Turn-Key 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler With A Cobra Jet 429!
Rarely do you find yourself pulling up to a stoplight, only to find that the car creeping up next to you ready to gap your ride is a Mercury. Such was the case at the turn of the decade in 1970, when these fourth generation Cyclone’s rolled off the lines. Mercury only manufactured the Cyclone for a brief period of time between 1964-1971, and the later models held their own against the more popular muscle cars of the era. These Cyclone’s married luxury with performance, and for those that actually like the gun-sight grille nose, styling was also easy on the eyes. Located in Vancouver, Washington, this beauty in original competition orange paint is listed for $68, 500, and you can see more here on craigslist.com. Shout out to T.J. for the tip.
One look at the first picture in the listing will tell you that this car was loved. This baby certainly was not sitting in a barn for 30 years. For the most part it is in original condition, with a little paint touch up, and some minor mechanical rebuilds. Introduced as the Mercury Comet Cyclone in 1964, the Cyclone was slated as Mercury’s muscle car once the Comet portion of the name was dropped in 1968. Like a lot of models in the 1960’s, it started as an option, but became exclusive for a number of years. Unfortunately, by the time this happened, sales dropped sharply within two years. These Cyclones, especially the Cyclone Spoilers with the much desired 429 Cobra Jet in the bay, are a hard to find coveted piece of history that should be cherished.
The seller states that the car boasts a numbers-matching 429 Cobra Jet with Ram Air, standard for a 1970 Cyclone Spoiler. Everything from the air cleaner, carb, and valve covers, to the 4-speed transmission, interior materials, and exterior paint is original. It looks straight and clean, and quite the contender for your local car show. Anybody can lineup their Camaro’s, Mustangs, and Corvette’s at the show, but a car like this will make the most hardcore enthusiasts eyes widen. You just don’t see them around these days, especially in this kind of condition, as only 1,631 Spoiler’s were produced in 1970. Sitting on new Radial T/A’s and new brakes, this car is ready for a new owner to take it on a cruise around town with pride.
A few more notes about what’s under the hood, the four-barrel 429 was rated at 370hp, and an aggressive 450lb-ft of torque. Known for it’s home in Gran Torino’s, the Cobra Jet only lasted a couple years. The increased compression ratio of 11.3:1, large valve setup, and higher flow carburetor’s got this car on the move quick. Revisiting the interior briefly, there aren’t many pictures to reference, but the one provided does display a very clean cockpit. It’s sad how short-lived these cars were. They simply weren’t the cool kids on the block, and sales tanked. This was horrible for Mercury, and it only makes them harder to find in today’s world. At the same time, when you come across one listed for sale like this one, it makes it so much more rewarding if you have the means to adopt it. This car has the desired features of all of its’ competitors, including style, power, and comfort. But its’ mystique and rarity will make you stand out among the crowd.
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Comments
Been a long time since I’ve seen one of these. Beautiful example here.
Nice ride for sure and don’t suppose there are too many of these around. Like the Torino cobra jet but might have worn a suit driving this one.
Waiting for MegaMillions tomorrow!
Wow. One of the finest original Spoilers I have ever seen. Great color combination. You would definitely be the talk of the show driving this. These have grown on me over the years and the fact that it cruises a road less traveled is appealing. 68K is a lot of green, but ask yourself this: “Where would I find another one comparable for the approximate amount of money”?
When I see these cars or 454 SS Chevelles, GTO’s, Roadrunners, etc, I am still amazed that in 1971 these cars were “common” in the sense that it seemed everybody had this type of car. I played Men’s League hockey in 1971-72 and if I needed a ride to the rink I got there in the twin to the subject Mercury or a 1970 SS 454 Chevelle. The guys that owned them were employed by Bethlehem Steel, Lackawanna,NY or the GM Tonawanda, NY engine plant. The cars weren’t remarkable back then-Just cool.
I like all muscle cars but the front end on these is a hard pill to swallow. The Torino was just a better looking car especially with the cancelled headlights.I raced one of these when I had my 68 Ram air GTO and it was one of the only cars to give me a good race maybe because we both had 4:30 gears in the back.I beat him by a fender.
I thought that all Cyclone Spoilers came with hideaways.
The Spoilers did not have the hideaways standard.
Looking through the brochure the Cyclone GT has the hidden lights not the Cyclone Spoiler.
https://www.autopaper.com/1970-mercury-cyclone-montego-gt-spoiler-mx-brougham-xl-revised-sales-brochure.php
It’s an absolute YES from me. Nice car, very nice.
Boy or boy would I love to have this car looks fantastic and a super cobra jet and a 4 speed ,man it don’t get no better than that and I’m a die hard chevy man but back in my day I had a couple of torinos compared to them this car and the styling blows away the Ford
I’m not a Ford guy, but I have to make an exception when it comes to the Cyclone and the earlier Mach 1’s…. in my opinion, those in the Thunderbird or some really nice designs.
Love the write ups you Wordsmiths!!! Really nice work for such a tedious and (sometimes) thankless job. Hat’s off to you all at BAT 👏
What a sweet ride, and check out some of the other cars in the background. This looks like a great deal!!
Every time i see a torino i say to myself i would rather have the 70s Clycone, not one this nice or original as I couldn’t afford it. I would opt for the roached out one, preferably without a motor, may as well go 460, and hope it was a 4 speed.. As long as it has the oddball nose.Maybe i will get lucky and it will have a drag pack rear ratio
What was Mercury thinking with those front ends? The word ugly isn’t strong enough to describe it.
Machismo is a function of character, Cyclones have it in spades Cool is, what cool does, so move on, not your turf.
Cobra Jet at a Super Cobra Jet price.
Why does the center section of the grille flip up?
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/gunsight-grandiosity
I believe it was to access the headlight doors mechanically if they failed?
Why does the center section of the grille flip up?
https://www.hemmings.com/stories/article/gunsight-grandiosity
That car has the coolest dash ever with the guages over to the side IMHO
I test drove a used on in 73 and thought the dash was super cool, but that particular one didn’t run that well. Cool look and this one looks great!
I myself love ❤️ the Mercury over most ford vehicles I would rather have this than the Torino. This cyclone the same color even was sherif Buford pussers nemesis’s he could never ever catch. The driver had this car as a moon shiners car. Even Buford Pussers cars were fast but he could never ever catch this guy lol.
The 11th photo shows a cracked dash pad at the 11 o’clock position coming out of the left-most gauge. I don’t know where you would even begin to look for a replacement.
In the mid ’80s and early ’90s I was the parts and service director at a Ford Mercury dealership in Carson City NV. One of my service customers had one of these. He was Bill Harrah’s lawyer. He and Bill used to race to Las Vegas to have a meeting and then race back. (approx 450 miles each way) By the time I met him he was and old man and a little frail. He would bring in the car running very poorly and would state.” Wayne, I fouled out the plugs again, please drive it for a couple of days and blow it out”. I was only too happy to oblige! What a cool car! He also drove a CJ5 with the Harrah’s paint scheme (Green and orange) and also had a 1970 Trans Am. He passed way in about 1989 and his widow came to see me about selling the cars. I was surprised to see one car in the garage that I had never before. A Torino Talledega in perfect condition with only about 15,000 miles on the odo. I only got to drive the car once, but what a treat!