1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler

©2007 Publications International, Ltd. The Cyclone Spoiler was the first Mercury muscle car that didn't look like its Ford cousins. See more muscle car pictures.

Mercurymarched lockstep withFordthrough much of the age ofmuscle cars. Sure, it got many of the company's hotengines, but its Cougar never really ran with the wild ponys, and its midsize models were little more than fancyFairlanes. That changed with the introduction of the marquee's best-ever muscle car, the 1970 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler.

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Here, finally was a body unique from that of the fastback Fords, aCoke-bottleshape with an individualized flavor. The Spoiler was the pure-performance version of the Cyclone GT, and actually came better equipped for battle than itsFord Torino Cobra表妹。汞的标准370 -必和必拓ram-air 429-cid V-8, an extra-cost upgrade in the Cobra. A Hurst-stirred four-speed with 3.50:1Traction-Lokgearscompleted the drivetrain, while a "competition" handling package and G70xl4tireslaced it down.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Ford's uplevel 429-cubic inch V-8, which made 370 horsepower, was standard in the Cyclone.

As in the Ford, a Select-Shiftautomaticwas optional, and so was the Drag Pack, which emboldened the 429 with solid lifters, stronger internals, and 375 bhp. The Drag Pack included 3.91:1 or 4.30:1 axles, the latter a Detroit Locker. As with the Torino Cobra, theBoss 429广告作为一个引擎early Cyclone Spoiler option, but few, if any, were installed.

Spoiler didn't use a shaker hood, going instead with an integrated functional scoop. A chin spoiler and rear air foil were standard, and while exterior adornment was left to simple tape stripes, six "Grabber" colors (blue, orange, yellow, green, coral, and platinum) were available. Mercury went Ford one better on the inside, providing Cyclones with a standard instrument cluster that included a proper round tachometer, andoilpressure, coolant temperature and amp gauges, all angled toward the driver. Torino made do with idiotlightsand a weird horizontal-reading tachometer.

©2007 Publications International, Ltd. A full complement of gauges, tilted toward the driver, further set apart the Cyclone from its kin.

Befitting a Mercury, the Cyclone Spoiler was a bigcar. It shared Torino's wheelbase, but at a rangy 209.9 inches, its body was longer than the Ford's by 3.7 inches. And it weighed about 100 pounds more, similarly equipped. But finally, here was something more than a Fairlanefacsimile. Here was a real muscle car Mercury.

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  • Are you thinking of buying a 2007 muscle car, or any other car? See Consumer Guide Automotive's New-Car Reviews, Prices, and Information.

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