1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II Dan Gurney Special Coupe

Stock car racing and the muscle car era was becoming very popular during the mid-1960's which left many marques abandoning the larger platforms in exchange for intermediate bodied cars. For Mercury, their answer was the Comet which had debuted in 1960 on a stretched Falcon frame. When the Mercury Cougar was introduced in 1967 it relieved the Comet of some of its functions and freed it to become a true muscle car.

Safety was important and this showed during the close of the 1960's, as government regulations and safety restrictions brought the muscle car era to an end. NASCAR had begun imposing strict restrictions on horsepower around the same time, in an effort to make the cars more competitive and safer. Racers were no longer being decided upon sheer power but on aerodynamics and low drag, to name a few. For 1969 a special model was introduced named the Cyclone Spoiler II which had an extended nose adding an addition 19.5 inches. It had a downward angle of thirty-five degrees and located at the back was a fixed spoiler. Re-rolled rocker panels gave the allusion of the vehicle sitting about an inch lower.

NASCAR homologation rules stated that at least 519 examples were needed. Mercury planned on producing at least this amount and possibly fitting them with a 428 Cobra-Jet option. When introduced, the vehicles were given a 351 cubic-inch Windsor engine that produced 290 horsepower. A FMX automatic transmission was also standard. To honor two of Mercury's greatest NASCAR drivers, the vehicles were offered in two commemorative editions, the Dan Gurney and the Cale Yarborough edition. The Dan Gurney edition was in Wimbledon White while the Cale Yarborough edition was in Candy Apple Red and Wimbledon White.

By Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2009