Introduced in 1960, the Mercury Comet was moved up to the intermedia category in 1966 to compete with the Chevrolet Chevelle, Pontiac Tempest, and the rest.

The Comet received a variety of assignments in its career at the Ford Motor Company. Originally developed as an Edsel, when that division folded it became a stand-alone compact brand marketed by Mercury dealers. The Comet was then formally merged into the Mercury line in 1962, promoted to senior compact status in 1964, and in 1966 it became a full intermediate, competing directly against the GM A-body and Chrysler B-body mid-sized products.

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While the wheelbase grew only two inches (to 116-in) in) in the transformation, the overall length grew a full eight inches to 203 inches. And though the greenhouse was shared with the Ford Fairlane, from the beltline down the sheet metal was exclusive to the Comet. The overall width was increased a little more than two inches, and that, among other things, allowed a Ford big-block V8 to fit (just barely) between the front spring towers in the engine compartment.

There were four trim levels in the ’66 product line: stripped-down 202, mid-range Capri, deluxe Caliente, and top-of-the-line Cyclone. While the body styles included two-door and four-door post sedans, wagons, and a convertible, the best seller was the handsome pillarless two-door Hardtop. Offered as a Capri, Caliente, or Cyclone, the Hardtop racked up nearly 62,000 sales, more than 36 percent of the total Comet volume in ’66.

Of special interest to enthusiasts today is the racy Cyclone GT, Mercury’s entry in the mid-sized muscle-car category for ’66 (above). Features included a fiberglass twin-snorkel hood, racing stripes at the rocker panels, and heavy-duty suspension and brakes. Also standard was a 390 cubic-inch FE-series V8 with a 10.5:1 compression ratio, a Holley four-barrel carb, and 335 hp at 4800 rpm.

While Car Life’s editors in the April 1966 issue enjoyed the Cyclone GT, they found its 15.2-second quarter-mile times “adequate, but not overwhelming,” blaming the restrictive cylinder heads and valve float. As auto journalists will, they suggested the situation could be remedied by dropping in the 427 CID V8. To its credit, the big-block GT actually outsold the standard Cyclone, and a Cyclone GT Convertible paced the 1966 Indy 500.

A station wagon was offered as well, though this Comet shared a 113-inch wheelbase with the Falcon wagon, as did the Fairlane wagon. There were two trim levels, base Voyager and deluxe Villager, with the Villager offering fake wood trim in durable vinyl (below). Both were equipped with Ford’s innovative Magic Doorgate, marketed by Mercury as the Dual-Action Tailgate.

While the ’67 Comets continued with only minor changes, Mercury now was backing away from the Comet name for its intermediate-class products, and it was erased from the lineup completely in 1970, replaced by the Montego and Cyclone. The Comet name was then revived in 1971-77 for a rebadged and barely disguised Ford Maverick compact.