Mercury and
Comet—astronomical names, right? But if combined, they would refer to a
1960s Mercury vehicle touted by many auto reviewers and historians as
the ultimate Mercury of the period. Today, however, the Mercury Comet
is old and forgotten. But equipped with brand new and tough replacement
and restoration Mercury Comet parts, this muscle car of the '60s would
be ready to run in blazing speeds, just as a real comet would speed up
on its way toward the sun.
The Comet was introduced by Ford Motor Company in 1960,
although the car was not yet a Mercury then. It was originally planned
to be an Edsel, but with the Edsel division brought down even before
the vehicle model was introduced, the Comet became a make of its own.
In 1962, however, Ford eventually decided to bring the car to the
Mercury division, calling it the Mercury Comet until its demise in
1977.
The first Comets, sold from 1960 to 1965, were technically
mid-size cars, although Ford would categorize them as compacts. The car
was similar to the Ford Falcon and essentially shared its parts with
the latter. From 1966 to 1969, the Mercury Comet shifted to the
mid-size category, sharing its body with the Ford Fairlane. The second
generation Mercury Comet was not as popular as the first, though, as it
was eclipsed by the Mercury Montego.
No Comet was sold in 1970, but it returned in 1971 as a compact car
similar to the Ford Maverick. Sales of the third generation Mercury
Comet, however, weakened every year. After 1977, the Mercury Comet was
dropped from the Mercury line and was replaced by the Mercury Zephyr.
The Mercury Comet nameplate has long departed, but muscle cars
never really die and the car that the nameplate represents is still
here to stay. In fact, the car has been gaining a lot of interests
lately, especially from among muscle car and custom car lovers. And why
not? Equipped with the right Mercury Comet parts, the car would prove
itself capable today as it was in the '60s.
