Cyclones blow through Northwest streets and strips

by Sam Barer

Facing one cyclone in a lifetime is more than enough for most people.  Brian Guggenmos, however, prefers two at once.

The Olympia resident and professional mechanic loves his 1965 Mercury Comet Cyclone drag racer so much, he purchased another car of the identical year, make and model to sit right next to it in his garage.

“I figured that I enjoyed drag racing the one Cyclone so much, I decided to buy one to drive on the street,” Guggenmos explains.  “Now I have one for show, and one for go.”

Debuting mid-year in 1964, the Mercury Comet Cyclone was actually by nature part show and part go.  Comets were the upscale platform-mate to Ford’sFalcon.  The Cyclone was Mercury’s highest trim level, adding additional performance and luxury to the already sporty Comet Caliente.   Offered only as a hardtop coupe, the Comet Cyclones carried a base price of $2,683, $280 more than the Caliente and $457 more than Ford’s comparable Falcon Futura.

The 12,347 Cyclones produced in 1965 all came equipped with the newly developed fantastic 289ci V8 engine with a 4-barrel carburetor producing 225 horsepower.  Customers could elect either an automatic or 4-speed transmission.  Stiffer springs and an anti-sway bar helped the svelte 2994 pound Cyclone maneuver around the twisties. 

When Guggenmos, who spent seventeen years as a mechanic at Olympia’s Boone Ford, purchased his Aquamarine blue ’65 Cyclone, he had no intention of testing its handling, though. He modified it specifically for drag racing, with larger wheels and tires, competition gauges, gutted interior, rollbar and the obligatory race engine displacing quite a bit more than 289 cubic inches.  Over the years he has found great success, running 11.65 quarter-mile times at tracks such as Bremerton and Pacific Raceways.

Guggenmos loved driving his Aquamarine car so much on the strip, when presented the opportunity three years ago to purchase a stock Carnival Red example produced within just days of his other Cyclone, he couldn’t say no. 

Similarly, I couldn’t say no to the opportunity to see these cars for myself.   So, on this extremely foggy day, I meet Guggenmos at his home garage, where the two Mercs await.

While Guggenmos claims only one is for show, both cars are immaculate.  The red example gleams with perfect interior and exterior.  While it is obvious that the blue car is race-prepped, it could be displayed at shows as-is.  Under the hood of each car reveals the difference, where the red car looks factory-new, due to the amount of detailing Guggenmos completed while installing a rebuilt numbers-matching engine.  In the blue car, the engine bay is more functional, but still extremely clean for an active racer.

Only 250 miles have been put on the show car in three years, due mostly to the classic catch of car restoration: he’s afraid of damaging the car now that he has it where he wants it. With the information, I feel even more honored to be allowed to log miles in his beautiful classic!

Even with little use, the 289 springs quickly to life, idling smooth and quietly.  While the engine warms to operating temperature, I study the clean white and red interior.  In-dash instrumentation is sports car-like, with circular fuel, oil, amp, temp and speedometer gauges in clear view.  The small tach is factory mounted to the top of the dashboard above the optional AM/FM radio.

Clutch travel is moderate with progressive pickup.  Acceleration is brisk, but Cyclones won’t set any 0-60 records in stock trim. A glance at the speedo, however, indicates that it’s faster than it feels. Probably the easiest way to improve performance would be to install an aftermarket Hurst shifter, because in true Ford form, the stock unit’s insanely long throw requires an albatross’ wingspan for second-to-third transitions, dropping precious revs in the process.  As far as Ford-made shifters go, Guggenmos has done a very good job of adjusting it for maximum precision.

The Cyclone’s handling is fantastic.  Unlike most contemporary “yank tanks,” the Cyclone doesn’t float, rather the suspension gobbles road irregularities like cake, then tightens up in corners.  It’s no wonder that its cheaper Caliente sibling and Falcon cousin are still popular vintage racers.

This sporty driving experience has Guggenmos trying to decide whether to start putting miles on his red show car, or sell it in favor of another classic ride.

I say “drive it!”

Sam Barer writes for Apex, an Olympia, WA based freelance writing company. To submit a car for a future “Sound Classics” story, email soundclassics@apexstrategy.com

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