chrisjcieslak caught a Mercury Cyclone in the wild. Or maybe its actually a very tame neighborhood, but this car certainly adds a bit of spice to the otherwise boring streetscape. Here’s a closer look:
I just cropped the shot to get a better look at what I think is a 1971 MY Cyclone. Or is it a ’70? Sorry, but without seeing the grille it’s kinda’ stumping me right now.
I am going to go with 70 based on paint color. This looks like 1970 Bright Gold to me. The similar color FoMoCo used in 71 was more yellow. Just my (colorful) two cents.
And there is nothing Korean about this, so I guess there is no Korean car theme going today after all. 🙂
Besides the color, another clue might be the engine call-out on the front fender. This is just a guess, but it might be slightly different between 1970 and 1971.
From the brochures and the advertisements, the 1971 models appear not to have the engine call-out on the front fender, while the 1970 models do.
Between the color and engine call-out, I’d say it’s pretty much confirmed as a 1970 Cyclone.
Good call, from the color expert. Isn’t it surprising how hard it is to tell these apart? How many other American cars from this era were so similar?
Might be a good QOTD.
Check out the rubber. The owner went the extra mile and went to the trouble and expense of getting period correct Firestone Wide Oval tires. Now that’s the sort of detail that’s impressive.
Yeah those jumped out at me as indicating the owner went for 100% originality, or a perfect clone.
First thing I noticed too. I’m actually ok with plain black walls on this type of car … I probably prefer them aesthetically … but it really bugs me when an otherwise original looking resto has raised white letters proclaiming some off-brand, probably Chinese or Korean tire.
Thanks for posting, Paul. I didn’t get a chance to see the front of the car- I literally ran outside to take a photo as it pulled up to the light (perhaps I have a problem?)
A question for CCs Australian and New Zealand contributors, does the profile resemble the Falcons of the era?
Also, the old lady who lived across the street from me where I grew up had one of these in a mid-blue colour. I can’t ever recall it moving from the driveway though. I distinctly remember those back lights.
It does resemble the XA/ Falcon coupes sold here from 72 through 79, but it is not the same bodyshell. Some lesser components were shared though, eg wing mirrors and of course drivetrain components
4 model years later, [’74] the Mercury mid size line up was pure mid price Brougham product. No trace of Cyclones or Spoilers, and Cougar was a bigger BOF PLC.
’73 MY still had Montego GT sportsroof, and Cougar on original Mustang/Falcon platform, BTW.
Still cool to see a Chicago street scene.
Pretty much parallels the crossoverization we’re witnessing today. Who’d have thunk in just a few years Ford’s ST line would go from being applied to hot hatch versions of the Fiesta and Focus to being solely applied the big tall Edge crossover? Pretty much parallels Mercury’s short lived foray into performance models.
Good Lord, that thing is gorgeous!
I wonder if this is the Cyclone Joseph caught in the wild back in 2014. Just restored?
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-sighting-1970-mercury-cyclone-gt-now-thats-a-face-one-doesnt-forget-readily/
Very well could be. My neighborhood is about 4 miles south and a Mile west of Joseph’s.
4 miles isn’t a lot of distance in a city like Chicago. Too close to be a coincidence really.
Beat me to it, guys! :). From back when I was posting at the Cohort.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cohort-sighting-1970-mercury-cyclone-gt-now-thats-a-face-one-doesnt-forget-readily/
Wonder if this is the first time two separate people have posted the same car to the Cohort.
It looks to have gained a chin spoiler but the rest matches up pretty well.
The hubcaps and the neighborhood are what really sell it as the same car for me. Most people would have swapped on some Magnum 500s or an aftermarket wheel during a resto. This person seems to like the original “poverty” caps.
I think you’re right. Plus, just think of the relative rarity of a Mercury Cyclone. I’m not even sure if I ever saw one before the other day.
Saw an earlier soulmate in a hotel parking lot on a recent sales trip.
As some see all cars today as indistinguishable eggs, I see this as just another Coke bottle.