SUNFL WER CAT By ROB MAY and BILL BANNISTER
Kansas City, MO, in the bright sunshine, is the perfect place for this Cat to make his den. Julie Bannister, wife of Bill, offers us a glimpse of their 1972 Mercury Cougar XR7 351 Q-code C-6 Transmission Convertible with her photography. Its original color was Medium Bright Yellow, and now the classic Cat wears Lightning Yellow. 1929 XR-7 convertibles were made in 1972. Approximately 358 of those were Q-codes making this a rare Cat.
through a plate glass window severed my artery and tendon. My dad clamped my arm to cut off blood flow and my uncle drove grandma’s 1971 Cougar Coupe at speeds in excess of 100mph to get me to hospital and save my life with dad clamping my arm tight the whole time.” When Bill came home from his first leave from the Navy, his grandma gave him that Mercury. “The Cougar had a front end that looked alive from the nose of a cat to its body panels which resemble a cat’s legs stretching as they run. It was a work of art - the car I loved so much – the car that saved my life.”
Next leave, Bill met his future wife, Julie. “I was dragging Douglas street and saw this platinum blonde checking me out. After whipping the car in front of her blocking both lanes of traffic, I told her that I would not move until she gave me her number. Five months later, we were married. That was almost 37 years ago, and we are still married.”
Opening up the Cat’s history book, Bill shares some fine ‘tails’. “At 10 years old, I was running in the house despite being told not to. Running 16| Motorhead Magazine - September 2021
They had talked about getting a convertible for years. “We actually followed this yellow one for several years as the price kept declining. Finally, when it hit 15k, we decided to drive to Oklahoma and see it in person. A kid was selling this car
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for his boss. Its door handle was busted, and the ‘working AC’ was not working because there was Continued Next Page
