Vehicle Description
Please visit www.ClassicsBeyond.comto view all the pictures of this
vehicle. History of the Mercury CometThe 1964 Comet was redesigned
with a much more square shape, though it was still built on the
same unibody as the 1963 model. Its basic lines were shared with
the new Falcon, but the front grille used styling similar to that
of the Lincoln Continental. Along with the redesign, the model
designations were changed. The performance version was known as the
Cyclone, replacing the previous S-22. Then in descending order of
trim levels were the Caliente, 404 and 202, replacing the previous
Custom and base models. The 2-door station wagon bodystyle was
discontinued. The top-of-the-line station wagon continued to be
known as the Villager. The base 144 cid six engine was dropped and
the 170 cid six became the new base engine. The 260 V8 was
available at the beginning of the production run, with the new 289
being available mid-year. Due to the success of the full size Ford
and Mercury "fastback" roofline introduced in mid-1963, the Falcon
and Comet 2-door hardtops got a similar roofline with sharper
corners.For 1964, Ford produced about 50 ultra high performance
lightweight Comet Cyclones, equipped with their racing
two-carburetor 427 engine, similar to their cousin, the Ford
Thunderbolt. To avoid competing with each other, the Thunderbolts
ran in super stock on 7-inch (180 mm) tires, but the Cyclones were
modified to run in A/FX on 10-inch (250 mm) tires, where they were
as dominant as the Thunderbolts were in super stock. Drivers
included Ronnie Sox, Don Nicholson and Wild Bill Shrewsberry in
conjunction with Jack Chrisman.[6] Shrewsberry still owns his
original 427 Comet in Caliente trim.