1976 · Mercury · United States
1976 Mercury Cougar: Outside the Muscle Focus
Outside the muscle focus: 83,765 Cougars for 1976 per Wikipedia's table.
United States · researched through 2026-09-22
The Cougar Club of America's luxury registry lists the 351 two-barrel as the standard 1976 engine and names no optional engines for that year, this record's own overview states, the key fact this record leads with in a record that otherwise sits outside the 1967-1973 muscle focus its production notes describe. Total production reached 83,765 Cougars, a figure the Cougar Club of America's own table matches exactly against Wikipedia's, with this record's own note stating the club figure is not shown to be an independent lineage from Wikipedia's.1,2
A single engine is documented, the 351 two-barrel, carrying no horsepower or torque rating in this record's own engine table, and the Select-Shift automatic stands as the year's only documented transmission. This record's own options section names 42 items by title alone, none with a price or installation figure attached: mechanical and convenience options including Traction-Lok, a heavy-duty battery, two trailer-towing packages, speed control, a fuel-economy reminder light and Cross Country suspension; comfort and power items including power seats, sunroof, moonroof, side windows, door locks and reclining passenger seat; four radio choices; convenience-release features for the seat back, parking brake and deck lid; and appearance items spanning cast-aluminum and styled-steel wheels, a vinyl full roof, and dual racing or remote-control mirrors.1
Six paint colors are documented for 1976, the same set this record's own paint table lists for 1974 through 1976 without a model-year-specific attribution: Silver, Medium Chestnut, Orange, Maize Yellow, Medium Gold and Wimbledon White. Twenty-three interior descriptions are carried without codes, drawn from the brochure's own text: seven Twin Comfort Lounge seat colors in vinyl or leather, five optional velour cloth colors, seven optional vinyl bucket-seat-with-console colors, and four standard flight bench-seat colors in optional soft vinyl.1
This record carries no price section for 1976; its own price notes explain that a prior J.D. Power valuation figure was pulled from every page on the site because those live pages can change without notice and cannot be independently checked, and that no replacement source has yet been found. This record's own specifications section carries six XR-7 dimensions from a dedicated 1976 facts table: a 114-inch wheelbase, 214.5-inch overall length, 78.5-inch overall width, 52.6-inch overall height, front and rear tread of 63.4 and 63.5 inches, 16.5 cubic feet of luggage capacity, and a 26.5-gallon fuel tank.1
No performance figures, identification codes, documented conflicts or unpublished leads survive in this record's own performance, identification, conflicts and unpublished-leads sections, all four left empty for the year. This record's own key facts section is itself empty, leaving the overview's single sentence on standard engines as the only summary content this record carries beyond the production total and the specification and options detail described above.1
What the record documents in full is a year pairing a long, itemized options list with the thinnest possible engine table: an 83,765-car total agreed on by two sources that may share one lineage, a single named engine with no published rating, 42 unpriced options spanning mechanical, comfort and appearance categories, and 23 interior trims known only by description, never by code.1
Fact sheet · 1976 · United States
The numbers
1976 Mercury Cougar — Outside the muscle focus: 83,765 Cougars for 1976 per Wikipedia's table.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-22.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 1976 Cougars2,1 as published The Cougar Club of America table matches Wikipedia exactly and is not shown to be an independent lineage. | 83,765 | built, model-year | Reported |
Rows are separately scoped; do not add them unless a note says they partition a total.
These years are outside the 1967-1973 muscle focus; the record carries only totals and configuration context.
Prices when new *
No price is shown here. One was, until 2026-09-24: a figure from J.D. Power's live valuation pages, pulled from every page on this site because those pages can change without our knowing and we have no way to check them independently. We haven't found a source we can stand behind to put in its place yet. A price for this car elsewhere that looks suspiciously exact may be quoting that same J.D. Power figure rather than confirming it — several sites we checked turned out to be doing exactly that, without saying so.
Engines
| Engine | Factory rating | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| 351 V8 2-bbl1 351 cu in · 2-barrel | standard | Not yet sourced |
Ratings are the manufacturer's advertised figures under the standard shown (SAE gross before 1972, SAE net after). They are not dyno results, and gross and net ratings can't be compared directly.
Transmissions
| Transmission | Availability | Built |
|---|---|---|
| Select-Shift automatic1 | standard | Not yet sourced |
Options and packages
| Code | Option | Price | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Traction-Lok differential1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Heavy duty battery1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Trailer towing package II and III1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Speed control1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Fuel economy reminder light1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Cross Country suspension1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power seats1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power sunroof1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power moonroof1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power side windows1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Air conditioning, automatic temperature control1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Air conditioning, manual control1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Tinted glass, complete1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Electric rear window defroster1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Power door locks1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Tilt steering wheel1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Radio, AM1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Radio, AM/FM multiplex1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Radio, AM/FM/MPX search1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Radio, AM/FM/MPX with stereo tape1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Reclining passenger seat1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Speakers, dual rear seat1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Visibility light group1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Automatic seat back release1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Automatic parking brake release1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Automatic deck lid release1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Interval windshield wipers1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Convenience group1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Space saver group1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Appearance protection group1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Bumper protection group1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Luggage compartment trim1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Protective bodyside molding1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Security lock group1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Luxury steering wheel1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Leather-wrapped steering wheel1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Wheels, cast aluminum1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Wheels, styled steel1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Vinyl full roof1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
Dual racing mirrors1 | — | Not yet sourced |
|
LH remote control mirror1 | — | Not yet sourced |
Paint
| Code | Color | Built |
|---|---|---|
1G |
Silver Poly. (listed for 1974-76; year not specified by the source)1 | Not yet sourced |
5M |
Medium Chestnut Poly. (listed for 1974-76; year not specified by the source)1 | Not yet sourced |
5W |
Orange (listed for 1974-76; year not specified by the source)1 | Not yet sourced |
6N |
Maize Yellow (listed for 1974-76; year not specified by the source)1 | Not yet sourced |
8C |
Medium Gold Poly. (listed for 1974-76; year not specified by the source)1 | Not yet sourced |
9A |
Wimbledon White (listed for 1974-76; year not specified by the source)1 | Not yet sourced |
Color names are the factory's. We don't show color swatches, because a screen color is no guide for a restoration.
Interiors
| Code | Trim | Built |
|---|---|---|
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats, vinyl or leather seating surfaces: black1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats, vinyl or leather seating surfaces: blue1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats, vinyl or leather seating surfaces: red1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats, vinyl or leather seating surfaces: green1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats, vinyl or leather seating surfaces: white1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats, vinyl or leather seating surfaces: cream/gold (sports accent)1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Twin Comfort Lounge seats, vinyl or leather seating surfaces: tan/saddle (sports accent)1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional velour cloth: blue1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional velour cloth: red1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional velour cloth: green1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional velour cloth: gold1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional velour cloth: tan/saddle1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional vinyl bucket seats with console: black1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional vinyl bucket seats with console: blue1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional vinyl bucket seats with console: red1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional vinyl bucket seats with console: green1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional vinyl bucket seats with console: white1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional vinyl bucket seats with console: cream/gold1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Optional vinyl bucket seats with console: tan/saddle1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Standard flight bench seat in optional soft vinyl: black1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Standard flight bench seat in optional soft vinyl: blue1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Standard flight bench seat in optional soft vinyl: red1 | Not yet sourced |
|
Standard flight bench seat in optional soft vinyl: green1 | Not yet sourced |
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Wheelbase1 | 114 in | XR-7 |
| Overall length1 | 214.5 in | XR-7 |
| Overall width1 | 78.5 in | XR-7 |
| Overall height1 | 52.6 in | XR-7 |
| Tread, front / rear1 | 63.4 / 63.5 in | XR-7 |
| Luggage capacity1 | 16.5 cu ft | XR-7 |
| Fuel tank1 | 26.5 gal | XR-7 |
Identification
Read a 1976 Mercury VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1976
- AMC AMX No AMX was sold in the United States for 1976. The Javelin ended after 1974, and the badge returned on the 1977 Hornet.
- AMC Gremlin X and Spirit AMX The last year of the V8 Gremlin. The 304 was cancelled at midyear after 826 installations, and the X package moved to Custom models only.
- Buick Riviera The GS name gave way to an S/R package, fitted to 1,619 of 20,082 Rivieras.
- Chevrolet Chevelle and Malibu SS The final Laguna Type S-3 year; the 454 no longer appears on the compiled engine list.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova Last Nova SS year in the source production table. Enthusiast-compiled production: 334,728 cars; Super Sport 7,416.
- Chevrolet El Camino SS Colonnade-era El Camino; Chevrolet's 1976 data pages define the RPO Z15 SS option for the El Camino Classic. Team Chevelle's production totals give 44,890 El Caminos built, 5,163 of them with SS equipment.
- Dodge Dart GTS, Swinger and Demon The final year of the approved Dart chronology; MuscleCarClub reports 13,642 Dart Sports of all engines, and Flory says the Dart Sport 360 was dropped.
- Ford Maverick Grabber The Grabber was dropped and a Stallion paint-and-trim package took its place; no Stallion count was found.
- Ford Ranchero GT The Ranchero GT continued on the 1972-76 Ranchero; 4,942 GTs were built, per reference-site counts in the Standard Catalog lineage.
- Ford Thunderbird Sixth-generation personal-luxury Thunderbird; the record holds the production total and the luxury-group option prices only.
- Ford Torino The last Torino year: 193,096 built with no Sport model left, and Ford's 1,000 white-striped red 'Starsky and Hutch' Gran Torino replicas were the only performance-styled edition.
- Oldsmobile Cutlass, 4-4-2 and Hurst/Olds An appearance and handling option in this period; no Hurst/Olds was offered and no production figure was found.
- Plymouth Duster 340 and 360 The Duster's last year offered the 360 only with TorqueFlite and not in California, beside the new Feather Duster economy and Silver Duster decor packages; reference books disagree on production (26,688 or 34,681).
- Plymouth Road Runner The Road Runner became a Volare option package.
- Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am The first black-and-gold Trans Am, the last Trans Am 455, and a Firebird line past 110,000.
- Pontiac Grand Prix Quad headlamps and a 50th-anniversary year for Pontiac; the last Grand Prix 455.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans The 455 returns to the LeMans options list, a 260 V8 with a five-speed arrives for the Sport Coupe, and a Rally RTS Handling Package replaces the GT.