| 1967 Mercury Comet 427 This Humble-Looking Mercury Had A Way Of Making The Competition Look Sick |
By Tom Shaw
Photography: Tom Shaw
It was 1966 when Ford's intermediate Fairlane joined hands with the Mercury Comet and stepped into big-
block land. It was the biggest milestone for the big-selling, if somewhat boring, compact since its introduction
in 1960. The Comet began life as Mercury's answer to the Falcon, even though it wasn't badged as a
Mercury until 1962. When Mercury consolidated its compact Comet and intermediate Meteor lines in 1964,
the Meteor was dropped and Comet became the intermediate, but it was still limited to small-block power.
That is, until 1966 when its dimensions were expanded to bring the Ford intermediates up to par with their
peers from GM and Mopar that were kicking butt on the street and in the marketplace, thanks to their big-
block power.
Funny thing, though--even though Ford offered its killer 427 in the Fairlane, they were few and far between.
Which brings us to the Mercury Comet. Mercury offered identical drivetrains, but if 427 Fairlanes were rare,
427 Comets were whatever comes after rare. So what's a Chevelle or GTO driver supposed to think when he
pulls up along- side this ultra-strippo Comet 202 that looks like it just escaped from the phone-company
fleet? A quick scan reveals the absolute bottom-basement, two-door sedan with the homely B-pillar, black
paint (called Onyx in the brochures), the complete absence of exterior brightwork, cheapo wheels with--hold
the redlines or raised white letters--whitewalls, and not a white, nor red, but a tan bench-seat interior. Oh
man, are you asleep yet? If you failed to catch the rumble of the dual exhaust (tailpipes are hidden) or hear
the clickety-clack of the solid-lifter cam, there was one last red flag before you met your doom--that little
badge way at the front of the fender with those three magical numbers: 4-2-7. The wise spotted this danger
sign. Everyone else had to learn the hard way.
This was Ford's ultimate weapon. It had all the good stuff--side-oiler block, forged pistons and rods, balanced
crank, twin Holleys, 11.1:1 compression, mechanical lifters, long-tube headers, and an artful beauty that
almost required lingering stares. Four-speed only on the 427. No Cruise-O-Matic, no three-speed. And to
package this masterpiece driveline in the lowliest body that upscale Mercury dared put its name on was,
depending on your perspective, either the greatest tragedy ever to befall the musclecar world, or its brightest
stroke of brilliance. We'll take the latter. Think of it as Secretariat winning the Kentucky Derby in a donkey
suit.
This magnificent 1967 Comet 202 is from the incredible Dick Bridges collection. All original inside and out, the
Merc shows just 1,998.6 miles on the clock. That’s right; you’re looking at Super Diamond Lustre Enamel as
applied at Ford’s Lorain, Ohio, plant. And naturally, being a Dick Bridges car, everything under the hood is
original Ford issue. Repro parts? Perish the thought! Hoses, clamps, belts, plug wires--everything is OEM.
The discussion of options, a favorite topic of musclecar aficionados, is real short for this car. It’s got only an
AM/FM radio, power brakes, and whitewall tires. Dick bought it from Randy Hinson, another prominent
collector from the Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Back in the years that this mighty Merc was active on the
street, word got around fast about that innocent-looking Comet coupe... avoid it like the plague.
