In March of 1960, Mercury introduced a totally new body style of a quite conservative nature, and called it the Comet. It was an immediate hit: during the 1960 calendar year, 116,330 were produced. 1960 Comets included a 2 door Sedan, 4 door Sedan, and two Station Wagons, available with two doors or four.
Comet was virtually unchanged for 1961 except for exterior trim. Air conditioning was added as an option. Late in the season, the S-22 Sport Coupe debuted, basically a stylish Comet 2 door Sedan with bucket seats and a console. Over 183,000 cars were built.
By 1962 the Comet line was expanding by leaps and bounds, and included three trim levels: Comet, Comet Custom, and Comet Special. It marked the first time the Comet was officially branded a Mercury, and the cat's-eye tail lights were replaced with smaller lenses: six on S-22s, and four on lesser Comets.
In 1963, Comet celebrated its third birthday with the production of its 500,000th car. The 1963 model year Comet production was 150,694. Power steering was introduced, and the 260 cubic inch V-8 engine was offered as an option. 1963 also saw the mid-season introduction of the S-22 2 door Convertible and 2 door Hardtop Sportster.
New for 1964 was the Caliente, which replaced the top-of-the-line S-22. The Caliente was available as a 4 door Sedan, 2 door Hardtop, Convertible, and a Cyclone 2 door Hardtop. All Comets featured a Lincoln-inspired grille.
1965 brought saw impressive style changes in the Comet sheet metal. Stacked headlights and angular fenders foreshadowed the 1966 Fairlane design. Model year production dropped to 162,335.
In 1966, the new Capri series replaced the old Comet 404 series. Cyclones and Cyclone GTs were available as 2 door Hardtops and Convertibles. Comet calendar year production again dropped, to 153,680.
Changes for 1967 were subtle indeed. However, Comet received a thorough shakeup for 1968. The only Comet actually available was a 2 door Hardtop with a base price of $2,477. The Montego and Montego MX (actually Comet sheet metal with a higher price tag) were only available as 2 door Hardtops and 4 door Sedans. The Cyclone was no longer available in Convertible form: the hardtop coupes were available as fastbacks or formal-roof hardtops. The 1968 calendar year Comet/Montego production was 149,390.
The 1969 Comet/Montego hotshot of the year was the Cyclone CJ 2 door Fastback model with a 428 engine. In 1970, Comet was dropped completely and Montegos took over, from base models through the Montego MX, Montego Brougham, Cyclone, Cyclone GT, and Cyclone Spoiler.
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