Lincoln-Mercury jazzed up its compact Comet lineup in 1963 with a convertible, a fastback hardtop, and a 260 cubic-inch V8. 

Custom Convertible 

In the Ford family of fine cars, the compact Mercury Comet traced a zigzag route. Originally developed as an Edsel, it was introduced in mid-1960 to be marketed by Mercury dealers, though not as a Mercury but as a standalone brand. Finally, in 1962 it won its Mercury emblems. And while the Comet never sold in the same numbers as its corporate cousin, the Ford Falcon, it made up a sizable portion of the Lincoln-Mercury division’s total volume: nearly 45 percent in 1962.

S-22 Two-Door Sedan 

For 1963, Lincoln-Mercury expanded the Comet’s market reach and introduced the first convertible. The Corvair Monza had demonstrated that many buyers saw compacts as more than economical transportation; they were seeking style and fun. For ’63, there were three trim levels: base Comet, Comet Custom, and S-22. L-M’s spin on the Falcon Futura, fair to say, the S-22 featured a similar vinyl interior, bucket seats, console, exclusive exterior trim, and for the final touch, six tail lamps instead of four. Available in Custom or S-22 trim, the convertible sold quite respectably,  bringing in nearly 10 percent of the Comet’s ’63 sales.

S-22 Sportster 

More excitement came in February ’63 with the introduction of the Comet Sportster, a pillarless two-door coupe that shared its fastback roofline and greenhouse with the 1963 1/2 Falcon hardtop. Like the convertible, The Sportster was available in Custom or S-22 trim, though most buyers opted for the bench-seat Custom. Together, the two hardtops racked up sales of more than 15,000 units, not bad for a late-year introduction with a $270 premium over the two-door post sedan.

S-22 Sportster interior 

Along with the rollout of the Sportster hardtops at mid-year came the introduction of a 260 cubic inch V8, the very same 164 hp Challenger V8 offered in the Falcon Sprint but here renamed the Cyclone. And just as in the Falcon, the optional V8 could be paired with a Borg-Warner T10 four-speed transmission. With the added torque of the V8 came chassis upgrades: larger 10-in drum brakes, 5-lug hubs and wheels, and torque boxes to stiffen up the floorpan. While the 164 hp Comet was no powerhouse compared to the muscle cars that would come a few years later, the 260 V8 and 4-speed gearbox made a sporty combination.

All told, the convertible, S-22, and Sportster models racked up nearly 35,000 sales in ’63, out of the total Comet volume of around 135,000 cars. So while the bread-and-butter economy models continued to account for the bulk of the division’s compact sales, here was an encouraging development for the Lincoln-Mercury product planners, we can speculate. Over the next few years, the Comet’s styling and features would take a more lively turn.

S-22 Convertible