Auction of Maine couple's rare sports car brings a big payoff, and an ... - Press Herald
Win and Judi Rittall of Woolwich kiss as they said goodbye to their 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT-E at the Owls Head Transportation Museum Tuesday, after it sold at auction. The car is one of only two like it in the country and came equipped from the factory with a 428 Cobra Jet Engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. On a dreary afternoon outside the Owls Head Transportation Museum, the Rittalls said goodbye to the 1968 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT-E that they had studiously maintained – and thoroughly enjoyed – for the past decade. On Saturday at the museum’s annual classic car auction, the Rittalls’ Cougar fetched $228,800, an unofficial world record for its model. Win Rittall never intended to own the Cougar. But when Rittall’s brother died in 2002 and Win inherited the car, his love for it grew. The sleek, menacing vehicle is a link between brothers who long ago went their separate ways, Win Rittall said. “It’s been a real good ride for us,” Judi Rittall said. The Rittalls’ Cougar was one of only three built with the combination of a 428 Cobra Jet engine, a four-speed manual transmission and a traction lock rear differential. Source: www.pressherald.com
