Originally, the #MercuryComet wasn't a #Mercury at all. It had been conceived as a compact #Edsel - and some of its parts, even after it reached production, still carried Edsel part numbers. But after Edsel's first bad year, plans changed rather rapidily. The Comet would still go ahead, but it would be sold at Lincoln-Mercury stores, because Edsel would probably be gone by the time it arrived. When it did reach stores the #Comet, like the Valiant at Chrysler-Plymouth stores, it didn't actually have a make badge, it was just "Comet." Until 1962, by which time Edsel was long gone and Ford's fifties brand segmentation ideas had regressed to the familiar pattern of Fords, Lincolns, and Ford-based Mercuries somewhere in between. Only a few hints of Edsel styling remained. As it was now a full-fledged Merc, the Comet got a light restyle to make it look more like the other Mercury models, but underneath, it was mostly a Ford Falcon, albeit stretched by a few inches (2-door Comet wagons rode the same wheelbase as the Falcon’s 2-door wagon). Where the Falcon was aimed at all small imports, the Comet was a more upscale car - though only just. Like the Falcon it was a six-cylinder only car even after GM launched V8 compact competitors at Buick and Olds. It also clung a long time to tailfins, which had vanished from the other Fords after 1961.The Comet would continue to evolve with the Falcon until being twinned with the Fairlane in 1966, each year growing larger and faster as the origins of "the compact craze" of 1959-60 - aimed at wiping imports like Opel, Austin, and VW off the map - faded away. The later V8 Comets have more of a following than the early six cylinder cars for obvious reasons, but early on Mercury recognized the appeal of a sportier version - the S-22, with bucket seats and some other then-sporty touches was available from 1961, eventually becoming the Comet Caliente. #ford #1962 #sixties #carstagram #instacar #vintage #trb_autozone #exploring_shotz #rustlord_carz #patina #patina_perfection #ipulledoverforthis #ig_autoshow #classicfords #classicmercury #dailydrivers #Mercuries #1960s #compacts #CometS22 #mercuryS22 #S22 #soloparking #onthestreet
