1974 was the first year for the huge “safety” bumpers, thanks to U.S. regulations, and the front bumper on this 1974 Mercury Comet is really noticeable. Thanks, Captain Obvious. It is what it is, just like the weather, and unless a person wants to spend a lot of time and money modifying an earlier bumper, this is what buyers got. Thanks to Ted for sending in this tip!
There is no mention of whether the original wheels and tires come with this car, but I’d want those. I’m not a huge fan of mags on a four-door sedan for some reason. To each his or her own, though, and if the owner likes them, that’s all that matters. I say that mainly because I think this may be a car with the “Custom Option”, which would have had color-keyed wheel covers. There’s almost no better way to announce your cool 1970s car while backing into a parking spot at a cars & coffee event than those sweet wheelcovers.
Part of the Custom Option would have been a vinyl top, along with full-length bodyside molding and double-pinstripe, as seen here. The fifth-generation Mercury Comet was made from 1971 through 1977 and they were originally going to be replaced with the new Mercury Monarch and Ford Granada (for Ford Maverick customers), but Ford kept them around an extra couple of years, so you could see both the Comet and Monarch in Mercury showrooms at the same time. They say that this was originally a California and Texas car before moving to Michigan.
Gaaaa! I shouldn’t be jarred or surprised at the aftermarket steering and added tach, this car has a 302 V8 and it’s probably what some of my friends may have done when we were young. If this car had a floor-mounted automatic selector, as seen in this brochure photo, some of the boy racer stuff would be easier on the eye. The seller is very light on photos and over half of them are verticals, hence the composites you see here. There are no photos of the back seat, trunk, or underside, but this car looks fantastic to me.
The engine is Ford’s 302-cu.in. OHV V8, which in this case would have had 140 horsepower and 230 lb-ft of torque. Maybe not enough to do a Leno-like burnout, but hey, it was 1974 and this car was meant to be more about luxury. Speaking of that, you can see it’s an air-conditioned car and the seller has it listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Otsego, Michigan and they’re asking $10,000. Here is the original listing. Any thoughts on this Comet? Leave it as is or return it to its former “luxury” glory?
I will never understand the people that take a nice car and put a bunch of Walmart accessories and ugly wheels on it. The body and interior on this look to be in great shape. And while the “girder” bumpers have never been my favorite, it would be even worse to modify the car to remove them.
No it wouldn’t. Put the early bumpers on it and get rid of the fillers, or narrow and tuck these bumpers( and get rid of the fillers). They are just too big!
Ford didn’t even try to make these giant bumpers look good.
Wow! Look at that front bumper!
Good wheels bad steering wheel
1973 was the start of the 5mph front bumper standard (2.5 rear). Both in 1974.
You’re right, MoragaPulsar, thanks! The front bumpers weren’t as big in ’73 but they were bigger than the 1972 bumpers, and 1974 was when they got really huge.
And Comets had it worse than almost any other car, including the Maverick since they had such a huge Bunkie beak to work around.
My grandmother had one of these in white. She lived on a farm and only drove into town once a week. She stopped driving in the mid 80’s and the car sat in an unheated detached garage. We came out to visit her in the late 90’s. We knew it had crazy low miles on it.
We opened the garage expecting a very dusty, but mint condition car. The rear tires were flat. We turned on the light and the car was trashed. A leaky roof ruined the paint/body in multiple places, mice had destroyed the engine compartment and had found their way inside. Even though it was not a collectible model, it was sad to see a sub 15k mile car meeting such a miserable end.
I had a 74 Maverick that was optioned identical to this car, which in ford speak was the LDO trim level, not sure if mercury called it the same.
My HS buddy’s mom had a similar Maverick 4-dr with the Luxury Decor Option. The tan buckets looked like leather from 10 feet and the carpet was absurdly thick pile. White with a brown vinyl top and wide bodyside mounding with a matching brown vinyl insert. The color-keyed wheel covers with white inserts finished it off. Hers had the 250 six with A/C. Not fast and not sexy, it was very comfortable and near indestructible despite our best teenage efforts. A simple car in what now look like simple times. This Comet deserves a nice OEM makeover for a Sunday cruise.
Maybe the “safety” bumpers worked because no one drove the cars anymore than they absolutely had to.
Lovely looking car. It’s a shame it’s not a popular car for car collectors. Oh well. DILLIGAF. You can’t please everyone. I’d buy one if I could find one, maybe its twin, the Ford Maverick, in decent condition. Another thing I don’t get is why they weren’t available in station wagon body style. Their predecessors, you could’ve gotten a Ford Falcon and Mercury Comet if you wanted as a station wagon.
If these aren’t popular with collectors, then why are they so pricey?
Your guess is as good as mine. Given its condition, I’d be willing to pay between $5000 and $10,000.
Supply and Demand. These are the spiritual successors to the first generation Mustang, and in fact shared a platform before the Mustang grew into an overweight, fat pig, courtesy of Bunkie Knudsen! They are popular because many Mustang parts are straight bolt-ons, such as the 302/5.0L V8, along with many suspension and go fast goodies (spoilers, air dams and such), and Mustangs have priced themselves out of the market for the entry-level collector and driver. This is the next step down the ladder towards something approaching affordable, and as more and more examples are consigned to the crusher due to terminal rust, the remaining supply becomes more expensive as the supply dwindles and demand increases. Once upon a time, these cars were as common as dirt, and ten-tear old examples, many wearing Bondo and grey primer, populated high school and college parking lots all over North America. Now, despite their numerous shortcomings (poor space efficiency and lousy handling), they are becoming prized examples of our youth, fulfilling a yearning nostalgia for Baby Boomers of the Malaise Era (of which I was one)!
A law school roomate of mine had a two-door version of the Comet. It had shag carpeting. How 70’s!!
An ugly four door wannabe race car!
I see a Gapp & Roush Tijuana Taxi tribute! Or, shave the door handles and do something with the bumpers.
An aftermarket tachometer, steering wheel and set of mag wheels on an otherwise stock car doesn’t make it a wannabe race car. Car shows are full of wannabes that throw every performance part imaginable at a car that will never go near a racetrack. This is someones low buck way to get a decent looking car they can probably cruise around in and take to some shows. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Steve R
If done right, these aftermarket tach and gauges can be made to look stock, like they were installed at the dealer, or before delivery to the dealer. The problem I’ve seen is that most aftermarket accessories look like afterthought.
This has the stuff that a kid would have put on it when it was handed down to him from his parents in 1978 when they bought their new car.
There are some aftermarket accessories that I like, and then there are some that I can’t stand!
Proof positive, mag wheels can make the most mundane car attractive. My late ex-mother-in-law, who I miss dearly, had a 4 door Maverick that replaced her Vega. It was a good car, but very little heat. She was the kind that didn’t make a fuss, and I can still see her driving away with a hat, scarf and mittens. She never complained.
I agree. I’ve seen some cool mag wheels on what would otherwise be boring! cars.
Hey Becky, does this bumper make my butt look big?