Only a week after posting Jim''s Comet, I found this Cyclone, with an old fashioned fuel tank solution (probably for weight transfer) - fishing boat, outboard fuel tanks, which I've never seen in any car, not even a rat rod

the Hi-Risers '65 Mercury Comet Cyclone. the Hi-Risers were a group of Ford employed engineers who raced on weekends, and set the NHRA B/XS national record for elapse time in September of 1966 at Ubly Michigan by going 10.24 at 136.75.

One for water, one for gas

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid0j9X5xeEmHxxPnvo8XyDgJhUryMmrhj6RhuQ21HNnVrB8PST2x3w85Ho87x9ANBSMl&id=61569214565972

Ed Beyer and Dale Young's '69 Mercury Cyclone CJ 428. You may remember Ed from him being the Hurst "Shifty Doctor" back in the '60's. He also was a national record holder with his '56 Pontiac Stocker.

 The team participated in both NHRA and AHRA competition. 

They ran with a Holley 2-barrel in F-3 F/SA in AHRA and in NHRA with the 4- barrel Holley in F/SA. 

They also had the option of running with the flat non- Cobra Jet hood bringing the car down to G/SA. 

During the '69 season they were also able to move up into SS/JA.

The 428 was bored .030 over and featured a cross drilled crank by Holman-Moody and Stroppe who also did the final balancing. 

Best time running in SS/JA was 11.87 at 118.42

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122157955100640485&set=pcb.122157955124640485

67 Cyclone, winner of quite a few awards, and was featured in MCR

https://www.hagerty.com/marketplace/auction/1967-mercury-cyclone/e8e7d4bd-5b23-424a-ba9d-b973bbcf9279

https://fordauthority.com/2025/10/award-winning-1967-mercury-comet-cyclone-gt-up-for-auction

I don't remember ever seeing these tail lights before

old men running Mercury tried to get some attention by using kids slang and pop culture art, from what I'm reading, mostly to promote the Cyclone, by sending a JOIN! The Mercury Competition Team pack out to new Cyclone owners

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10237872299256536&set=gm.24534382256173955&idorvanity=413414438697407

https://cougarclub2.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/calypso-coupe-11.jpg

https://www.legendarycollectorcars.com/2014/03/mercury-competition-team-decal-sticker/

It's a constant source of enjoyment to me to learn about cool late 60s stuff, like this rare Cyclone GT 500 sales promotion - The Atlanta 500 Driveaway Program, part of the NASCAR race track promotional programs Mercury ran back in 1968 and 1969.

the Atlanta sales region dealers offered a 1968 Mercury Cyclone GT 500 in either Wimbledon White or Calypso Coral with special badges.

If you purchased one of these specials you received two tickets to the Atlanta 500 on March 31, 1968, a Mercury race jacket and hat. The selling dealer drove the lucky buyers to the track where they would take delivery of their new car. There were 160 GT 500s delivered that day! 

Once at the track the new owners were treated to breakfast and photo opps with Cale, Lee Roy and Tiny Lund. The new owners took delivery on the track in front of the 80,000 race fans and then took two laps around the Atlanta race track with Cale Yarborough leading them!

https://www.legendarycollectorcars.com/2015/02/mercury-cyclone-gt-500-delivered-at-atlanta-500/

The Cougar GT 500 was taken to the NASCAR Charlotte 600 race on Memorial Day weekend in 1968.

https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/01/a-couple-obscure-regional-special.html

Pearson tribute car, patina added to make it look like a barn find

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=24398157696439862&set=pcb.1798468810698517

This is the 1st motorcycle to sell for over a million dollars

Sold from the collection of the late and delightfully eccentric Urban Hirsch, one crazy lucky guy, who, though he grew up poor, hung out as a kid at Bud Ekins shop.

He became fabulously wealthy by securing printing ink contracts when newsprint was just killing it. 

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/breaking-auction-records-smashed-the-first-million-dollar-motorcycle/

Michigan Speedway, August 1969

https://aadl.org/N003_0293_024

Chuck Knudsen saved for 3 years to buy this Cyclone GT at age 19 in 1968, he parked it in 1974, kept it ever since, and stored it 47 years without a drive, only to finally restore it!

Chuck was a teenager in 1966 when his father took him to a Ford dealership and in the showroom sat a Cyclone that drew his attention so fully that he told his father he wanted one. Knudson Sr., informed him ‘When you’ll have enough money, you can have it.’

Chuck saved money for three years, and in the fall of 1968, he ordered a brand-new Cyclone GT 390, and drove his Mercury through college

For the next 2,744 days (seven years, six months, and six days), the Mercury was his primary car. On June 5, 1976, he parked the car in the family garage, and that was it. The odometer reading was 32,282 miles

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/19-year-old-saved-money-for-three-years-to-buy-a-new-1969-mercury-cyclone-gt-he-still-owns-231492.html#

John Wayne on a 1915 Cyclone racer

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10225051399132352&set=a.1617402035143

coincidental to last weeks post of the Ford Canada Drag Team, the Spoiler is on the equivalent of Ebay, currently bid to 160k. It only has 74 miles on it (thanks Terry!)

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-classic-cars/calgary/1970-mercury-cyclone-spoiler-ford-team-drag-car-survivor-rare/1651731243?undefined

in 1977, it got off the track and onto the dirt roads for a year book photo session:

than you Terry! Great follow up! 

what a cool collection of dragsters (thank you Terry F for sharing your advertising that goes with this Drag Team!!)

https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?t=120752&page=19

Ray Evernham is selling his car collection, 32 cars and 1 engine at Mecum Auctions upcoming Indianapolis Auction Thanks Mike!

https://www.mecum.com/auctions/indianapolis-2022/collections/ray-evernham-collection/
https://www.facebook.com/rayevernhamenterprises/posts/515694680224681

so Justin comments "in 1980 when I was 16 I bought a 69 Cyclone, Cale Yarbrough edition. Paid $275 for it."

 All right. You have my complete attention. 

For everyone else, don't you agree that it's criminal to only tease me, a car guy, with that tiny morsel of a story, and not fill me in with everything else?

A high schooler, with a 69 Cyclone, a rare Cale Yarbrough edition, and all I get told is how little he bought it for? 

good coverage of the Muscle Car Nats over at Hagerty

https://www.hagerty.com/media/events/mcacn-back-for-2021-and-muscled-as-ever/

skip the first 30 seconds of advertising nonsense, and get right to listening to this Cyclone

 

back in 1997 I was standing gate guard at Pt Loma Subase when one of these Cyclone Spoilers drove up

I asked him about it of course, and he told me that he intended to give it to his daughter, but she told him she wanted a Honda Civic instead. True story. 

http://www.overdrive.fi/forum/threads/vanhoja-valokuvia-ameriikan-raitilta.267070/page-902#post-3224425