If you wanted a big, fast Ford in 1970, your options boiled down to a Ford Torino or a Mercury Cyclone Spoiler. The Mercury, though slightly larger than Ford’s Torino, came equipped with everything a gear head buyer could want. The standard motor, a 429 V8, put out 370 horsepower and breathed through a functional hood scoop. The transmission was a four speed with a Hurst shifter, and a Traction-Lok differential made sure the power got to the ground.
The Mercury came with a “competition” handling package, though that term may have been optimistic, considering the Cyclone Spoiler’s 4,100 pound curb weight. On the inside, buyers got a full set of gauges (instead of the idiot lights found in the Torino, a round tach instead of Ford’s horizontal tach, vinyl bucket seats and real simulated woodgrain trim.
The Mercury Cyclone Spoiler was good for a 0 to 60 time of about 6.3 seconds, and could turn the quarter mile in the low 14s, just north of 100 miles per hour. It’s fastback body shape was stunning, even though the rear quarter panels and deck lid were a bit long for my tastes.
