"It was love at first sight," Jerry says. "I had always envisioned that color as the perfect color for a '68 and after looking it over, driving it and seeing what good shape it was in, I had to have it."

Jerry, a Northern Virginia native, is a contracting officer with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. He has owned one or more 1968 Cougars continuously and in various states of repair since 1972, and has built a stockpile of '67 and '68 parts, much of which he's willing to sell.

Jerry has repair receipts for his current cat dating back to the 1970s. He says he believes the Cougar was in the same family from the time it was new until he acquired it about 18 months ago. The car was in such good shape that the only thing he's had to do to it in that time is fix the headlight doors so they close automatically, and replace the power steering hoses.

The car has logged 129,000 miles and the original engine has been rebuilt. Modifications include an Edlebrock four-barrel manifold and carburetor and a dual-point distributor. Headers feed the car's dual exhausts.

"These changes may cause the purists to cringe, but there is a pretty significant performance improvement," Jerry says.

Jerry's cat has some floor rust, so he intends to replace the pans. He has new steel pans and wants to make the job a spring project. He says he would appreciate advice, especially on cutting and welding, and would like to hear from anyone who knows of a competent place in Northern Virginia that could do the replacement.

What has Jerry learned over the years he has owned and worked on '68 Cougars? "I learned the hard way, on a previous Cougar and on another old Mercury that I had, that with a vinyl roof, you must tackle any roof rust as soon as possible. That stuff gets nasty in a hurry. The vinyl on the current car is removed, never to be replaced."

Jerry says his dream car would probably be the current Cougar as a convertible (too bad they didn't make 'em in '68) with a four-speed transmission.

His other interests include boating, flying and motorcycles, although he hasn't been too involved with motorcycles for a while. He also enjoy bicycling. "Actually," he says, "if it rolls, floats or flies, it's got my interest."