Yellow Cougar Convertible

1973 Mercury Cougar XR7 Convertible

Offered by Russo & Steele | Scottsdale, Arizona | January 18-22, 2012

The second generation Mercury Cougar was in production from 1971-1973. 1973 was the final year for the Mustang-based Cougar as well as the final year for the convertible Cougar.

This particular example is a heavily-optioned XR7 (the luxury trim) with the GT hood scoop and the 351 Cobra Jet engine making 264 horsepower for 1973 (down 2 ponies from 1972). 1973 production was 60,628 and the 351 CJ made up only a small fraction of that number – the convertible XR7 even less.

Our pre-sale guesstimate is somewhere around $35,000-$40,000 (I mean, that’s a good looking car). More info on it can be found here and more about Russo & Steele in Scottsdale here.

Update: Sold $17,600.

Ketchup & Mustard Viper

1996 Dodge Viper RT/10 Convertible

Offered by Russo & Steele, Scottsdale, AZ, January 18-22, 2012

This 1996 Dodge Viper is one of 166 Vipers built with red paint and yellow wheels. The McDonald’s look, which I’ve always heard referred to as “Ketchup & Mustard,” is one of the most iconic (perhaps unfortunately so for Viper owners) color combinations of Vipers. First generation RT/10s tend to be shown in red, while the second generation GTS Coupe is always blue with white stripes. Plus, the character “Nick Papagiorgio” (Rusty Griswold) in the movie Vegas Vacation won a Viper with this color scheme – which is perhaps where my affection for it comes from.

The car features the monster 8.0 liter V10 with a slight horsepower increase (for 1996) to 415. The color combination is love-it or hate-it, but it is rare and this particular car was a Canadian model originally (one of 30) but has been imported into the U.S.

No pre-sale estimates were given by Russo & Steele but you can read more about the lot here and find out more about the sale here. I expect a price between $30,000 and $40,000. But the paint scheme is kind of a wildcard.

Update: Sold $39,050.