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FEATURED MEMBER RIDE

Jim Karamanis’ Maroon Metallic ’71 Ragtop

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This Cat’s Tale

“When I was 16 years old, I had found for sale what I had hoped to be my first car, a 1967 Cougar standard A code. It was Wimbledon White with white interior, and I thought it was the most incredible car known to man. My father, of course, said no. So in 1994, I was one week before college graduation and saw a beautiful 1971 Cougar XR-7 convertible sitting on a used car lot, and I knew I had to fulfill my dream — I had to have it. It was $3,000, but at the time, I had only $1,500 cash, so I put the other half on a credit card that I slowly paid off. Just like that, my dream of owning a classic cat came true!

It was my weekend car and spawned my love affair with the classic Cougar. It was the reason that I first reached out to Carl Graziano, who hosted the then-popular Classic-Cats website. That turned into a friendship, which spawned the creation of the first Classic Cougars listserv and, eventually, the birth of the Delmarva Cougar Club.

My girlfriend at the time (Kati), who later became my fiancée and, now, my wife, rode in the car with me for weekend dates. Eventually, though, when I proposed to her, the car had to go to pay for her engagement ring. Fortunately, the car was purchased in 1998 by Art Schutze, a Richmond, Va., lover of classic Cougars who also ended up being the first and long-time treasurer of the Delmarva Cougar Club. As I was the first president of the club, Art and I worked together regularly and forged a very close friendship.

Last year, Art reached out to tell me that he could no longer drive or care for the car and asked me to pick it up. It had been off the road for a long time with a worn-out engine, but he had purchased a good running 351C-4V for the car that was sitting on an engine stand. I brought the car home and worked on it over the winter, bringing the car back to life. The work included the engine swap, a complete brake system replacement (calipers, wheel cylinders, soft lines), fuel system replacement (carb, lines, tank cleaning), new tires, electrical system replacement (turn signal switch, ignition switch, turn signal box), rear-end gear replacement, leaf springs, shocks, and a good bath/polish/wax.

The car had its unveiling at the 2025 Carlisle All-Fords Nats, the furthest I have actually ever driven it.”

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Notes

Like his ’71, Jim has come full circle, too: He returned for another term as DCC president in 2024. Jim also owns a 1970 Cougar XR-7 Eliminator clone; a low-mileage ’94 Corvette; and two vintage road race cars: a 1972 Ford Pinto and a 1980 Mercury Bobcat SCCA car. If you combine his two loves — Cougars and racing — you can guess his dream car: any classic Cougar raced in the original Trans-Am series. Jim, a native of the Washington, D.C., region, is director of IT design and development for the Library of Congress. His other hobbies and interests include vintage road racing, boating, and playing bass in a rock band, The Lugnutz.