1960 Comet Options and Accessories

The 1960 Comet had a choice of 11 exterior acrylic enamel colors and some very attractive option packages, which included the following:

Deluxe Trim Package at $58.00

Heater / Defroster at $74.30

Back up lights at $10.70

Padded Dash Panel and Sun visors at $22.40

Two Tone Paint Scheme at $19.40

Push Button “AM” Radio at $58.80

Tinted Windshield at $13.70

Two Speed Windshield Wiper at $9.65

Electric Tailgate Window (Station Wagons) at $33.00

1960 Comet Technical Specifications

The 1960 Comet came factory equipped with a cast iron lock, 144 cubic inch, in line six-cylinder engine. This was the same engine used in the 1960 Ford Falcon. This engine was lightweight, at a mere 345.5 lbs., but was a tremendous success due to the 3.5 x 2.5 inch bore and stroke and the 8.70 to 1 compression ratio.

The 144 in line six also put out 90 hp. at 4200rpm, and was equipped with a single barrel Holly carburetor. The engine had four main bearings and put out extremely good torque at 138 ft. lbs. at 2000 rpm. This combination could push the Comet to a top speed of approximately 80 mph.

144 cubic inch engine spec sheet (Private Collection of D. Hendricks)

Also this little engine had great accessibility to all of the external parts with the oil filter, distributor, spark plugs, coil, and fuel pump located on the left side of the engine block.

The 1960 Comet passenger cars had a wheelbase of 114 inches making them longer than most compact cars of that year and with an over length of 194.8 inches the Comet was actually 14 inches longer than the Ford Falcon. This additional length gave the Comet a much smoother and superior ride than the Falcon or other similar cars yet at the same time it was much smaller than the full size cars and the smaller size gave the Comet much better maneuverability.

The interior dimensions of the Comet and the Ford Falcon were practically identical, the cloth covered trunk area of the Comet was dramatically larger with 28 cubic feet of available space.

The Comet front seat had more foam padding for added comfort, and adjusted a full four inches from front to back.

Original 1960 Factory Service Manual (Private Collection of D. Hendricks)

The instrument panel was similar to the Ford Falcon with different instruments being used. The speedometer was centrally located and had large easily read numbers. The only other gauges were the fuel gauge, and the temperature gauge. The battery charge gauge and the oil pressure gauge were indicated with red lights. Optional padding was also available on the dash panel for a small additional charge.

The Comet weighed about 100 lbs. more than the Ford Falcon, and with the additional weight, and the little 144 cubic inch as the only available engine, the Comet was a bit sluggish in take off and overall speed. When the 144 was coupled to the optional Mercomatic Transmission ($172.00), the Comet could go from zero to sixty in 25.1 seconds. The Mercomatic was a two speed, torque converter type transmission with the housing constructed of aluminum giving it a lighter weight.

When equipped with the factory three-speed manual transmission, the Comet would go from zero to sixty in a little better time of 17.7 seconds. The factory supplied three-speed transmission was a synchromesh in second (1.75 ratio) and high (3.29 ratio). The shift lever was mounted on the steering column within easy reach.

These rear axles consisted of the factory equipment 3.10 to 1 axle, the 3.50 to 1 axle, the 3.56 to 1 axle, and the 3.89 to 1 axle.

This years Comet came factory equipped with 6.00 x 13 wheels and tires. The rear suspension was of the standard Hotchkiss type with five, fifty-two inch long leaf springs. Full-length butyl liners separated each spring. Larger eye spring bushings support the springs and minimized road noise.

The front suspension had coil springs that were mounted in a shock tower above the A-arm assembly, while the lower arms were stamped channels, thus giving the wheels a controlled fore and aft motion. Tube type shocks were mounted inside the coils springs, while the anti-sway bars also added stability.

The braking system is of the duo-server type with over 226 square inches of total drum area giving the Comet excellent stopping ability.

The steering starts with a seventeen-inch diameter steering wheel connecting through a recirculating ball steering gear to a parallelogram-type linkage. Overall steering ratio was 27 to 1 and it would take full 4.6 turns to go from wheel lock to wheel lock position.

1960 Comet Production

In this first year of production, the 1960 Comet was very successful with a total production number of 116,331 units. The public found the smaller size and economical engine combined with the luxurious interior appointments a much more appealing alternative to the full size cars of this time.

1960 Advertisment Artwork (Private Collection of D. Hendricks)

The 1960 Comet had only one model but had four body styles from which to choose. These body styles consisted of the following -

The first was a 4-door, six-passenger family sedan, which had a total production of 47,416 units. This sedan had a factory price of $2053.00 and weighed 2433 lbs.

The second body style was a 2-door, six-passenger sedan with a total production of 45,374 units. This sedan was factory priced at $1998.00 and weighed 2399 lbs.

The third body style was the 4-door, six-passenger station wagon with a total production of 18, 426 units. This wagon was factory priced at $2365.00 and weighed 2581 lbs.

The fourth and final body style of the 1960 Comet was the 2-door, six-passenger station wagon with a total production of 5115 units. This wagon was factory priced at $2310.00 and weighed 2548 lbs.

1960 Comet The Beginning

The Ford Motor Company, introduced the new Comet to the public on March 17th, 1960. FoMoCo had originally intended to market the Comet as an Edsel, but the Edsel production was abruptly halted and the Comet was almost lost.

This was a time when the Ford Motor Company was beginning to have great luck with the Ford Falcon. The Mercury division did not wnat to be left out of this important part of the automotive industry, yet they did not have a car that could compete with the new compact cars that were rapidly coming on the automotive market. The executives at the FoMoCo Mercury division jumped at the chance to retrieve the Comet and convinced the FoMoCo executives to turn the Comet over and market it as a new line in the Mercury division.

1960 Comet 2-door sedan (Private Collection of D. Hendricks)

The Comet, that was originally tagged as an Edsel, was stripped of all Edsel nametags, plates, etc…, but the Mercury division did not have the time to redesign or retool new nameplates with the Mercury name, so the Comet was marketed as a separate marque for the years of 1960 and 1961. This is the reason the Mercury name is nowhere to be found on the 1960 or 61 Comet. Even the cars data plates are void of the Mercury name.

The Edsel styling traits were however, visible throughout the 1960-61 Comet. Items like the front parking and turn signals were the same parts as used on the 1959 Edsel. The 1960-61 Comet also used the interior dash knobs from the Edsel. The tail light lenses on the Comet bear a great resemblance to the Edsel lenses of the later years.

The Comet actually began as an elongated Ford Falcon with major sheet metal differences. Like the Falcon, the Comet was designed with a “unibody” construction and suspension that closely resembled the up and coming Ford Mustang.

The 1960 Comet had a sleek, stylish body, with a grille similar to the full sized Mercury, and distinctive slanted taillight lenses integrated into the rear fins on the sedans. Full length chrome trim was placed on the body sides, giving the 1960 Comet a clean, classic look. The front turn signals were embedded in the front bumper and would remain so for several years.

The Comet Concept

The Idea of the Comet began as early as October of 1955, when the first executive suggestion was made by L.D. Crusoe for a smaller, more fuel efficient family car. Mr. Crusoe was actually thinking of the Ford Falcon at this point but the Comet conception was not far behind.

The engineering and styling division began to experiment and design various compact models in January of 1956, under the direction of George Walker. Some of the early designs had wheelbases of less than ninety inches.

Proposed Edsel Comet 1959 Prototype (Private collection of D. Hendricks)

In March of 1957 the final decision had been made that an economy car was going to be produced by the Ford Motor Company. The engineering and merchandising departments were given explicit instructions to design a car that would be comparable in price to other compacts and the imported models, but to have enough major styling changes to appeal to the public eye.

The engineering department was given demanding specifications that were not only building an economy car, but designing a revolutionary new type and size of automobile that was smaller and more economical than the large behemoth cars of the late 50’s and early 60’s, but larger than the small compacts and uncomfortable imported cars. With this new size, the completed automobile would not only be economical but would also be better suited for the congested traffic of city driving and limited parking conditions. The engineers and designers were to do this and at the same time not give up the good styling, roominess, easy ride, performance and the luxuries the public had grown accustomed to.

The management at Ford, therefore, set the following design guidelines for the Comet.
* First, the exterior size was to be reduced from a standard size automobile.
* Second, the cars weight and initial cost had to be low.
* Third, the cost of operation had to be reduced substantially, with at least a 50% improvement in fuel economy.
* Fourth, the ride and stability of the larger size car had to be maintained while improving the maneuverability and handling characteristics.
* Fifth, interior size must be kept generous with ample room for six passengers and luggage.
* Sixth, the luxury of fine exterior and interior appointments had to be maintained.
* Finally, ease of maintenance and repairs completed the list.

The design process began. The first code name for the new Comet was the Australian “B” car. Some of the other names were the Debonaire, the Astrion, and the Allegro. The L’Avion I, which had a wheelbase of one hundred and two inches, was also a chosen code name, and this was in fact the first full size experimental model that preceded the Comet. Another experimental design was known as the 19XK Thunderbird, in which the body closely resembled that of a 1960 Comet, while the front end resembled the 1959 Ford T-Bird.

1959 Cut-away view of the unitized Comet body (Private collection of D. Hendricks)

In the Spring of 1958, six compact car designs were proposed and reviewed. The final design features were agreed upon, and the dimensions and overall specifications were settled. By June of 1958 all of the major development and experimental work had been completed.

It is believed that the Ford Motor Company had thoughts of marketing the new car as an “Edsel Comet”, a senior compact car, but when the Edsel production line was abruptly halted in November of 1959, the new size Comet was in danger of never being produced.

Comet Station Wagon Prototype 1959 (Private collection of D. Hendricks)

This was a time when the Ford Motor Company was rejoicing over their sales winning Ford Falcon and the Mercury division did not want to be left behind in the fast growing economy car market, so the Lincoln-Mercury executives jumped at the chance to have the Comet become part of the Mercury family and persuaded the Ford Motor Company to let them introduce it as Mercurys answer to the economy car market. The Comet production models had already been produced, so all the Lincoln-Mercury people had to do was remove the Edsel script and change a few minor trim pieces and the Comet was born.

Some of the design features of the Comet were the very first among automobile manufacturers. The Comet was designed with a unitized body, giving the ability to do away with a major portion of the frame and also a major portion of the weight. Other weight reducing efforts were thinner door designs, and the use of aluminum for the ornamentation where possible. The Comet fenders were bolted on instead of welded, thus cutting the insurance cost for replacements, and also providing better hood fitting and adjustability.

To maintain the body rigidity and protect the structural members, a special rust resistant galvanized metal was used in certain areas, allowing thinner gauge metal to be used while keeping the same durability as the thicker metal.

The Comet engine was designed using 122 fewer parts than the average automobile, and using aluminum where possible, thus reducing the engine overall weight by almost 175 lbs. without sacrificing the performance or mechanical stability. The brakes were also redesigned and used 30 fewer pieces than the standard automobile of the time and also resulted in simpler maintenance and better braking performance.

The redesign of the Comet left this car weighing approximately 1200 lbs. lighter than the average car of the time and was easier to maintain. The Comet also gained better performance and reliability than the competition.

Comet 4-door sedan prototype 1959 (Private collection of D. Hendricks)

The Comet was well on its way to becoming one of the Ford Motor Companies first and hottest selling compact cars.

By January of 1960 several magazines began writing articles about the entirely new supplement to the Ford Motor Companies, Mercury Division. At this time they had not seen the new Comet but they had a pretty good idea of what was to come. Some of the articles stated that the new Comet could be loosely compared to the Ford Falcon, the Corvair or the Valiant, but that there were major differences. The new Comet was to be the first of the so-called luxury compact cars in the medium priced range. There were other automobile manufacturers that were trying to get their cars ready in this field but the Comet was the first to appear.

Introduction of the Comet

The Mercury Comet was introduced to the public on March 17th, 1960. During the 17 years from 1960-1977 the Comet had an enormous impact on the history and technology of the automotive industry. This blog is being written to help bring that history to light.

The Comet saw body styles that ranged from sporty compacts to station wagons, and also from full size family sedans to factory drag racers. The Comet Cyclone convertible was even used as the 1966 Indianapolis 500 Pace Car.

The Mercury Comet was, in this writer’s opinion, one of the most durable, reliable, and finest automobiles ever produced. This along with the racing history, proven durability records and competitions, and the advanced technology of the Comet, have made for a very desirable car then and a very collectible car now.

I have personally researched the Comet automobile since 1981 and have collected thousands of pieces of literature, documentations, advertisements and photographs. With the Comet becoming more and more scarce I felt that is was time to offer my findings to those who truly appreciate the Mercury Comet, its history, and technology.

I do hope you enjoy this Mercury Comet Blog and all it has to offer. Over the next few months I will be adding things like Production numbers, Technical Information, Data Plate Info, Photographs (many which have never been published), advertisements, and much more hoping to help those that are interested in these wonderful cars of the past.

Also please remember if you have comments, suggestions, questions, information, documentation, photographs, or just a story of an old Comet, please feel free to contact me, I love to hear it all.

My contact information is as follow:

e-mail me at dan7064@gmail.com