One of the most overused clichés in the vintage Ford hobby is that four letter word “rare”. Some folks insist on torturing it to fit cars that were cranked out like potato chips.But we don’t think anybody would object if we refer to Steve Honell’s ’70 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II as rare. None were built. This Competition Orange knockout, sleek and packed with Boss 429 power, came close but was never put into production. A pity too.
This was to be Mercury’s version of FoMoCo’s next-generation aero design, taking over from the very successful Torino Talladega and Cyclone Spoiler II. Ford’s model, called the King Cobra, was the focus of development. Completion of the new Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II lagged atound 60 days behind.
The King Cobra and Cyclone Spoiler II were more than concept cars. In the Spring and Summer of 1969, Ford styling and engineering were moving ahead at full speed, readying these radical designs for full production. Ford had just been slapped upside the head with Dodge’s winged, pointy-nose Daytona, and had to answer back. The comparatively tame ’69 Talladega and Cyclone Spoiler II were regulars in NASCAR winner’s circle, but in these times of intense competition, Ford had to have more, and this was it. Internal documents show that Ford planned to build and sell around 3,500 sleek-beak King Cobra Torinos prior to January 1, 1970 to qualify the model for NASCAR competition.
These were the most dramatic aero designs ever to come out of Dearborn’s styling studios. From the cowl back, the King Cobra and Cyclone Spoiler II were standard intermediate cars, but from there forward they were a wind-cutting, downforce-generating, competition-spanking departure.
It wasn’t just a new shape that this potent pair would bring to the party. The supremely powerful Boss 429 engine, already NASCAR-legal was planned as a production engine option across the Torino and Cyclone lines. Early sales literature printed prior to introduction of the ’70 models shows the big Boss as an option. What a mighty package it would have been.
To the disappointment of Ford enthusiasts everywhere, the end of the program came in August 1969, when deep cuts to the racing budget were announced. As Ford’s assembly plants were in conversion to produce the 1970 models, the King Cobra and Cyclone Spoiler II fell to the cruel swing of the axe. The project was over, leaving only a few prototypes, a handful of related parts, some photographs, and a big question mark about what might have been.
Steve Honell has a passion for Ford’s last-generation aero cars. He owns a King Cobra and through great persistence and dedication, has just completed work on the only Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II in existence. Using the vintage styling studio photos as a pattern, Steve poured his heart and soul into his work, meticulously bringing the legend to life. After years of tedious work it debuted at the Ford 100th Anniversary where, as you might imagine, it drew a lot of attention. It’s loaded with Ford’s Grand Slam driveline: 375hp (the factory’s advertised rating) Boss 429 engine, Top-Loader 4-speed, 9-inch axle.
It would have been nice to see Cale and the boys duking it out on NASCAR tracks behind the wheel of a lightning-quick fleet of Spoiler IIs. It would have been great to have seen these beauties in showrooms and on the street back then, but that’s how it goes sometimes. But at least we can admire the lone, awesome creation that deserves the name, “SuperMerc.”
