In 1963, Ford provided its salesmen with this confidential booklet in order to give them the information they needed to sell Ford's line of 427 high-performance engines.

The booklet includes details of the 427 high-performance engine line, suggested sales prospects and selling techniques, and, most importantly, specifications for the engines.

Whether you're running a 427 in one of your rides or not, the booklet serves as a fascinating behind-the-curtain glimpse into Ford's approach to marketing the venerable 427 as well as an intriguing view of a time when gas was cheap and size--in cubic inches--definitely mattered.

The Ford 427 High-Performance Engines booklet is the first of what we at Classic Cougar Community hope will be many more offerings of manuals, literature, and other media contributed by the Community.

The 1963 Ford 427 High-Performance Engines booklet was provided by Royce Peterson, and is used with his permission. Thanks, Royce!

My love affair with Cougars started back in 1991. I had always been into classic cars, and as I approached my 16th birthday I started searching for "my car." I saw many cars I would love to have and looked at a few that were realistic. I looked at '61 Impalas, Chevelle's, etc. Finally, my dad pointed out an ad he had seen at work for a 1968 Mercury Cougar. After looking at the car we decided the deal was right and Dad bought the car for me and thus the addiction started.

Confessions of a Cougar-holic

Hi, my name is James and I'm a Cougar-holic. My story, well, I was raised just outside the San Francisco bay area in a small town called Pleasanton, California. At least it was a small town when I lived there. The Good Guys show would start a few years after I left. My father was a sort of car guy. He loved cars, but just never found a car to get passionate about. At one point or another he's had an Austin Healey, a '65 GTO 'vert, a '67 XKE, and a '67 GTX. He actually was about to buy a 300SL Gull wing but decided on buying the Austin brand new instead. Unfortunately, I got older and the need for family cars interfered. He was still out there every weekend washing, waxing, and keeping ahead of the maintenance on everything he owned.

Fortunately my uncle lived nearby and was always working on one of his Thunderbirds. I learned to drive on his knee in a '64 Thunderbird at age 7 and was cruising the farm roads around his house in a '67 Thunderbird at age 10. Just up the road and back.

By the time I got my license at 16, I had helped my father or my uncle with everything from tune-ups to engine rebuilds, mainly FEs. I even helped rebuild a 1919 Cat and the flathead on an 8N tractor.

Just before my sixteenth birthday, a neighbor was selling his '71 Challenger 340 T/A six pack for $2500.00. My mom thought, "Too much car." My dad thought, "Yuck! Mopar! (He hated the GTX.) My uncle was against anything not Ford blue. So instead I got my dad's '77 Ford Ranchero GT with all the smog minus the cat's and with dual glass-packs. Just think what the T/A is worth today!

Well, the muscle car bug wouldn't leave me alone and I got the first of my Camaros. Of course it wasn't fast enough, so along with my cousin we changed this, added that, and looking back it probably spent more time waiting on more money than time on the road.