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30/12/2014 1964- 1965 M er cur y C om et - H ow StuffW or ks

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1964-1965 Mercury Comet New Model

B ack from 1963 in the 1964-1965 Mercury C omet, w hen it w as a midyear addition, w as the 260-cid "C yclone" V -8. It w asv i r t u a l l y u n c h a n g e d w i t h a t w o - b a r r e l carburetor a n d 1 6 4 - b h p r a t i n g . B e s i d e t h e t h r e e - s p e e d m a n u a l ( f u l l y s y n c h r o n i z e d f o r use w ith V -8s), it could be teamed up w ith the optional three-speed Multi-D rive Merc-O-Matic or a four-speed stickshift.

B e y o n d t h a t w a s a n e w V - 8 o p t i o n , t h e " C y c l o n e S u p e r . " U s i n g a s l i g h t l y l a r g e r b o r e t h a n t h e 2 6 0 , i t d i s p l a c e d 2 8 9 c u b i ci n c h e s . W i t h a f o u r - b a r r e l A u t o l i t e c a r b u r e t o r a n d a 9 . 0 : 1 c o m p r e s s i o n r a t i o , i t d e v e l o p e d 2 1 0 b h p a t 4 4 0 0 r p m a n d 3 0 0pound-feet of torque at 2800 revs.

2 0 0 7 P u b l i c a t i o n s I n t e r n a t i o n a l , L t d

The 210 horsepower 289 was the key ingredient in another new Cometmodel for the performance minded customers.

A lso helpi ng to provide relia ble pow e r w as Mercury's first use of a factory suppli ed transistor igni tion, a major advance for theday. The C yclone S uper w as available w ith the same transmissions as the 260. Then, too, a solid-lifter version of the 289g o o d f o r 2 7 1 b h p , a n e n g i n e f i r s t o f f e r e d f o r m i d - 1 9 6 3 F a i r l a n e s a n d M e t e o r s , w a s a v a i l a b l e o n s p e c i a l o r d e r - b u t o n l y w i t ht h e m a n u a l g e a r b o x e s .

There are a few mysteries to the 1964 C omet, particularly among the "K -code" cars. Those w ho know FoMoC o performancefrom the era know that the letter "K " in the fifth spot of the 11-character vehicle identification number (V IN ) w as a veryd e s i r a b l e t h i n g , i n d i cating that the car came w ith the 271-bhp V -8. For reasons that this w riter has never seen explained,some cars built w ith the 260 V -8 have the sought-after K in the V IN .

T h e 2 1 0 - h o r s e p o w e r 2 8 9 w a s t h e k e y i n g r e d i e n t i n a n o t h e r n e w C o m e t m o d e l , t h i s o n e f o r p e r f o r m a n c e - m i n d e d c u s t o m e r s :t h e C y c l o n e . I n t r o d u c e d o n J a n u ary 17, 1964, this tw o-door hardtop w as described as a "tw o-fisted sporting machine w ith bitea n d b r a w n i n e v e r y l i n e . "

L o o k i n g l i k e i t w a s m a d e f o r b u s i n e s s , C y c l o n e w a s f a i r l y d e v o i d o f e x t e r n a l o r n a m e n t a t i o n . C h e c k e r e d - f l a g s e r i e s b a d g e ssat low on the front fenders and the same block letters that spelled out "C omet" on all other small Mercs w ere found on ther e a r - q u a r t e r p a n e l s . B r i g h t w h e e l - l i p m o l d i n g s w e r e c o n n e c t e d b y a n a r r o w s p e a r t h a t r a n a l o n g t h e r o c k e r p a n e l s . C y c l o n e sa p p e a r e d t o h a v e o p e n c h r o m e - r e v e r s e w h e e l s , a p e r i o d h o t - c a r t o u c h , b u t t h e s e w e r e a c t u a l l y c h r o m e d w h e e l c o v e r s o v e r 7 . 0 0 3 1 4 s t e e l w h e e l s .

The exterior of the car may have been devoid of flash, but not the engine compartment. C hrome w as used to dress up thevalve covers, oil-filler cap, air cleaner cover, and even the dipstick handle. (When ordered for other C omets, the 289 camesans chrome.)

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8/10/2019 1964-1965 Mercury Comet - HowStuffWorks

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30/12/2014 1964- 1965 M er cur y C om et - H ow StuffW or ks

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2 0 0 7 P u b l i c a t i o n s I n t e r n a t i o n a l , L t d

The Mercury Comet was as much of a factory hot rod as a compactbuyer could hope for.

Interiors had standard bucket seats and a console. S eats and door panels featured a vertical-pleat pattern unique to theC yclone. A 6000-rpm tachometer sat atop the dash and drivers gripped a three-spoke sports-style steering w heel. B lack" c a m e r a c a s e " m a t e r i a l r e p l a c e d w o o d g r a i n i n g o n t h e d a s h b o a r d .

The C yclone w as as much of a factory hot rod as a compact buyer could hope for and it matched the spirit -- though not the

ultimate performance -- of hot new intermediates like the P ontiac Tem pest GTO and Olds F-85 4-4-2.

When Motor Trend tested a four-speed C yclone w ith an optional 3.50:1 rear axle, it squeezed out a 9.7-second 0-60-mphd a s h a n d a 1 6 . 2 - s e c o n d q u a r t e r - m i l e r u n . W i t h t h e C y c l o n e S u p e r e n g i n e , a u t o t r a n s , a n d 3 . 2 5 : 1 g e a r i n g , a C a l i e n t e h a r d topt e s t e d b y C a r L i f e n e e d e d a l l o f 1 1 . 8 s e c o n d s t o h i t 6 0 , b u t t h e q u a r t e r c a m e u p i n 1 6 . 5 .

R e a d a b o u t h o w t h e 1 9 6 4 - 1 9 6 5 M e r c u r y C o m e t r e c e i v e d p r o m o t i o n o n t h e n e x t p a g e .

For more information on cars, see:

C l a s s i c C a r sM u s c l e C a r sS ports C arsC o n s u m e r G u i d e N e w C a r S e a r c hC o n s u m e r G u i d e U s e d C a r S e a r c h

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