SuperMerc
Meet 1970 Cyclone Spoiler II: the baddest Mercury never made
by Tom Shaw
photos by Tom Shaw
One of the most overused clichés in the vintage Ford hobby is that four letter word “rare”. Some folks insist on torturing it to fit cars that were cranked out like potato chips. But we don’t think anybody would object if we refer to Steve Honell’s ’70 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II as rare. None were built. This Competition Orange knockout, sleek and packed with Boss 429 power, came close but was never put into production. A pity too.
This was to be Mercury’s version of FoMoCo’s next-generation aero design, taking over from the very successful Torino Talladega and Cyclone Spoiler II. Ford’s model, called the King Cobra, was the focus of development. Completion of the new Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II lagged atound 60 days behind.
The King Cobra and Cyclone Spoiler II were more than concept cars. In the Spring and Summer of 1969, Ford styling and engineering were moving ahead at full speed, readying these radical designs for full production. Ford had just been slapped upside the head with Dodge’s winged, pointy-nose Daytona, and had to answer back. The comparatively tame ’69 Talladega and Cyclone Spoiler II were regulars in NASCAR winner’s circle, but in these times of intense competition, Ford had to have more, and this was it. Internal documents show that Ford planned to build and sell around 3,500 sleek-beak King Cobra Torinos prior to January 1, 1970 to qualify the model for NASCAR competition.
Page 1 of 3 Next »
