7. Mercury Cyclone CJ
Although the Cyclone is not the first car that pops into most people’s mind when thinking of late 60’s muscle cars, it was popular back in the day. However, today, people have forgotten it, along with the brand Ford discontinued a few years ago. Mercury had the compact-sized and Mustang-based Cougar. But they also had the Cyclone, an intermediate muscle car they built on the Ford Fairlane/Torino platform.
Since Mercury was an upscale brand, the Cyclone was better than comparable products from Ford. However, the engine choices and performance were the same. They presented the Cyclone in 1964 and stayed on the market until 1971. But the best version that is the most interesting to collectors is the Cyclone CJ.
Those two letters marked the presence of the famed 428 Cobra Jet engine, which was the first true street muscle engine Ford built. With 7.0-liters displacement and advertised 335 HP, the Cobra Jet made over 400 horses in real life. The Cyclone CJ was a serious street racing contender and this new engine significantly upped the performance.
Along with Ford, Mercury was active in NASCAR racing during the late 60s, and the Cyclone CJ played a part in its racing efforts. However, they made less than 3,500 Cyclone CJs in 1969, while the regular Cyclones without the Cobra Jet option were more popular.