I love the modern world sometimes. I was surfing the internet and came across a post from a guy asking about this car in his barn. He knew what it was; he just wanted to show what a cool car it was. Never having seen a car like that before, I inquired about it and discovered it was only a short drive from my family place in Wisconsin. So I was off to see a car I never knew existed, a 1967 Mercury Comet Caliente R-code 427 with dual four-barrels and a four-speed.
Mercury Comets were produced from 1960 through roughly 1977. Until 1967 they shared a platform with the compact Falcon. They were bumped up to the Fairlane platform and eventually downsized to the Maverick platform. Comets were always the upscale version of the pedestrian Ford at the time, and many famous racers had Comets as drag cars. This was one of them.
When I pulled up to the owner's house, I could see the tail end of the car sticking out of the barn. And I do mean barn, with chickens and cats and hay everywhere. I was "attacked" by a trio of white cats while trying to photograph the car. Matt, the property owner and nephew of the Comet's owner, said that the cats and chickens all grew up together, so they are like family and guard the Comet!
He was right; they swarmed the car, which had been sitting since roughly 1974-1975 and yet is in amazing condition. It is one of two Comets built for 1967 in the Caliente trim level with the R-code 427 that had dual four-barrel carburetors and a four-speed. The Caliente was the top trim for the Comet, while the Cyclone was the sportier alternative. For drag racing you wanted the lighter car. This Comet was bought to go drag racing by Garbo Motors, a dealership in Racine, Wisconsin. We are guessing they wanted to showcase the high end of the spectrum, so they got this thing loaded up with full gauges, the courtesy light group, a rear-seat speaker, tinted glass, disc brakes, a black vinyl top and black interior, and Onyx black paint.
They must not have raced it very long. Matt's uncle got it not many years after that, and he raced it for a short time before some engine trouble, what he thought was a dropped valve. He pulled the engine and transmission and put the car outside for a bit before rolling it into the barn. The sticker on the car's plate is from 1981, though the car has been sitting there longer. The original engine and transmission aren't in the car, but they aren't far away. The uncle is a huge Ford/Mercury fan and had an entire shop complex nearby with tons of engines, transmissions, and projects.
I was not prepared for the quantity and quality of the cars at the uncle's shop. There was a 1961 Ford Galaxie up on the lift, a Mercury Marauder with a dual-four-barrel cruiser in the middle, a 1993 Mustang Cobra with just a double-digit number of miles on the odometer, and an ultrarare 1967 Ford Fairlane 500 XL with an R-code dual-four-barrel 427 that, from the Marti report, came just a few cars down the line from when the Comet was built. It only has 275 miles on the odometer!
That was just inside. The yard was full of vintage Ford and Mercury metal as well. Just outside the door was a row of Galaxies, Torinos, and even a Marauder or two. Most of these were just shells of cars or parts cars. A few had been raced hard and put away wet, but the patina on them was amazing. The hand-painted lettering, the decals . . . you can't buy that look.
Not to be dismissed were a few Broncos, a Comet, a Fairlane, a Fox-body Mustang, and a Crown Vic. The only outlier in the group was an old military M715 Jeep. This was a farm field nearly literally full of Fords.
Matt and his family were gracious enough to allow me to document the Comet and the rest of the collection. It was a great afternoon of fun and laughter looking at cool cars. What more could anyone ask for? And it all started with a post on the internet.
Editor's note: You can follow Ryan Brutt online through multiple social media outlets: facebook.com/TheAutoArchaeologist; Instagram @theautoarcheologist; youtube.com/user/AutoArchaeology. Write him at TheAutoArchaeologist@yahoo.com. "I am always looking for more cool cars to document," he says. "I don't reveal locations or who owns the car. I just want the story!"
Until now I had never noticed a 1967 Comet, but this grille will forever be burned in my memory. You can't miss the 427 badges on the front fender, either, or the cat guarding the car. The Comet's rear is in worse shape than the rest of the car since it is more exposed to the elements. Other than some sheetmetal put over the holes in the floor to keep larger critters out, the interior is pretty much as-raced 40 years ago. Another über-rare car in the barn is this 1967 Ford Fairlane 500 XL with an R-code 427 and just 275 miles on the odometer. It's getting a complete, concours-level restoration. Just one of many shelving units in the shop that are home to Ford speed parts, like the intakes on this one. A 427 with dual-four-barrels sitting in the corner, "just in case." This 1993 Mustang Cobra's mileage is only in the double digits. Right outside the shop sat a row of Ford cars that will become parts cars or projects. This big old Galaxie looks to have been a drag race car back in the day, judging by the faded, hand-painted lettering. Where another old barn used to sit, a Galaxie 500 has taken up residence. Barer-bones than the fancy 500, this Galaxie 202 sits amongst trees that weren't there when it was parked. This Mercury Marauder will probably become a project car for a member of the family.Source: www.bing.com
