Vehicle Description
WOW!!! How is this for a radical ride??? This outrageously modified
1965 Mercury Comet Gasser harkens back to the early years of drag
racing when attention-grabbing Gassers ruled the strip. This
mechanical marvel, dubbed the "401K", was built to win trophies
both on and off the track and features a supercharged 289 V8, a
4-speed racing gearbox, and a custom drag-racer suspension. They
didn't just make it a scorcher though, opting instead to coat it in
a cornea-searing red-and-gold paint job that's off-the-charts
gorgeous, and filling it with an insanely cool interior that you
actually want to spend more than a quarter-mile's worth of time in.
Gassers typically don't look this good, but this kicked-up Merc
loves breaking all the rules.
Honestly, this two-door hardtop is such an eye-catcher that it's
really hard to say what grabs your attention first. It definitely
embraces that vintage gasser look, raised high all the way around
with a solid straight axle up front, although it's been keenly
engineered to not be too bouncy. This wasn't some half-hearted
project, but rather a labor of love, and although you don't see too
many Mercury Gassers, this Comet is instantly recognizable with its
'dentside' profile, original bumpers, and lights still in place.
The red paint job is real attention-grabber, especially with all
that gold flake mixed into the finish that matches the gold roof,
gold-tinted windows, and other gold accessories like the air
cleaner jutting out from the hood. Setting the tone up front
there's an aluminum Moon tank and a gorgeous 'razor' grille set
between racetrack-ready headlights, further punctuated by the
custom fiberglass hood above it, and the decals all over the body
provide a contrasting backdrop to the red-hot finish. Headers
dump-out from the front wheel wells and into the exposed shorty
exhaust, the painted fiberglass bumpers help shed weight, and
there's a giant race-ready gas cap mounted just above the decklid.
Every modification to this machine further emphasizes the
competition-based theme, but they didn't go so overboard that the
spirit of the original Comet design is lost. No, it's instead
enhanced, leaving us to wonder if the '65 Merc was always born to
be wild.
A quick survey of the inside reveals that the foundation of the
interior carefully balances race-ready components with comfortable
features, albeit with some added performance hardware to account
for the neck-snapping acceleration in this car's repertoire. The
exterior colors are continued inside, with plenty of metal flake
sparkling everywhere you look. Gorgeous low-back buckets are
actually surprisingly more comfortable compared to most racers,
with diamond-cut upholstery that's continued in the matching door
panels. Obviously, the rear seat has been deleted to make way for
the multi-point roll cage, but it wasn't just bolted down quickly
in some dirty metal shop. It's obvious the cage was meant to be a
focal point of the interior, and the custom fabrication features a
peace symbol head rest of the driver, and plenty of gold paint to
match the theme. The gold dash insert absolutely glitters, and it's
been filled with off-setting Moon Eye gauges set inside, an MSD
Boost Timing Retard dial incorporated in the center, a matching
tachometer mounted up top, and an extra boost gauge mounted below.
So, yeah, it's fairly serious about performance. A flashy 3-spoke
wheel with a bright rim enables you to maintain a firm grip while
banging down the track, and the Hurst T-Handle shifter in the floor
manages quick shifts for the 4-speed gearbox below. For added
safety and extra room under the hood, the battery was relocated to
the trunk, and there's still plenty of room for all the trophies
this Gasser's going to collect.
Now let's talk power! Obviously, there have been some great
advancements under the big cowl hood, I can't imagine a Gasser can
be called such without a thumper leading the way. Hit the starter
on this bad boy and you'll hear a potent 289 small block Ford V8
roar to life, which has been built up just enough to handle the
racetrack with pride while still having some street manners left
over for the ride home. A Weiand supercharger turns the small block
up to 11, driving up this Gasser's power numbers into the
stratosphere, and with a giant Holley 4-barrel carburetor,
block-hugging headers, a giant aluminum radiator, and an MSD
ignition, it's ready for the rigors of both the road and the
racetrack. The presentation was put together strictly to show off,
with more red-and-gold paint continuing the overall theme,
including finned aluminum valve covers, gold engine enamel on the
block and accessories, and bright red paint on the firewall and
custom inner fenders. Heat-wrapped headers carry the exhaust out in
a hurry to the straight pipes/glasspacks that exit at the profiles,
and the incredibly aggressive note it emits can easily shake the
neighbors awake in the morning. Everything is solid and incredibly
clean underneath, with more gold paint and upgraded components
throughout, including a Wilwood master cylinder w/ front disc
brakes leading the presentation. Finishing the classic
big-and-little look of this Gasser are a set of E/T alloys wrapped
in 5.00/15 Firestones up front and a set of Rocker Mags wrapped in
fat 7.75/15 whitewalls in the rear.
This Mercury Comet Gasser is a fitting tribute to an era when
racers lived by a simple mantra:
run-what-you-brung-and-hope-you-brung-enough. Obviously, in this
case, somebody brought plenty. Now you can too. Call today!