The Mercury Comet was a compact car that Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury division released in March 1960. It was designed to be the 1960 Edsel Comet, but after Edsel was shut down in November 1959 the model was moved to Lincoln-Mercury and sold for two years under the Comet name alone before it officially became a Mercury for 1962.
Mercury Comet at a glance
| Maker | Mercury, Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford |
|---|---|
| Sold as | Comet, its own brand, 1960–1961 |
| Production | 1962–1969 and 1971–1977 as a Mercury |
| Class | compact or intermediate, depending on the year |
| Platform | Ford Falcon at first, later Ford Fairlane, finally Ford Maverick |
| Wheelbase | 5 in (130 mm) longer than the Falcon for sedans, not for wagons |
| Body styles, 1960 | two- and four-door sedans, two- and four-door station wagons |
| Trim levels, 1960 | standard and Custom |
| Engine, 1960 | 144 cu in Thriftpower straight-six, 90 hp (67 kW) |
| Engine, 1961 | 170 cu in Thriftpower straight-six, 101 hp (75 kW) |
| Engine, 1963 | optional 260 cu in V8, 164 hp (122 kW) |
| Gearboxes | three-speed manual, two-speed Comet-Drive automatic, four-speed manual from 1961 |
based on one source. The English Wikipedia article also covers the later generations only briefly, so this page concentrates on the 1960–1963 cars.
History of the Mercury Comet
An Edsel that never was
The Comet began life as the 1960 Edsel Comet. When Edsel was closed in November 1959, the finished car was handed to Lincoln-Mercury and put on sale on 17 March 1960 through Lincoln-Mercury-Comet and Mercury-Comet dealers. Door VIN tags read “Made in U.S.A. by Comet”, and the cars carried Comet badges only, without any divisional name. Traces of the Edsel survived: the canted elliptical taillights came from the Edsel prototype and even carried Edsel part numbers, while the parking lights, dashboard knobs and the shape of the keys were inherited from the 1959 Edsel parts bin.
The name itself had belonged to the Comet Coach Company, a builder of ambulances and funeral coaches run by Cotner-Bevington. Ford bought the Comet name in 1959.
First generation, 1960–1963
The Comet was developed alongside the Ford Falcon and used the same platform, stretched by 5 in (130 mm) for the sedans but left alone for the wagons. The 1960–1963 cars share one basic shape and are often called the “round body” Comets. They were better trimmed inside than a Falcon and had a slightly longer wheelbase. For 1962 and 1963 the Comet also shared a good deal of body and mechanical parts with the short-lived Fairlane-based Mercury Meteor.
At launch there were two- and four-door sedans and two- and four-door station wagons, in standard and Custom trim; the Custom added badging, more chrome and all-vinyl upholstery. The only engine in 1960 was the 144 cu in Thriftpower six with a single-barrel Holley carburettor, rated at 90 hp (67 kW) at 4200 rpm, although some sources quote 85 hp. Buyers chose between a column-shifted three-speed manual and the two-speed Comet-Drive automatic.
Complaints about the small engine brought the 170 cu in Thriftpower six for 1961, with 101 hp (75 kW) at 4400 rpm, and a four-speed manual became an option. Otherwise the 1961 changes were slight: a new grille and the Comet script moved from the front fender to the rear quarter. The same year brought the S-22 package, offered only on the two-door sedan: it was sold as a sport version, but the mechanicals were standard and the differences were S-22 badges, bucket seats and a centre console.
For 1962 the Comet was folded into the Mercury range, wearing Mercury brand and Comet model emblems, and the rear styling was revised to look more like other Mercurys. The S-22 received six bullet-shaped taillights against four oval lamps on other Comets, and a Villager station wagon joined the range — a Comet Custom four-door wagon with simulated woodgrain side panels. The Comet Drive automatic was renamed Merc-O-Matic. For 1963 the body looked almost unchanged, but the chassis and suspension were redesigned to take an optional 260 cu in V8 from the Fairlane, with a two-barrel carburettor and 164 hp (122 kW), and two new body styles appeared, a convertible and a hardtop.
Later generations, 1964–1977
The Comet outlived its Falcon roots. It moved to the intermediate Ford Fairlane, and the last cars of 1971–1977 were compacts again, based on the Ford Maverick. Across its life the model was sold variously as a compact and as an intermediate, and Mercury kept the name until 1977.
In Canada
Meteor-Mercury dealers in Canada had their own compact for 1960, the Frontenac, a badge-engineered Falcon built for a single year. The Comet arrived there for 1961 and replaced it as the dealers’ compact offering.
Design and features
- Falcon underneath: the same platform as the Ford Falcon, with a five-inch longer wheelbase in the sedans and better interior trim.
- Edsel leftovers: elliptical taillights, parking lights, dashboard knobs and keys came from the 1959 Edsel.
- Own brand first: for 1960 and 1961 the car was sold simply as a Comet, without Mercury badges.
- S-22 package: bucket seats, a centre console and six taillights on the two-door sedan.
- A V8 at last: the 1963 redesign of the chassis made room for the 260 cu in Fairlane V8.
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Mercury Comet versions
- Standard and Custom (1960–1963): the two trim levels, the Custom with extra chrome and all-vinyl trim.
- S-22 (1961–1963): the sport-look two-door with bucket seats and a console.
- Villager (1962–1963): four-door station wagon with simulated woodgrain sides.
- 260 V8 (1963): the optional Fairlane V8, 164 hp.
- Convertible and hardtop (1963): two body styles added at the end of the first generation.
The Comet was the Mercury relative of the Ford Falcon and later of the Fairlane and Maverick. More cars of the marque are in the Comet collection.
Sources
- Mercury Comet, English Wikipedia: history, engines, body styles, S-22, Villager