1966 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT

[Paul Ceasrine]

1966 Mercury Comet,,,,,,,,390/335 HP

#3315 lbs., with a 9.89 wt/hp factor

Built for the highly competive 1966 NHRA C/Stock class.
In 1966, the 9.50 - 10.59 wt/hp class was considered the
'proving ground' for production built street performance musclecars.

* Hydraulic-lifter camshaft, with .481/.490 lift and 270*/290* duration.
* Dual-rate 265 lb. valve springs.
* 10.5 - 1 compression ratio pistons.
* #C60E-R Cylinder heads, with intermediate size valves (2.037" Intake / 1.56" Exhaust)
* A high-flow / dual-throat, medium-riser cast iron intake manifold.
* A Holley Model #4150 600 CFM carburetor (1 9/16" x 1 9/16").

At the 1966 NHRA Winternationals, Mercury shipped out '8' 'special factory'
prepared white w/red-striped cars to attack both the C/S and C/SA class.

Mercury even hired top A/FX racer Billy Lagana, and 'Fast Eddie' Schartman
to each run one of Comet Cyclone GT's at the National Event.

The C/S cars were running 13.00's @ 106 MPH.

C/Stock E.T. National Record: 12.73
C/Stock MPH National Record: 113.17

[dennis dunlap]

Paul , Were the 66 Comets the pace car at indy????

[CycloneFE]

Yes it was Dennis.

[Geerhead55]

Come to think of it, 1966 WAS the year I got Mercury poisoning,, I think a Comet caused it, and it was on the cover of Hot Rod Magazine,,, possibly April, if I remember right. I'm sure Dyno Don had something to do with it!
Danny Durham

[dennis dunlap]

Bought one of those out of someones back yard years ago,Got dog-bit trying to get it out. Had to take the fence down to load it .After we got it cleaned up you could see the lettering. Pace Car ect. on it. I wasn,t a Mercury guy but i new it was something special .The car was pretty impressive. Loaded it up and sent it to the Hoosier swap meet at Indy and it sold before we could unload it !!!!!!

[Charlie A]

The chrome wheels on those were actually hubcaps.

Very stylish car.

Never understood why they and the Fairlane GT were not as street popular as the GM mid size counterparts of the day.

[Paul Ceasrine]

Dennis,

I believe the 66' Comet Cyclone convertible was the 'Official Indy Pace Car'
in 1966.

The car 'should' have had functional scoops in that fiberglass hood,
instead of the faux-units.

At the 66' NHRA Winternationals, the manufacturers and dealers used the
C/Stock class to promote their 'new and hottest street performance cars'.

Mercury, with '8' Comet Cyclone GT entries in class, were out in force to win
C/Stock.
Not an easy task, as a total of '27' cars were entered, including the dangerous
66' Oldsmobile 4-4-2 (400/360HP Tri-Power) and the 66' GTO (389/360 HP Tri-Power).

The Mercury contingent did not disappoint, as the Comet Cyclone GT's took
3 of the top 4 qualifying spots, plus 3 more spots in the Top 10

C/Stock qualifiers;
#1 Ken Casteel,,,,,,,,,,,12.95 @ 104.40 MPH
#2 Les Shockey,,,,,,,,,,13.05 @ 107.14 MPH
#4 Roger Gustin,,,,,,,,,,13.05 @ 105.00 MPH
#7 Billy Lagana,,,,,,,,,,,,13.09 @ 104.75 MPH
#9 Eddie Schartman,,,,,13.11 @ 104.03 MPH
#10 Tom Strunk,,,,,,,,,,,13.12 @ 105.05 MPH

[Paul Ceasrine]

Car Life Magazine,,,,,,,,,,April 1966

Performance test of the 1966 Mercury Comet Cyclone GT,

390/335 HP, C-6 Automatic, with 3.25 Gears

Test was performed at Carlsbad Raceway Dragstrip, January 1966.
Editors Analysis;
* Plenty of usable torque on the low-end.
* Not much of a top-end performer.
* Restrictive valve passages in the cylinder head, hinder engine breathing.
* Valve size adequate (2.03" intake / 1.56" exhaust)
* Hydraulic-lifters limit attainable RPM.

* Performance results; 15.20 @ 90 MPH

Test was performed with 7.75 x 14" tires, and 3-speed console shifted automatic.
Shift points were 4800 RPM (1st to 2nd) and 4600 RPM (2nd to 3rd).

Note: The car came from the dealership, equipped with fabricated tubed headers,
with 3" dumps.

[Paul Ceasrine]

1966 Indianapolis 500,,,,,,,,

[jims5600]

Paul I remember when I was in high school and seen those Comet's at
the local Merc dealership. I always liked those and had a soft spot in my
heart for them and the Fairlane GT's