Quote:
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Originally Posted by merkerguitars
Or look for a mercury cyclone...i can't remember which years look the best but those are really nice cars.
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/me pulls out
Standard Guide to American Muscle CarsA Supercar Sourcebook 1960-2000
My analysis (not quoting anything):
You will want to begin your search in the model year 1968. For this model year, Mercury completely redesigned the car, and it was no longer a trim line of the Comet. It was a full-sized car, bearing a notable resemblance to the Cougar.
The GT model was a fastback body style, quite similar to that of the Shelby GT-500. Two pairs of round headlights were set into a blacked-out grille that stretched across the width of the car's front above the unovbtrusive chrome bumper. A handling package on the GT model brought stiffer springs, heavy shocks, and a variety of tuning changes designed to connect you more closely with the road.
The model year began with the top engine being the 390hp 427cid V8. Two months into the production year, Ford came to their senses and axed the 427 from the lineup, replacing it with the legendary 428 Cobra Jet with performance understated at 335hp, and enough torque to stick your ass to the vinyl seats with an improved 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds.
The 1969 model lineup dropped the poorly-selling notchback model and introduced the Cyclone CJ. Ford designers finished coming to their senses and offered a four-speed manual gearbox mated to the 428 Cobra Jet as stadard equipment.
Another model offered was the CG, with a 428cid V-6 that put out an estimated 435hp and earned the car a place in the slow end of the 13-second bracket.
In midyear, the Cyclone Spoiler II introduced a spoiler bolted to the trunk lid, and a 351 engine that was installed in every car produced, despite an announcement that the Cobra Jet would once again be available. 519 models of this car was produced for the sole purpose of making the race version eligible for NASCAR competition.
In 1970, the wheelbase grew an inch and the body by almost 7 inches. New body lines left the trunk lid somewhere between a notchback and fastback design. The standard engine was a 370-hp Ram air 429, and motorheads could drool over the few that were produced with the Boss 429.
The final year of the Cyclone was 1971, when the 429 Super Cobra Jet was available to further increase the performance and decrease the fuel economy to less than 10mpg.