1969 Mercury Cyclone GT
Everyone wants to call the Cyclone a Mustang with a mustache, but they're not even related. The Cyclone rode on Ford's intermediate Torino platform, a 116 inch wheelbase unibody built for NASCAR speedways, not parking lot bragging rights. By 1969, Mercury had actually demoted the GT name to an appearance package: stripes, hood scoops, and attitude, while the real muscle moved to the CJ badge with a 428 cubic-inch V8 making 335 horsepower. That CJ would run 0-60 in 6.1 seconds and clear the quarter mile in 13.9. Underneath it all sat the same aerodynamic SportsRoof fastback that helped Cale Yarborough win the 1968 Daytona 500, the body shape Mercury bet its NASCAR future on. Only 9,143 Cyclones left the factory in 1969. The Mustang got the glory. The Cyclone got the engineering.
