The 100k dash may sound like something a marathon runner would be familiar with, but in November of 1963, several Mercury Comets were put to the test at the Daytona National Speedway. Five redesigned Comets were driven on the track for 42 days straight, with breaks only for fuel and maintenance and to switch drivers. For 24 hours straight, the five cars drove around the track, averaging an impressive 105 mph. Even more impressive, though, was that at the end of the 100k drive, four out of the five cars made it completely through the test, which was almost unheard of back in the ’60s.
3 Fran Hernandez Off To Fairbanks, Alaska
The ability of the Mercury Comets during the 100K dash helped the carmaker sell 50,000 units that year, but Ford decided it was not enough. It enlisted the help of a famous endurance racer to show the car’s worth even more. Fran Hernandez took off to Fairbanks, Alaska, driving with his team in three different Comets from Cape Cod. They drove all three of the Mercurys 16,000 miles north to Alaska in under 40 days.
2 The Comet Name Has Dark Origins
Not many people know this, but the Mercury Comet has dark origins. Not the car in itself but rather the name of the vehicle. Comet was not a name that could be used until it was bought off the original company that used it, the Comet Coach Company. The company produced funeral coaches for carmakers, mainly Oldsmobile, but it was in the process of switching names because of internal changes in the company, giving Ford the opportunity to purchase and use the name on its new car.
1 The Muscular Comet Cyclone GT
A true muscle car lover may remember the Comet because of one specific vehicle: the muscular Mercury Comet Cyclone GT. The base-level Cyclone was impressive enough with its engine taken from the ‘Stang, but the GT was an all-new beast. In 1966, a beefier version of the Cyclone was manufactured and marketed to meet the increasing demands of consumers for more power. The GT has one engine option, the 390 V-8, with a four-barrel carb sitting on top of the intake manifold and dual exhausts to create better emissions flow. The 390 at that time could push out around 335 horses and could accelerate the car from 0 to 60 in under seven seconds
