1961 Comet - For Mercury, This Is as Good as It Gets

Behold: the only product ever marketed by Ford Company's Mercury division that (1) was something more than just a Ford with different trim, and (2) was sold in large numbers. The Comet, introduced in 1960, was based on Ford's Falcon compact but had a longer wheelbase and some parts from the Edsel. Originally intended to be sold as an Edsel, when that ill-fated car was killed in November, 1959 the Comet became a stand-alone model sold at Lincoln-Mercury dealers.

The Truth About Cars notes that, "the Comet’s styling was actually ahead of the whole Ford clan in 1960. It almost perfectly predicts the ’62 Fairlane and Meteor twins, as well as Ford’s general styling trend in the first half of the sixties." The Comet also sold about twice as many copies as all other Mercury models combined. And although it had a pitifully-underpowered straight-6 in its early years, by 1963 it was available with Ford's powerful 260 c.i. V-8. And some were sold with a four-speed transmission (a four-speed column-shifter, if you can believe that).

In 1964 the Comet became just a Ford Fairlane with slightly different trim, heralding the beginning of the era when most Mercurys were just Fords with a different name.

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