Wagons are hot, but then there’s always “that guy” who doesn’t like cars with four doors. Everyone wins with this 1962 Mercury Comet wagon because it only has one door on each side! This project wagon is listed on eBay with a current bid price of $1,200 but the reserve isn’t met yet. It’s located in beautiful Alameda, California.
I guess maybe not everyone wins with a two-door wagon, the rear seat passengers can’t get in and out of the back seat as easily as they could if they had their own door, but there’s just something cool about a two-door wagon.
See what I mean? Cool. This first-generation Comet “has been stored for 20 + years. Calif. Car.” They go on to say that it’s “a solid car except rust in tail gate and rear 1/4 panels (minor). damaged rear bumper.”
Being a 1962 model myself, I always have a thing for 1962 vehicles, this Comet wagon is no exception. It looks good but there’s a fair amount of work to do to bring this one back to nice condition. “Most exterior stainless was removed for paint 20 years ago and is included.”
The interior looks pretty nice front and back. Unfortunately, there are no engine photos and no mention of which one it is, I’m assuming that it’s the 170 cubic-inch inline-six which would have had 101 hp. The seller says that they “put front wheel cylinders on, rebuilt carburetor, exhaust system was new 20 years ago, new battery and basically got it back on the road”. This would be a fun project car, there is no question about it. Have any of you owned a two-door wagon? How about a Mercury Comet wagon?
A 62 Shooting Brake?
My theory is don’t pass up to many 2-door wagons,especially if you already own the same car in another body style.
Ah, memories. First ‘real’ car was a ’61 Comet two door with those distinctive cat-eye taillights, in a very similar color combo….and boy, was that little six slow, even with a three on the tree. :D
Nice little two door wagon, and the bidding seems fairly stagnant at the moment.
Nice find.
I really like the two door wagons, how often will any old car, even wagons have rear seat passengers. This would make a perfect swapmeet or daily cruiser. Install a roller 302 from a Mustang or Explorer a T5 a disc brake 8.8 rear along with better front brakes and you are done.
Steve R
This 61 Ranch Wagon set outside for a long time before our neighbor finally agreed to sell. The negotiations took more than twenty years. 292- three on the tree was revived with surprisingly little effort. In the shed now so in a better place than it was.Might have passed it up if not for already owning the black Starliner featured here a while back.
You’re my new best friend! Lol
Gosh that 61ranch wagon is quite something. 61 is the bomb
Hopefully, the area where the tailgate hinges are bolted to the body are not rusted out.
This would make an excellent project for someone, whether a restoration or rodded. I’d probably put an Aussie six and manual trans to replace the wheezy ‘170 Special’/slushbox. Brake and suspension upgrades are easy, too.
Hopefully a new tailgate wouldn’t be hard to find. You certainly can see the Falcon origins from the back, so hopefully a Falcon tailgate would fit as well. I like KSwheatfarmer’s wagon more.
I think manufacturers introduced 2 door wagons for the niche that wanted a truck but with safe, dry storage. My grandmother, back in the mid to late ’50s, bought coupes for a primitive form of child lock. She’d just swing my mother, and the others before her, over the front bench and plop them on the back floorboard. (from about ages 2-5) Therefore, no door to open while playing around, and there wasn’t one for them to fly out of should the door pop open in a collision. (That happened to her in the ’30s while she was a teenager, and she was terrified of that happening to anyone else. She broke her arm from hitting the fender of the car that hit them, but other than that she was fine) Maybe she’s the only one that thought that way, but there’s at least one reason that a family woman would’ve bought a 2 door wagon.
I imagine a lot of these were bought as a second car for the wife back in the day. Take the kids to hockey practice or the beach on the weekend in the big Galaxie or impala family four door, go get the groceries on Tuesday in the wagon. Although I’d be equally happy with a two or four door wagon, I like the looks of this little gem.
David, I’ve seen that mentioned as a feature of two doors in some old car brochures. I t really was a “thang”.
Oh, well would you look at that, I guess there were more than a few people with that idea.
i had a ’63 Falcon 2dr wagon, never in this good of condition, but I liked it enough to keep it several years. Was even my daily driver for a time in the ’90s. Wish I still had it, I like wagons, and two doors are cool!
This is one cool car. As the owner of a 63 with the S-22 package (and now a hopped up 200–it can be done easier and cheaper than people might think!), I wish I could get this. I’m looking for a classic for our middle child too. It’s just too far away.
Having the 170 isn’t terrible. It can be warmed over or replaced. The 144 would’ve been quite the dog. Yeah, you could find an Offy 3 carb intake but realistically, just too limited.
Again, very cool Comet!
I love the interior..clean it up and rebuild the seat. Purely a DD bomber…but lots of fun…if it stays at 1200 …I dont know……….somebody keep me from buying a plane ticket!
Guessing a canoe was carried on top.
Based on 3 tiedowns on each side of body.
Not a dealbreaker on this car.
But same tiedowns almost broke deal on
a virgin 56K mile, original paint Silverado.
So I hate tiedowns on general principles.
Logic prevailed & I bought the truck.
Dam good truck.
So. Three portholes per side make it a Special, but not a Super which would have been four per side?
Almost bought the Falcon equivalent years ago in Nashville. 2 door wagons were pretty popular, like David says, couldn’t fall out of the back seat.This is a rare find, these were driven to death and junked. Usually, nobody wanted the 6 and 2 speed automatic, and there was nothing else worth saving. I had a ’62 Comet, 4 door, 144 and automatic, it was a gutless thing, as I imagine this is, as well. While the Pinto/Vega wagons were the last sedan deliveries, I think the last US 2 door wagon was the Pacer, and the last 2 door wagon sold in US was the VW Fox. Great find.
Hey on the comet wagon above is there any mention of all the side chrome trim on both side there is no mention of it?
very cool indeed ! nice to see those wagons getting some attn. – but your right , they were always thought of as ‘economy’ cars. Comets were a step up from the Ford Falcon . The key would be if all the trim is there as i found out when i completed my 2dr Frontenac wagon
I was 13 years old in 1962 and in 8th grade.(in Utah) We had a new social studies teacher who started school that year and he wasn’t from Utah and wasn’t a member of the predominant religion (look it up) and even though I left long ago, I think I knew how hard it must be for non-members. It still is.
He came from CA, I think and had a 2door Comet wagon in black and being the budding car geek, I thought it was cool. I had him as a teacher and he seemed nice and smart and an interesting teacher. Never had anything to do with the car except to look at it, and of course, he was gone after his first year.
Most people probably don’t realize this, but the Comet was developed as the way to continue the Edsel line. FOMOCO realized their Edsel plan was failing just a few mos. after their 1957 introduction (of the ’58 models) and were scrambling for a rescue plan. It was to merge all Edsel dealers with Mercury dealers, and re-position the Edsel as the upmarket Falcon, to not compete with full sized Mercs. Look at the first 2 model year Comets and compare them to the 59 Edsel. Huge family resemblance including many interchangable trim and interior parts.
Plan failed as Merc dealers didn’t want to take on Edsels in any form. So last minute switch from one five letter name to a other, E-D-S-E-L. To C-O-M-E-T meant minimal changes other than a few trim letters and it was re-cast as a Merc.
Adding to that Bill, it is my understanding that the name Mercury name is not on the Comet at all in at least 1960 , but I don’t know of other years.
True. I think even those distinctive tail lights are marked with an Edsel code as well.
60-61 Comet is my dream car.
62 as well. Has a lot of 58-60 Lincoln in the rear as well as 61 Mercury.
Not seeing the tiedowns in the attached photos (olerascal). Definitely not seeing any portholes (fahrvergnugen)
Isn’t this car in the James Bond movie where the villain wants to blow up ft.knox?? Also a matching ranchero that hauled the Lincoln that was smashed into a cube???
Goldfinger
Stuff in a 427 hi riser, top loader 4 speed, 9 inch rear, etc..and take on that 392 hemi Dart wagon posted today! We’ll call it “the tale of two death traps.” Ha ha, just kidding, couldn’t help it.
New California plate. I would be suspicious of where it really came from.
love the Ranch Wagon too. Got my Opel Rekord Caravan 1967 two door wagon since about 10 years as my daily driver. Tiny engine compared to yours over in the states (1.7 Liters), but very reliable.
Fri., 6-15, PM…bidding at $1,500. No engine pics, no underside pics. Why, if one wishes to sell, are they not including more pics and info? Baffles me. I like this car, but won’t bid due to…..
Holy smokes, look at that dashboard. About six inches from lip to windshield. You can actually wash the inside of the windshield easily from sitting on the front seat.