This 1979 Mercury Bobcat is amazingly clean, and while it might look like a fancy Pinto, we prefer to call it Micro Luxury. The Bobcat, Mercury’s “upscale” version of the Ford Pinto was introduced in 1975. This example, a 1979 model, was originally purchased by an older lady in the Sacramento area who drove the car weekly for errands for 25 years and it was always garaged. It was driven sparingly and well cared for. Always a California car, it was purchased by us approximately 10 years ago from the second owner.

“Bob” (as we call him) is an amazingly original, rust-free time capsule. The Tangerine paint and trim shines bright and the interior is amazingly preserved including the factory Alpine Plaid cloth. There are a few minor dings and some minor paint touch-up as one would expect from an original 40-year-old car, but Bob presents quite nicely and is always a crowd pleaser.

This Bobcat is nicely equipped too, with the Alpine Plaid cloth seats, “Sports Accent Group” which includes sport steering wheel, tachometer, temperature, amperage and fuel gauges, factory AM/FM stereo, air conditioning, automatic transmission, factory flip-up/removable moonroof with sunshade, full glass rear hatch, accessory cargo cover, dual racing mirrors, rally wheels with bright trim rings, bright wheel arch trim and two-toned paint treatment. At the moment, while the A/C turns on and blows, it is not blowing cold air.

Due to an unfortunate coolant leak in the car’s intake manifold about a year ago, the Bobcat’s 2.3-liter 4-cylinder engine was treated to professional, comprehensive rebuild which included but was not limited to new pistons, rings and valve springs. It was meticulously detailed and reassembled by a Ford specialist. Other work includes a new carburetor, new radiator, new hoses and thermostat, new starter, new door seals, new rear hatch supports, new front and rear shocks, AC conversion to 134a, new receiver drier, expansion valve and heater core. The car is ready to be enjoyed and shared for many more years.

You should be aware that Bob is also a bit of a minor celebrity who has had just a tad more than his 15 minutes of fame. The car has been featured in Hemmings Classic Car as well as on the websites of Autoweek, and USA Today. It’s also been featured in an episode of Charles Phoenix’s JOYRIDE web series.

As an additional enticement, included with the car are some rare and sought-after items – a factory sunshade and storage bag for the glass moonroof panel, the 1979 Mercury Dealer Color and Upholstery Selector, the 1979 Mercury Product Facts Book that contain lots of fun details about the car and options available as well as the original Owner’s Manual and Electrical & Vacuum Troubleshooting Guide. But perhaps best of all, we are including two shirts that very closely match the pattern of the car’s interior which we’ve worn on occasion when showing the car.

Asking $15,000 and any REASONABLE offers will be considered.