Marketing is a funny thing—at one point, a company drills in a name that you shouldn’t forget, only to ask you to forget it several years later. The 1967 Mercury Comet is the perfect example of this, so we’ve chosen a 1967 Mercury Cyclone as our Pick of the Day to discuss this further. This car is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Mesa, Arizona. (Click the link to view the listing.)
When the Comet first hit the automotive galaxy, it was Mercury’s version of the Ford Falcon, a completely pedestrian compact car that set sales records for Ford. The Comet was just as pedestrian, but it featured more contemporary looks (read: fins) that gave it a dash more style. And, like the Falcon, the Comet was among the early wave of bucket-and-console cars that set the template for the pony car segment that would appear several years later.
The Comet would eventually grow up for 1966 and join the Fairlane, Ford’s mid-size series. The new 1966 Comet featured several trim levels/models, which included the Comet 202, Comet Capri, Comet Caliente, and Comet Cyclone. All Comets save Cyclone featured a Comet inscription between the taillights.
That all would change for 1967 as Mercury began de-emphasizing the Comet connection. The Comet 202 remained the same, but the hierarchy was simply Capri, Caliente, and Cyclone. They all were part of the Comet series (much in the way the GTO was part of the Tempest series), but only the Comet 202 featured a Comet inscription between the taillights, while all others featured their specific, respective names.
Among Cyclones, standard power came from a 200-horse 289, with a 270-horse 390 two-barrel being optional. All Cyclones came standard with a three-speed manual, with a four-speed or Select-Shift Merc-O-Matic (which allowed the driver to hold a specific gear) being optional. For those who were interested in running against Hemis, all Comet two-doors were available with a 410-horse or 425-horse 427, which differed by one or two four-barrel carburetors. A four-speed was the only transmission choice.
And then there was the GT Performance Group, which turned the Cyclone into a Cyclone GT. The package included a 320-horsepower 390 four-barrel (losing 15 horses from 1966), power boost fan, bright engine dress-up kit, non-functional scooped hood, dual exhausts, rally stripes, GT badges, special chrome wheel covers, Wide Oval whitewalls, power front disc brakes, 3.25:1 rear axle, and performance handling package with stiffer springs, heavy-duty shock absorbers, and larger stabilizer bar. The 390 was the only engine available for the Cyclone GT since it appears the 427s were only installed in regular Cyclones.
For 1968, the Comet 202 became the Comet while the Capri and Caliente became the Montego and Montego MX. By 1970, the Comet was gone, though it would soon reappear as Mercury’s version of the Maverick.
This Cardinal Red 1967 Cyclone GT hardtop is equipped with Magnum 500 wheels, a black vinyl top, a Parchment interior with black components, and an AM radio. “Underneath the hood, the real magic of the 1967 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT comes to life with a robust 390 V8 engine paired with a 4-speed manual Toploader transmission,” says the selling dealer. “This setup is accented by power steering and power disc brakes at the front, ensuring that the Cyclone GT handles as well as it moves.”
The Cyclone was a weak seller in 1967, selling only 6,101 hardtops, which included 3,420 cars with the GT package. According to Marti Auto Works, 3,412 were built with the 390 four-barrel and, of those, 1,581 were equipped with four-speed transmissions. That is quite low considering the Pontiac GTO with a four-speed sold in the tens of thousands. For your $59,995, we bet you won’t see another one of these at your local Cars & Coffee.
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com