative ground in relation to its external receptive elements—the self to which such elements are visually as well as musically striking.

I cannot violate the importance of context and history in regards to these phenomena but is it merely a concern of the academic? It may come as a surprise that the ways in which we re-present ourselves to the world in which we dwell as well as unto ourselves lies somewhere other than our cultural knowledge and experience—it originates somewhere other than the implicit elements which we allegedly tap for inspirations and influence in our own process of making sense of ourselves culturally as well as human beings. I refer here not just within popular music and the visual culture connected to it but more towards New Zealand television in general—especially here in New Zealand the news media. We accept certain images of violence about ourselves not because it is true but because we have been re-re-presented as such unto ourselves through the media—quite recently the killing of the liquor-store owner in Manurewa, the hit and run incident in Manukau City parking lot, and another violent story all featured in the six o’clock news one after the other and the overall conclusion the average viewer might draw from this is obvious. Not that such incidence shouldn’t be portrayed but it is quite odd that most if not all stories connected with South Auckland in the news media is negative—which inevitably serves as a label of such place within New Zealand society; at least as we might understand our own country and therefore ourselves through the news media. Its an election year and everything on the news media seem to be intense, every story has its own political view and every story is connected one way or another to this important political event in our country don’t you think?

The juxtaposition of rap-hip-hop artist ‘Savage’ and ‘Scribe’ on the remix version to the track (Not Many) is very interesting in that the two are originally from different cities-Savage from ‘South’ Auckland and Scribe from Christchurch Canterbury. Both have different styles and approach to their EMCEEING—Savage is a much more aggressive rapper which goes well with his deep husky voice while Scribe adopts more emphasis on the necessary skills of rhyming and emceeing. Scribe is all about skills with words and the mic while Savage is mostly about issues allegedly concerning life as youths—girls, alcohol, struggle, poverty, and violence. Both are probably two of the most successful artists today in New Zealand hip hop—Scribe having a huge community of fan across the ditch in Oz while Savage just signed a deal with an U.S-based record label. Scribe featured live in Australian reality TV show ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ amongst other international names such as Sean Kingston while Savage performed live in the Australian MTV awards alongside international rap legends such as Snoop amongst others. I don’t know much about Scribe’s personal life prior to being a successful hopper other than what he says in the track ‘Dreaming’ on the first album ‘The Crusader’ but I know a little about Savage’s life prior to superstardom—we attended the same high-school for a year and met various times prior to the D-Konz and he was always a fan of hip hop and was free-styling from the first day I met him to now. I even have a home video of him free styling when we were at high school, it was one of those days I happened to have a video camera and him and few other mates were trying to make a video clip. I wonder how many hits this would get on youtube.

I think what I am trying to get to here is the difference in how each of these artists portray themselves through their music—quite specifically in the aforementioned remix version to Scribe’s ‘Not Many’ single in the first album ‘The Crusader’.

2bcont..

cont..

…before I carry on with this analysis, I think it is important to suggest this kind of relationship between the media and the self. I think there is an absent of personal interaction in these relationships—an obvious power-relation inherent or implicit in these relationship that needs to be identified. Dialogue is negated in these interactions—and what I mean by dialogue is there are no spaces for the self to engage directly with these images or sounds. Meaning, there is certainly a one-way reception in which the self digests what is given to them musically and visually in a way which does not allow them to personally engage through making suggestions as to what it is they are faced with. They either like it or dislike what they perceive but in such a way that their musical taste are not considered in these processes—such that there are no individual presence in these spaces, no agency….

2bcont...

cont..

..always directs us towards an analysis located in the historical aspects of the elements in questions—the history of rap and hip hop or history of tattoo in relation to Diaspora communities and how migration is a fundamental condition and so on. Rather, what I am appealing for as more significant is the very surface of these elements—but it is not an appeal to an ahistorical analysis or atemporal approach. Most young P.Is are attracted to certain music forms or songs for reasons beyond historical connections with such elements, rather, some may identify with a certain song merely because its musical structure, the artist, or the video clip is ‘cool’—however, this is an appeal to aspects negated from popular analysis as there are certainly grounds upon which we may analyse and understand these connections beyond the surface level—such as the social connections between rap artists, hip hop and the conditions from which such phenomena emerged and P.I conditions within migrant contexts such as the urban area of South Auckland or elsewhere in New Zealand. I think what is more significance in trying to understand these affiliations lie more within the relationship between image, sound and the individual rather than the histories implicit in these phenomena….

cont..

…the process of re-presenting oneself to the outside and unto oneself is conducted through an appeal firstly to the outside—but in direct relation to the self. This relationship is dictated by one’s own outlook on what is ‘cool’, what sounds ‘cool’, and what looks ‘cool’. Therefore, this relationship is always conscious of the spaces around or outside the self—as it is there where one draws his or her own inspiration or taste of ‘cool’ in relation to oneself—you might remember that I mentioned in relation to Spivak’s ideas earlier that the world as she wrongly termed as a semiotic-field is continuously tapped during one’s own process of self-re-presentation, well, I think this source (whatever you might call it) no longer belongs in the background or is no longer implicit—rather, it becomes the very surface of that with which the self interacts —it is the very combination of sounds in music and the structured elements of the images the self perceives and therefore experience in his or her everyday life. Such that the need to know these elements…..

2bcont..

cont..

...I think the idea of influence here takes place more generally through what is perceived and heard through the media—music and videos—but which eventually return to geographical appreciation in our process towards understanding these sounds and visual elements. However, I think what is more effective in these receptions resides in the surface level—what is understood immediately in the instant of becoming face to face with these images and upon hearing these sounds. I am not suggesting that there exists elements of ignorance or pointing to a generation ill-informed of what they are fed with through the media although it can easily argued and which is done elsewhere, rather, I am appealing to the means through which these identity-making and self-re-presentations are acquired. How come hip-hop and rap as social phenomena— both visually and musically—are most-influential in young Pacific Islanders’ social and cultural conduct? The process of re-presenting….

2bcont..

cont..

…take that guy’s tattoos in the very first photo under ‘EARLIER TATTOO’ for example. He came to me with the intention of getting Tongan kupesi or patterns—which in itself an unconscious appeal to an aspect of his identity that is ‘traditional’ given that kupesi in itself is a term or element of Tongan visual culture that is inherently historical therefore traditional. He looked through some sketches of a design I was putting together for a friend of mine proclaiming Maori origin. He liked the design so much that he asked to be inked with it—at least half and the other half be that of Tongan designs.

The second image is the inner half of his forearm which is mostly Tongan designs. For him, his arm represents elements of his identity—the upper part of his arm is inked with the Tongan Coat of Arm done three or four years earlier by somebody else. You can also see in the first image the letter ‘D’ in Old English lettering inked over the Maori design—which was also done around eight years earlier by me with a home-made tattoo machine and Indian-ink. It is the first letter of his son’s name which he asked to be preserved and that the designs are inked as if it is appearing behind it.

Certainly for him, there are no problems with infusing these culturally different elements together on his arm, yet, from the outside, they seem very much in contradiction with his identity as someone might think of him in terms of mixed-blood. Not that any of these assumptions (will) ever take place but what I am appealing to is a distinctive projection of one’s own sense of identity. A process which takes place or conditioned not by a single outlook on culture that is implicit in every Tongan’s process of self-representation, but which is conditioned by an appeal to popular notion of ‘cool’. I think what I am trying to get to here is the equal-respect we must give to conditions evolving within a socio-cultural and historical space that is not originally influenced by our own culture—especially as migrants or children of migrant-parents. There is an important element in discussing culture that needs to be addressed here—some refer to it as the ‘urban’ or through rubrics such as ‘Diaspora’, ‘transnational’, ‘contemporary’, and so on—but I think I will use the term popular. Such that it is not predominated or predetermined by geographical or spatial outlook as these previous terms suggest, but which appeals more to the idea of influence in terms of or through the means of taste—optically and through sounds. I was thinking of the phrase ‘urban-aesthetics’ or even ‘popular-aesthetics’ but I think I’ll use both for the time being….

Both incorporate elements from an enormous space or source…..

2bcont…

cont..

...but contemporary conditions entails a complex and dynamic understanding of ‘axiom’—one which is always already (con)fused as our ‘culture’ becomes more complex—such that it is no longer a singular or internally unified ‘space’ to which we can refer in simple terms such as ‘Tongan’ or ‘Samoan’. Rather, we face various problems from the outset as even our own identities become imbued with contradictions. But contradictions from an external perspective—where they are recognized only in accordance to our relationship with the world—that contradiction refers to the (culturally) asymmetrical make up of our personal identities with the history we are claiming…

Tacit elements of 'Culture'

...I think along the same line as Spivak when she wrongly termed the world as a semiotic-field—which is continually tapped in the process of self-representation whether in writing or art making. She referred to the idea of ‘axiom’ which I’m re-appropriating within this discussion—ultimately; ‘axiom’ here refers to the implicit and tacit elements dynamically operating in one’s own social and cultural being. This is irrevocably in conformance to historical and cultural consciousness of a certain people—meaning ‘universal truths’ which is peculiar to and within a certain culture and which are also at work implicitly in our ways of understanding and re-presenting the world around us to ourselves as well in return to the world (the post-modern condition?). When I mentioned earlier Heidegger’s idea of the ‘dwelling’ in connection with the Tongan understanding of ‘fonua’, I was referring to the tacit and implicit elements at work in our understanding of culture. Heidegger always point to these tacit elements and our ignorance towards their significance as conditioned by history….

2bcont.

EARLIER TATTOO-most are not completed

BLOG cont.

…the idea of ‘infra-structure’ as mentioned earlier is a metaphor referring to one’s sensibilities—that is, what is there culturally and conceptually—elements systemized to accommodate the mind in and during the events in which present elements—remnants of ‘colonisation’—are taken through ‘destruction’? I mentioned also—although through questioning—that such may be already at hand—that is, our native worldviews implicit in various cultural elements such as mythologies and traditional art practices. Yet, our problems are not confined to cultural, mental, and social aspects of our present and historical existence—there is the economic aspect which in itself requires relentless and complex analysis as all these aspects or elements of our being certainly overlap. Let alone the fact that within our own cultural spaces exists its own dynamics—opposing processes and elements regarding our own identities as more within the idea of nation rather than culture. I am writing here from a migrant-Tongan’s perspective which the aforementioned problematic refers directly to the present political situation in Tonga. Democracy is always already an emphasis on a nation-sate rather than a group of people inherently cultured and accustomed to a certain way of existence—one which is closely knitted and spiritually connected to the actual context (fonua) in which dwelling takes place—‘dwelling’ in close proximity with Heidegger’s conception but more so within the Tongan idea of ‘fonua’.

2bcont.

OVER THE WEEKEND--TATAU

BLOG

Lets initiate the meaning behind this blog - ideas of 'art' and 'life'. This is freestyling, I have always assumed that 'art' as it has been developed and debated throughout 'Western' thoughts was always missing an important or significant element to its understanding. What it is, I cannot define it for the time being. But it is becoming clear that 'art' somehow reflects the 'other'--that's another body of knowledge in desperate-need of being clarified and contextualised, at least historically. What I mean by this ('other') is very much influenced by the philosophical works of M. M. Bakhtin and Emmanuel Levinas. Both appeal--at least to me--to a relational--aesthetic of (understanding) being. I remember talking to a Philosophy student a couple of month ago about my thesis and his response to my attempt at fusing Heidegger, Levinas, Bakhtin, and Derrida into a text about a Tongan-born artist was basically summed-up in one sentence--roughly "Why would you use Philosophers in an Art Histroical text?" So, already I am vulnurable here to criticism by hard-core-passionate students of Philosophy who thinks Heidegger or Derrida is saying this and not that or talking about this and not about that. I can understand this in regards to Heidegger, but Derrida?

I am also wide open for harsh criticism from students of Pacific or indigenous knowledge and the inevitable process of 'decolonisation' which makes sense from the outset and to which I offer no resistance. However, I am--at least for the time being--a believer in that phrase that everybody keeps saying about the Master's house and the Master's tools--something about dismantling the Master's house with the Master's tools? Whatever it is, it sounds convincing to me, especially as the process towards decolonisation means from the outset a movement imbued with the dynamics of 'destruction'--or to use the French Dictionary, "deconstruction". [Still Freestyling] I understand this process to be taking place within an always already space imbued with problematics of the ends--that is, what is at the end of decolonisation? What are the infra-structures there in place to accommodate the mind at the success of this alleged inevitable process or step in a Pacific or indigenous person's journey towards self-deiscovery?

How can we accommodate this process without ever knowing the tools with which we were and are still colonised by? Our own native worldviews? But how much of this system or process......[I got lost here]

2bcont...

OVER_RATED

The blog title might be an over-rated phrase--but it is here, it refers to the overlapping nature of 'art' and 'life' and I hope to calrify this somewhere on the blog hpefully anytime soon...

But take this quote as a start by Russian philosopher M. M. Bakhtin

"Art and life are not one, but they must become united in myself—in the unity of my answerability"

--Bakhtin, 'Art and Answerability' in Art and Answerability: Early Philosophical Essays by M. M. Bakhtin, pg2

more images

IN ORDER

I think its about the right time now for some writing, obviously you get the idea that this is about art--but 'art' within a specific way of understanding--a way which is influenced by Pacific or Oceanic epistemologies and system of thoughts whether 'traditional' or 'contemporary'. Most of what will be written here, at least for now, are taken from yet another specific way of understanding and expereinces--you might be aware by now that this is a very complex situation from the outset.

The images here and those in future posts are my own work--but I wouldnt call them 'work' just yet as this is more like a hobby for the time being, may be in the near future they will become 'work' in the artistic sense of the term. I am a Tongan-migrant living in New Zealand-Auckland, my parents moved us--me and my three older brothers--here from Tonga in September 1991 and we have been living here ever-since.

I am currently writing a thesis for a Masters Degree in the University of Auckland--based on the recent work of Tongan-born, New Zealand-based artist Filipe Tohi but non of that stuff will ever be seen here as it belongs somewhere else. However, what I can allow myself to do here is talk about the thesis in terms of what it is about and what I hope to raise or evoke in the reader's mind.

The thesis is an attempt to (re)conceptualise the idea of 'art' as it exists within this artist's recents works--as soon as it is marked and bounded, I will write more here as it is an on-going process.

2bcont..

SOME TATTOO WORK by the blogger

INTRO

…tattooing is for the time being a hobby I took up this year, I am still trying to finish an MA at the University of Auckland Art History Department and work some hours for NZ VANLINES (Furniture Removals) for some extra money to feed the family. My interest in tattooing started back in high school. Me and a mate made a machine with CD-walkman motor and used guitar strings as needles and inked a few guys at school. I never thought seriously about it then but quite recently a family member saw some drawings of mine and suggested that I do a tattoo for him. He purchased the gears online and things just happened from thereon. Although its just a hobby now, hopefully in the near future we can do something with it. So, this blog has little to do with historical aspects of tattooing in the traditional sense, although I do talk about ideas relating to the contemporary landscape in which it may exist now. If you want to see some awesome tattoos visit Carl Cocker's site - www.tongantattoo.com. I do tattoo weekly sometimes three tattoos a week which I will post when I can get images of.

It’s hard to be informed here on where the blog stands in terms of theme since I tend to be interested in a wide variety of things. Most of which are events taking place now especially as portrayed in the media. So, it’s ‘kinda’ like a media blog but I appeal here to issues of culture and identity as they might be reflected and sometimes influential in how images of people and places are filtered and re-presented in the media. How people (of Pacific origin in general) utilise the media is response whether consciously or unconsciously. 'Aesthetic' is an interesting notion in that it usually escapes popular analysis and therefore understandings of youth cultures. It is sometimes referred to and often discounted as having actual meaning and significance to ways of understanding and intellectually perceiving ‘youth cultures’. Likewise, the kind of posts published here appeal to elements often discounted in dominant discourses which concerns itself with explaining the influences of (commercialised) media in general on the younger population or generation. I appeal more here to everyday prose and concepts often subscribed as vehicles of communications and understanding amongst our generations. Terms which are hardly recognised as important to implicit understanding of the ‘goins-on’ of such ‘objects of enquiry’.

In this sense, hip-hop and rap are fundamental issues of focus here, in-so-far as they embody the simplicities of the elements to which our questions and investigations ought to be directed…..2bcont

Original Build Sheet Found !!!!

I am so excited. I just found the original passenger build sheet for my 1969 Ivy Green Cougar. Still in pretty good condition and legible.

I removed the back seat of the car to vacuum and detail around the rear seats. I noticed some surface rust due to moisture and started to peel the carpet back and on top of the insulation I noticed a corner of brown paper and realised that it might be the build sheet. I carefully lifted the carpet has high as I could with out removing the seat and I was able to pull it out.

I then went looking for the drivers build sheet. I was not so lucky. The drivers build sheet was against the floor pan of the car with insulation over it. When I tried to lift it but it disintegrated in my hand . I assume the fact that if had been against the metal for so long dried up the paper.

I also found coins dating back to the date of the car . I especially like the 1969 penny and the 1970 quarter. Just had to share with you car guys.

Donald Robichaud /Kelowna BC

Mercury Cougars 1967 to 1970

Mercury Cougar has been mostly overlooked by collectors!!!

1967-1973 Mercury Cougar

It was Motor Trend’s Car of the Year in 1967, and Car Life called it a “Mustang with class.” Yet the Mercury Cougar has been mostly overlooked by collectors, and this relative of Ford’s iconic pony car hasn’t yet ascended to the heights of valuation that many other muscle cars have. This is good news for the budget-minded collector, as it’s still possible to acquire a pretty nice Cougar for what would be a pittance in Hemi country.

The Cougar debuted for 1967 as a two-door hardtop, with an aerodynamic roofline and hide-away headlights. It was based on the Mustang, but with a stretched wheelbase and some suspension modifications for a more comfortable ride. Ford’s idea was to pursue the sports-luxury market, creating a serious rival for GM’s myriad upmarket muscle cars like the Buick Skylark GS and Oldsmobile 442.

To this end Cougars could be had with better appointments than their Ford-badged cousins, with simulated leather bucket seats, a wood-rimmed steering wheel, and a simulated walnut dashboard all offered. Yet the Cougar still had the traditional pony car look, with a long hood and short rear deck. Like with the Mustang, it was possible to find a trim level and drivetrain combination to suit any budget.

The base model came equipped with the venerable Ford 289, making 200 hp with a two-barrel carburetor. A three-speed manual was standard, though a four-speed manual and a three-speed automatic were available. An optional four-barrel setup bumped output to 225 hp, and the GT option got you a 390-ci V8 with a heavy-duty suspension. Halfway through the model year the XR-7 package was introduced, with a deluxe gauge set and a whole host of other interior upgrades.

For 1968, a rare XR-7 option package was available, the XR-7G. Named in honor of famous SCCA Trans-Am Series driver Dan Gurney, an XR-7G could be fitted with one of six different powerplants, and carried a fiberglass hood scoop, styled steel wheels with radial tires, fog lamps, racing-style hood pins and special emblems. A sunroof, the first ever offered by a car manufacturer, was optional. Hertz bought 188 of the 619 XR-7Gs produced, making this iteration among the rarest and most valuable Cougars. Standard power units in 1968 were 302-ci V8s making 210 hp, and the 390 output climbed to 325 hp. Power junkies could be sated by the GT-E option, pairing a 427-ci V8 making 390 hp with a Merc-O-Matic three-speed automatic transmission, along with suspension upgrades and power disc brakes. The 427 was replaced mid-year by Ford’s 428 Cobra Jet Ram Air; while rated for insurance purposes at just 340 hp, many have estimated its true output equivalent to the 390 hp of the 427.

The 428 CJ formed the basis for the fiercest production Cougar, 1969’s Eliminator. The ongoing Detroit horsepower wars were nudging the Cougar further from the luxury realm, and this package included a blacked-out grille, side stripes, a spoiler, and a number of garish color options. Underhood, the Eliminator used Ford’s 290-hp 351 Windsor as its standard powerplant, with the 428 optional. The CJ could propel the big Cougar down the quarter-mile in under 15 seconds, despite 1969’s restyling that saw the car’s proportions grow.

A convertible model was also introduced for 1969, an attempt to broaden the appeal of a no-longer fresh car whose sales were waning. Three more model years saw the Cougar continue to grow in size as its sales shrank. Engine options in 1970 included a list of classic Ford mills: the 351 Cleveland, the Boss 302, and the 428 CJ.

Mercury discontinued the Eliminator model for 1971, though a 429-ci CJ rated at 370 hp was offered. 1972 and 1973 saw engine “choices” shrink to just one, the 351. Just as in the rest of the muscle car market, these last Cougars were neutered by pollution regulations, so the big cat trod a new path more defined by luxury than power.

A collector in the hunt for a Cougar should understand that with so many different equipment packages and options and most parts readily available, there are a lot of cars out there that have been modified with equipment that wasn’t fitted when they left the factory. There is much less of a stigma associated with “clones” among Cougar enthusiasts than elsewhere in the muscle car realm, but you should still know what you’re buying.

If you’re shopping for a Dan Gurney XR-7G or a real GT-E, be sure there’s a paper trail associated with the car before you pay a premium. These models are the truly rare Cougars, with 619 XR-7Gs and 394 GT-Es produced. Know that a Cougar “Dan Gurney Special” is not the same thing as a real XR-7G, just a chrome dress-up package offered in 1967 and 1968. Like most muscle cars, engines determine a large part of a Cougar’s desirability. For 1969 and 1970 Cougars with the Cobra Jet engine, the fifth digit of the VIN should be either an R or Q.

With a large national club and an enthusiastic membership, more advice is readily at hand. If you are uncertain about a car’s authenticity, there are plenty of resources available—try starting at Marti Auto Works (martiauto.com), which offers production reports for all FoMoCo vehicles produced from 1967 to 1973.

Base Cougars are not scarce, so there is no reason to buy a car with any rust whatsoever. Cars requiring mechanical work are less of a problem, as standard Ford parts availability is excellent. Due to this support, and their inherent mechanical simplicity, a Cougar can make a great daily driver.

The market for Cougars is still growing. While they may never reach the peaks we’ve seen for other muscle cars, prices are following the general trend. For the XR-7G, GT-E and Eliminator, expect to pay in the $30,000-and-up range, depending on options and condition. But a standard Cougar, even an XR-7 with decent options, can still be found for $10,000 to $15,000. Convertibles carry the typical premium, but know that many of the more desirable options were not available on the droptop.

Regardless of the model, Cougars sell for chicken feed compared to the premium people are paying for the more popular pony cars. This likely won’t last for long, as we’re already seeing people step up and pay real money for “off-brand” muscle cars from the likes of AMC, Buick and Oldsmobile. Will Mercury be next?

by Marit Anne Peterson - Sports Car Market Magazine

1969 Ivy Green Cougar at the 2008 Peach City Beach Cruise Pentiction BC

1969-1970 Mercury Cougar

The 1969-1970 Mercury Cougar was the second-series Cougar, with a longer, wider body on the same 111.0-inch wheelbase and two new convertible offerings. Styling was similar to 1967-1968, but more ordinary, particularly the grille. XR-7s continued to feature a full set of needle gauges and leather-faced seat upholstery as standard, and wore blackout grilles for 1970.

The former GT and GTE models were reduced to option packages available with or without XR-7 trim, but continued to pack big-block V-8s.A new variation was the Eliminator package for the hardtop, sporting appropriate tape striping, a rear decklid spoiler, wide wheels and tires, and a 300-bhp version of Ford's 351 V-8.

Like concurrent Mustangs, these were the last of the true ponycar Cougars.For 1971, Ford and Mercury both bulked up their ponycars, making them heavier and less agile, though more luxurious, than their predecessors. Styling became more like that of the mid-size Montego, which the Cougar was later based on.

• Pluses of the 1969-1970 Mercury Cougar:Clean long-hood/short-deck styling
  Pleasant combination of performance and economy with small-block V-8
  High performance
  XR-7s are Milestone cars
• Minuses of the 1969-1970 Mercury Cougar:Less distinctive styling and somewhat lower appreciation potential than the 1967-1968
  Some electrical headaches
  Rocker panel and floorpan rust
  Thirsty and nose-heavy
• Production of the 1969 Mercury Cougar:2-door hardtop: 66,331
  Convertible: 5,796
  XR-7 2-door hardtop: 23,918
  XR-7 convertible: 4,024
• Production of the 1970 Mercury Cougar:
  2-door hardtop: 49,479
  Convertible: 2,322
  XR-7 2-door hardtop: 18,565
  XR-7 convertible: 1,977

Specifications of the 1969-1970 Mercury Cougar:
Wheelbase, inches: 111.0Length, inches: 193.8 (1969), 196.1 (1970)
Weight, pounds: 3,219-3,408

Price, new: $3,016-$3,692 (U.S.)

by the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide