Why and who named the Mercury Comet and History with production numbers March 30, 2011 at 1:13 am
Mercury Comet was one of the most attractive and high performance muscle car, which was ever produced by the Lincoln- Mercury division of the Ford Motors. This exotic muscle car rocked the hearts of the speed thirsty youth of America through out the muscle car era. Even today this particular high end car is most sought after car among the classic car collectors. The car has a glorious history behind it and truly added another feather into the long success of the Mercury brand.
History: Initially Comet was planned to be launched as an Edsel model. However after the sudden death of the Edsel brand in 1960, the Lincoln- Mercury brand of the Ford Motors took over, redesigned the model, and introduced the Comet into the market as just Comet, without any particular badge. The name was typically influenced by the flashy and speedy comets in the sky, and like all the other cool car names by the Mercury brand, the name Mercury Comet was also an instant hit. The name truly complemented the cars high end performance and speed and mostly its glamorous and attractive looks. The car was produced between the model years of 1960 to 1969 and between the model years of 1971 to 1977. Particularly in 1970 not a single Comet was produced by the brand.
The early Comets were often considered as the round body Comets due to their basic design. The early 60’s Comets came out with mainly three body styles, 2 door coupes, 4 door sedans and lastly the 2 or 4 door station wagons. The initial trim levels were either standard or custom and the custom option included special badging, along with fully vinyl interiors and additional chrome trim. In the 60’s the car was comprised of only one base engine, which was a 144 cid thrift power straight six along with a single Barrel carburetor of Holley. The engine produced a standard 90 hp at 4200 rpm. It also included either 3 speed manual transmission or the Merc-o Matic automatic transmission, which was indeed a rarity for the Comet. In the year 1961 the Comet launched its ultra stylish S-22 models and in 1962 Comet official received the Mercury badge.
1963 was truly a significant year for Comet as it came out with its first 260 cid V8 engine, which typically produced 164 hp. The year 1964 saw a major change in the styling and engineering of Comet, and it came out as a truly transformed model. Even in the same year it went through a designation change as well and a new more improved performance version, which was typically being called the Cyclone readily, replaced the early S-22 models. Comet received a huge boost in its performance with the introduction of 289 cid V8 engine, which produced 210 bhp. Even this year some special edition racing models of Comets were also introduced in the market, which was typically consisted of 427 blocks were also creating a lot of hype as well. The ultra stylish car designs included bucket seats, chrome wheel looking wheel covers, console, engine dress ups in chrome and many others. In1965 the Comet again saw a styling change with improved front and rear and stacked headlights was used in the comet models for the first time in that year.
Later in the 1966 Comet came out as a mid sized car instead of its original compact designing. Though the power of the car was boosted and in that same year Comet introduced its GT option along with a high end GTA option, which was particularly available for the models including the automatic transmissions. The 1966 model was made more powerful with the inclusion of the 390 cid V8 engines along with a 2 barrel carburator, which produced a maximum of 265 hp. During 1968 and 1968 the Comet again went through a distinctive remodeling and went from being a mid sized car to a full sized one along with its metal sheet modeling. Later during the 1971 this particular car received another facelift and came out with redesigned grills, tail lights and hood. The GT option retained its position till 1976 and after a few more upgradations the Mercury Comet saw its last production in the year 1977 in order to make room for the new model of Mercury the Mercury Zephyr.
Production Numbers: From 1960 to 1977 the total production of Mercury Comet included 2,586,675 cars.
The sema show happens in Las Vegas during the fall season. It gives you access to the latest car accessories and add-ons. You will find some great gears, wheels, paint MFG and lights. SEMA is a 4 letter acronym that stands for the specialty equipment market association. The show gives you the chance to kit up your trucks or cars with the latest gadgets.
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