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Famous Cars: Patton’s Willys JeepThe 1969 Mercury Cyclone is an Overlooked Classic
The Mercury Cyclone, with its 428 Cobra Jet V8 and fastback looks, deserves a place alongside better-known muscle car nameplates.
Unsung Muscle Cars
The period we refer to today as the muscle car era, roughly 1964 through 1972, might have been brief, but within those few years Detroit’s Big Three minted a generation’s worth of classic; indelibly altering the automotive landscape in the process. Cars like the Pontiac GTO, Ford Mustang, and Mopar’s Hemi-equipped monsters have comprised the starry firmament of the muscle car era. But there are plenty of lesser known, but no less capable, muscle cars worthy of discussion and admiration. Cars like the Plymouth Satellite GTX, AMC’s AMX, and the Mercury Cyclone are a few such cars.
The Cyclone, in particular, has been unduly obscured by history. We were reminded of the Cyclone’s greatness when we discovered a sterling example of a 1969 Mercury Cyclone Cobra Jet listed on Carsforsale.com. With its 428 motor and vintage fastback styling, this Cyclone is a potent reminder that not all muscle cars worth mentioning are named Mustang or Charger.
Background of the Mercury Cyclone
Like many sports cars then and now, the Mercury Cyclone began as a performance variant, in this case based off the Mercury Comet, built from the same platform as the Ford Falcon. For 1964, Comet buyers could option theirs as a Comet Cyclone to access the larger 289 cu.-in. V8 engine (210 horsepower). The Comet Cyclone saw a more concerted effort at sportiness the following year as the 289 V8 was tuned to 225 horsepower and 305 lb.-ft. of torque. A performance pack added an upgraded suspension, Rally-Pac gauges, and a tachometer and stopwatch.
The Comet Cyclone got even more serious for its second generation, kicking off for the 1966 model year. The muscle car craze was in full swing, and the Comet Cyclone saw numerous revisions to compete, most notably, it was now sharing its underpinnings with the mid-sized Ford Fairlane. That meant not only a new 116-inch wheelbase, but, in the case of the Cyclone GT, also access to the Fairlane’s 390 cu.-in. V8 good for 335 horsepower when equipped with the optional four-barrel carburetor. The ’66 Cyclone also received sporty accoutrements including hood scoops, a new split grille, and curvaceous Coke bottle style rear fenders. Sales were strong as the Cyclone hardtop moving 20,701 units while the convertible sold 3,463.
The 1967 Cyclone saw its 390 V8 downgraded slightly to 320 horsepower. That and a revised grille were enough to tank sales for the year as the Cyclone dipped to just 6,910 hardtops sold and 809 convertibles. Clearly, if Mercury wanted to woo fickle muscle car fans, they’d need to rethink their thinly veiled Fairlane rebadge.
They did just that for the 1968 model, dropping the Comet and allowing the Cyclone name to stand on its own. Major visual and mechanical changes were in store as well, including a jump to the Ford Torino’s platform. The convertible option was dropped entirely, and the front end reimagined with jutting front fenders and a more Mustang-like slope to its fastback design.
The Cyclone’s selection of engines was expanded as well. The 390 V8 was joined by a 302 V8 (210 horsepower), and most significantly, Ford’s 428 Cobra Jet V8 arrived mid-year in the hopes of contending with the Plymouth Roadrunner. Sales for the Cyclone rebounded to over 12,000 units.
For 1969, the Cyclone added more engine options with a pair of 351 V8s (250 and 290 horsepower, respectively). The Cobra Jet, or CJ, option saw the Cyclone at its most potent. The 428 V8 produced 335 horsepower and could be optioned with a Holley four-barrel carburetor and Ram Air intake. Performance upgrades included dual exhaust, chromed engine parts, hood scoops, a blacked-out grille, and a revised “competition” suspension. Thus equipped, the Cyclone CJ could make its quarter-mile run in 14 seconds.
The 1970 model year inaugurated the Cyclone’s fourth generation with a 429 four-barrel V8 as its standard engine. While that was impressive, the Cyclone’s front-end design was more than a little over-baked, even for the time period. Now not only did the front fenders jut out from the flat plane of the grille, but so did the center of the grille itself, a garish imitation of the Buick Riviera’s front end. But hey, it was fast, right?
This 1969 Mercury Cyclone CJ
For those in the market to collect muscle cars, it can be a challenge to find examples that are both worthy of collection and in excellent, mostly unmodified, condition. This 1969 Mercury Cyclone Cobra Jet was formerly part of the St. Louis Car Museum’s collection and has been well-kept since. This car was optioned with the Ram Air induction for the 428 V8 which is paired with a Select Shift C6 Automatic. Tires and exhaust are new as of 2023. The car is finished in white with red racing stripes and a black hood to match the blacked-out grille. The red interior is in flawless condition that belies the age of the car and testifies to the care it has been shown.
This impeccable and impressive 1969 Mercury Cyclone CJ is priced at $79,900.
