1973 Mercury Comet

The muscle car era of the late-1960s led to stricter safety guidelines for the early 1970s. Automakers worked diligently to make the cars safer and to comply with new regulations. The oil crisis resulted in greater demand for fuel economy, often found with compact cars with smaller engines. For Mercury, its entry-level offering for 1973 was the Comet, priced at nearly $2,400 and available as either a 2- or 4-door sedan. The 2-door proved to be much more popular with 55,707 examples sold compared to 28,984 of the four-door. Power was from a six-cylinder, overhead valve engine displacing 200 cubic inches and offering 94 (SAE) net horsepower. A three-speed manual transmission was standard and the SelectShift automatic was optional. An optional 250 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine with one-barrel carburetion offered 88 horsepower and the 302 CID V8 had 138 horsepower.

The styling remained mostly unchanged since its 1971 introduction. It did gain energy-absorbing bumpers for 1973 and a new, criss-cross pattern grille. Standard features included rocker panel moldings, wheel lip moldings, carpeting, ashtrays, cloth and vinyl upholstery, a blend-air heater, and dual hydraulic brakes with a warning light system.

The GT option package added high-back bucket seats, dual racing mirrors, hubcaps with bright trim rings, bright window frame, dual body tape stripe, blacked-out grille, hood scoop, deluxe door trim, headlamp door, lower back panel and hood paint treatment, and black dash panel with bright moldings.

Mechanical Specification
The 1973 Mercury Comet's two-door body style rested on a 103-inch wheelbase, while the four-door body style had a larger platform of 109.9 inches. The two-door Comets had an overall length of 185.4 inches, and the four-door body styles measured 192.3 inches.

The six-cylinder engine displaced 200 cubic inches and had overall valves, a cast iron block, a one-barrel carburetor, an 8.3:1 compression ratio, and delivered 94 (SAE net) hp at 3,800 RPM.

The 250 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine had overhead valves, a one-barrel carburetor, an 8.0:1 compression ratio, and produced 137 (SAE net) hp at 4,200 RPM.

The 302 cubic-inch V8 engine had overhead valves, a cast iron block, a two-barrel carburetor, an 8.0:1 compression ratio, and delivered 138 (SAE net) hp at 4,200 RPM.

A three-speed manual transmission was standard and the SelectShift automatic was optional.

by Daniel Vaughan | Aug 2020