1968 Mercury Cyclone GT
If you've never seen a 1968 Mercury Cyclone GT then you've missed out on one of the signature muscle cars of all time!
There's no mistaking the style and design and even later the Toyota line of cars tried to capture the sleek aesthetics of this legendary classic muscle car!
With it's 390 GT V-8 engine and 325 horse power and 3 speed manual transmission it sported lots of goodies. It also had a 3 speed select shirt Merc O Matic optional feature. The front end suspension had upper A arms, strut stabilized lower arms, coil springs and anti sway bar. The rear end suspension boasted live axle and leaf springs. Front end brakes matched the rear end brakes drums and front discs optional. Wheelbase was 116.0 and the top speed for the GT V-8-302 was 112 mph and in the CJ 428 was 116 mph. It reached 0-60 mph in about 5.5 to 6.1 seconds.
The design was enhanced with it's streamlined aesthetics that in those days was sporty and trendy as aficionados will point out the similarities with the Ford line of muscle cars.
The line lasted a couple of years and then faded out which makes it doubly rare and a sought after find.
Under the hood was the 302-cid V-8 with again, 3 speed tranny and 210 horsepower. As mentioned earlier the more powerful 390 was also packaged.
These cars were so well received by enthusiasts that the top racing tracks featured them as powerful additions to their line ups such as NASCAR.
The variations on the line offered changes in transmissions but not wheel base, a mistake some folks back then and today make.
What's of most importance to serious collectors and investors in such classic muscle cars is the fact these cars are not only rare and sought for high and low, but once found they may offer the platform for modification to even more powerful and customizable vehicles. Owners who had them as teenagers in the days of old reminisce in the nostalgia and fun they had then and will fork out that money to get these cars back. Too bad it was often overlooked back then because if folks in the good ol' days of muscle cars knew then what we know now, they would never have parted with these proven muscle machines.
Take a look around the next time you visit a classic car show and see if you can find one of these. If you do, just hang around a bit and listen to the stories of not only how cool people looked with these cars but listen to the performance stories and how the owners actually acquired them. Many a story exists of collectors traipsing through muddy swamps, snowy mountains, broiling deserts, and tough neighborhoods just to get the parts to these cars. You can imagine what happens when you tell them you actually own one!
1968 Mercury Cyclone GT for Sale
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