(1960 - 1967)

The birth of the Mercury Comet was on March 17, 1960 (St. Patrick's day) and was a key factor in a very successful selling season for Mercury, although the Comet did not officially become a Mercury until the introduction of the 1962 models on September 21, 1961.  The cover of Car Life magazine called the Comet the "First Luxury Compact".  The 1960 line included two- and four-door versions of Sedans and Station Wagons and ranged in price from $1,998 to $2,365.  They were powered by a "Thrift Power", 144 cu. in. 6 cylinder engine with your choice of 3 speed manual or Comet Drive 2 speed automatic transmissions. The Comet was 14 inches longer than the Falcon , with the extra inches devoted to more trunk room.

The '61 Comets were introduced on October 6, 1960 and were mostly unchanged with the exception of the addition of air conditioning and a larger 170 cu. in. 6 cylinder engine to the options list.  A mid-year addition to the Comet line-up was the new S-22 coupe.  Apparently, the alpha-numeric designation had no significant meaning.

On September 21, 1961, the '62 Comet was introduced with significant rear end styling changes and officially became a Mercury.  Available were two and four-door Sedans and two and four-door Station Wagons.  The 1963 models again had only modest changes.   But the big news came midyear when a new V-8 powered Comet Sportster model hit the pavement.  The V-8 was the same 164 horsepower engine available in the Ford Falcon Sprint models.  After the Comet V-8 was introduced, the smaller 144 cubic-inch engine was dropped and the 170 cubic-inch became the standard engine.  The Comet S-22 series now was offered in a stylish convertible.

In 1964, the Comet bodies were completely redesigned.  Mercury upgraded the Comets and took them to the race tracks with some success.  The Comet became available in three series; base Comet 202 car-line included two- and four-door Sedans and a four-door, six passenger Station Wagon at prices from $2,084 to $2,483 US.  The mid-range cars were Comet 404's.  The same body types were offered in the 404 series, at prices from $2,171 to $2,570 US.

The Comet Custom evolved into the Caliente, with bench seats.  The S-22 became the Cyclone, with bucket seats.  Comets were available with sixes or V-8s.  There was a two-door Hardtop, four-door Sedan and Convertible in the fancy line.  this upgraded version of the Mercury Comet was more of a car that the Custom had ever been.   It really filled the market niche vacated by the discontinued Meteor.

The Calientes could be had with the 170 cubic-inch, 101-hp six or a 200 cubic-inch "big six" with 116-hp.  Fans of V-8 power could get the 260 cubic-inch 164-hp engine for starters.  However, the real heart of the Caliente' "Total Performance" tie-in was the new 289 cubic-inch V-8.

In mid-year a new Comet Cyclone high-performance model arrived.  It featured less chrome than other Comets but boasted a 210-hp version of the 289.  This priced out at $3,027 US with options.

The 1965 Comets were introduced on September 25, 1964 with a front end restyling.   Offerings continued with the 202, 404, Caliente and Cyclone series.  A convertible was available in the Caliente series featuring a power top, optional V-8 and air conditioning.  The Cyclone series offered a distinctive twin-air-scoop fiberglass hood as an option.  The 195-hp "Cyclone V-8" engine was a $108 option for non-Cyclone models.  In addition there was a 220-hp "Super Cyclone 289" available.  The only six available was the 200 cubic-inch and the 260 V-8 was no longer available.

1966 saw another major redesign on the Comet bodies.  It was again offered in four lines; the 202s, the new Capri line which replaced the 404s, the Calientes, and the Cyclones.  The 202s came in two- and four-door Sedans with a six cylinder engine.   Due to the different quarter panels that were used, the 202 was 7.1 inches shorter than the other Comet lines.  the Capri series was a little dressier and came in two models; the four-door Sedan and the two-door Hardtop.  There was a "Custom Sport Coupe" version of the Capri Hardtop that came with a number of options at the time.   Comet Calientes were sporty models that had the same trim basics as Capris and same model offerings except that a convertible was also available.  The Cyclone series now came in a Hardtop or Convertible and both came in standard or optional GT series.   The Cyclone GT was powered by a 335-hp 390 cubic-inch V-8.  The Cyclone GT Convertible was picked as the Official Pace car for the 1966 Indy 500-mile Race.   There were also two Comet Station Wagons available; the Voyager and the upscale Villager. 

Not a lot changed for the 1967 Comet lines, but the Comet was restyled  again for 1968.  The Comet was offered in only one model in the base line, the two-door Hardtop.  The Cyclone series was avilable in in a two-door Hardtop and a two-door Fastback each came standard with the new 210-hp 302 cubis-inch V-8.

The 1969 Comet showed minor changes except now with a 155-hp 250 cubic-inch six cylinder and the Cyclones were offered as a Fastback and a new Cyclone CJ model using a 302 V-8.  The Cyclone Spoiler model came with a 290-hp 351 V-8.

In 1970, the Comet was again unchanged and finally, on September 18, 1970 became a sub-compact.  The Cyclone was still available as a Cyclone, a Cyclone GT, and a Cyclone Spoiler aptly featuring front and rear spoilers.  Standard in Cyclones was the 429 cubic-inch 360-hp V-8 engine, whereas the Cyclone GTs had the 250-hp 351 and the Cyclone Spoilers had a 370-hp 429.  Wow!