http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=6045752979&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT (http://www.qksrv.net/click-1606754-5463217?loc=http%3A//cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D6045752979)

http://i2.ebayimg.com/05/i/06/a5/9f/61_1.JPG

When I got mine six years ago,they were worth $150.

how rare are black cougars?
Experts believe they don't exist. There have been many unconfirmed reports of black cougars in the US, but none have ever been verified. A wet pelt or backlighting often is a factor in these reported sightings. If you have a picture it would be a first.

...but a clickable (and quite useful) link on the MEV website "Tjet Shrine" shows that there was a black one. What this means in terms of actually being able to find one is beyond me though. Mike's link only lists it as having a rarity factor of "8" on a 1 to 10 scale. Like most collector guides though, I'm sure it's not the final answer (nor is it probably meant to be). I cannot remember seeing one at any shows I've been to. Then again, I wasn't really looking for one.

Just my $0.02 (<= $0.01 these days)....tjd

ummm... he's pullin' yer chain :)

he's referring to the wild animal variety of cougar...

:D

--rick

Had always heard they were few and far between. :eek: rr

Mr. Too was a cutt'n and this time I was a bleed'n with regards to the wet pelt bit. Although honestly if some guys were to come face to face with a black cougar at a Bob Beers show they might even wet their own pelts.... and I'm talking either four legged or four wheeled!!! :tongue:

I have one and it is real.When I got it,someone had painted it!I stripped the paint and she is molded in black.

I have a black Mercury Cougar TJet that I bought new back in the stone age. The posts have been lowered and the rear wheel wells have been opened up so it's E-Bay value is nil. But it's a nice looking body. I think the Cougar body is fairly hard to find in any color. JL never copied it but should have. Even the TO butterscotch and white ones are commanding a good price if they are in decent shape. The one I have has no front post and for the life of me I can't remember how it broke off. I think that the bodies that have posts that are molded into the body further away from the front bulkhead where the bumper is mounted are more susceptible to damage because they are floating. The thinner the plastic on the top of the body the worse it is. The Cougar falls into this category. I've seen some bodies like the Cougar that have visible stress marks on the hood that show the post has taken a hard shot.

This one was a scratch and dent special that I painted for one of Roger's proxy races a while back. Used to be a lovely "distressed" butterscotch and white motif. I saw a blue Cougar in a display case at a train shop on consignment from some guy and I kick myself still for not grabbing it. That was when I was just back into the hobby for a couple months after over a 25 year hiatus. When I saw it I thought... ahh I'll see another one..... DOH. Needless to say it was gone when I went back a week later. DOUBLE DOH. :drunk:

At the last Bob Beers Superbowl show on LI, I did the early-bird thing, which I usually never do, but I had other family commitments later in the day. First thing I bought was a blue Cougar with no bumpers and slightly stressed windows posts... wheelwells were perfect, bought it from Bob himself for $10 (along with a green Firebird in similar shape, also $10). Later on, three tables away, I got a pair of original Cougar bumpers from somebody's parts bin... I think they were $4 each. I think I did okay...

--rick

I Also Had A Black Cougar Years Ago It Was Mint I Sold It For Over 120 To A Guy Up North This Same Guy Has A Black Charger That A Friend From Around Here Owned At One Time Got Be The Hard One To Find Thanks Bluerod

Rick, even with the early bird access fee you did good. I often contemplate whether I should pay for that priviledge. At some shows I am able to drop by the evening before the show and tap into the dealers who sell out of their rooms, like Bob. That's always hit or miss because you never know when or if the rooms are going open for pre-show deals. I'm not sure if this kind of dealing is a good thing or a bad thing. I tend to think it's a good thing because it provides some more incentive for people to travel further to attend a show and it provides a better environment for meeting and chatting with the dealers. But on the other hand those people paying a premium for early bird access are picking through stuff that's already been picked through. But most people are searching for something that's uniquely important to them anyway. Plus, if I had to guess I'd say that dealers who are also collectors already own the vast majority of the most highly sought after prizes. The rest of us are not even playing in the same league and are just hoping to get insanely lucky.

I've always been on the fence about early bird fees... part of me is vehemently against paying an extra 15 bucks and feeling grouchy that other guys bought up all the screamin' deals before you got in, but part of me always wanted to try it anyway. This last show, I had to do it in order to go to a family gathering later in the day... and i gotta say, based on the pile of stuff I took home, it just might be worth it. What I got wasn't perfect collector stuff, it was just runners... but they're darn nice runners for cheap since I got to picking at the junk boxes early...

--rick

The rest of us are not even playing in the same league and are just hoping to get insanely lucky.


Hey! I understand this!! :wave:
(Some of those collectors are just nutz... Now I am not saying that is bad, but...)
scott

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/attachment.php?attachmentid=28056&stc=1

This one is molded in black my guess is that the one on epay was painted by someone. If you look closer the wipers are painted silver all the Cougars I’ve seen don’t have the wipers painted.

NS

This is my Aurora black Cougar.

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/511/Pict0503.JPG

I got it a few decades ago. It’s in very good shape with just the windscreen a little loose. The wheel-wells look trimmed in the pics , but that’s just the lighting. It’s molded in black.

I have a thing for black cats…

Cheers..

Man, one day I am going to catch me one of these cougars. It is not a body style often seen, so I think that points to their rarity in general. They are ALL sharp looking, no matter the color. I have read how some of you came by them and find the stories cool too!:thumbsup:

Round2 has the Cougar on its list of future projects. cool beans.