1963 MERCURY COMET S-22 HARDTOP - RED HOT COMET

Filmed in a crowded showroom I spied this special Comet. The Comet was initially released without any divisional badging, only "Comet" badges, similar to Valiant, which did not have Plymouth badging at first. It was sold through Lincoln-Mercury-Comet dealers, but was not branded as a Mercury Comet for two more years. This was similar to Ford's treatment of the Meteor and Frontenac of Canada, sold through Meteor-Mercury-Frontenac dealers. Introduced in March 1960, initial body styles were two- and four-door sedans and two- and four-door station wagons. Two trim levels were available, standard and "Custom", with the latter including badging, additional chrome trim, and all-vinyl interiors. In 1960, the only engine available was the 144 cubic Thriftpower straight-six with a single-barrel Holley carburetor, which produced 90 hp. at 4200 rpm. Ford had purchased the name "Comet" from Comet Coach Company, a professional car manufacturer in which the term belonged to a line of funeral coaches, mainly Oldsmobiles. The coach company then was renamed Cotner-Bevington. In response to complaints about the low performance of the 144 cubic engine, a 170 cube Thriftpower with a single-barrel Holley carburetor producing 101 hp. at 4400 rpm was released for the 1961 model year. A new four-speed manual transmission was also an option (a Dagenham without first-gear synchromesh). The changes to the 1961 Comet were minimal, such as moving the Comet script from the front fender to the rear quarter and a new grille design. The optional S-22 package was released. Available only on the two-door sedan, it was billed as a "sport" package, although it shared the same mechanicals as regular Comets, with the only changes being S-22 badging, bucket seats, and a center console. The S-22 had six bullet-shaped taillights, while regular Comets had four oval with two optional flat reverse lights. While the 1963 model looked almost identical to the earlier models, the chassis and suspension were redesigned to accommodate an optional 260 cube V8 engine, borrowed from the Fairlane, using a two-barrel carburetor and producing 164 hp. This red hot Comet is a rare one with only 5,807 produced and had a base price of $ 2,635. Features of this S-22 model include : This has a 302 cubic V8 with 4 barrel carb, automatic transmission, Ford 8 inch rear end with a 3.55:1 posi, factory S-22 optioned car, correct Carnival Red exterior, updated white bucket seat interior, updated air conditioning and heat, electronic ignition, aluminum radiator with electric fan, center console, AM radio in dash, front and rear seat belts, Auto Gage under dash gauges, 14 inch chrome American Racing Wheels, and rides on BF Goodrich radial tires. Although not completely factory stock, this pro restored red hot Comet shows well and a rare limited production survivor. Thanks for viewing.