There’s a lot of buzz in the news this week about a green-colored comet heading toward Earth that was last seen 50,000 miles ago. It’s called “C/2022 E3 (ZTF)” and it’s expected to come within 26 million miles of our planet on Wednesday, February 1. While the comet is deemed harmless by scientists, a lot of folks are excited for this rare occurrence. In honor of this once-in-a-lifetime space phenomenon.
The Pick of the Day is a 1967 Mercury Comet Caliente listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a private seller in Pendleton, Kentucky. (Click the link to view the listing)
The Comet started out as a compact model in 1960 and was not branded under any specific nameplate, although it was sold through Lincoln-Mercury dealerships. Two years later, the car was formally incorporated as part of the Mercury family and received some restyling of the exterior. A second generation launched in 1964 and a third in 1966, when the car grew into the midsize segment.
Adding to the complexity, naming conventions changed again in 1967 when the Comet took on new titles that were determined by the subseries hierarchy: In order, they were the Comet 202, Capri, Caliente, Cyclone, and Cyclone GT. Today’s feature Comet is a Caliente two-door hardtop. The listing reads, “Body is straight and perfect. Cyclone hood, fiberglass lightweight bumpers.”
The black exterior finish is emphasized with color-matched bumpers, steel wheels, and tinted windows. On the interior, we see a lot of red materials, along with embroidered floor mats, woodgrain dash trim, a wood steering wheel, a modern Bluetooth audio system, and a B&M shift lever.
Comets from this generation were available with three engines from the factory: a 200cid inline-six, a 289cid V8, and a 390cid V8. This Comet comes with a completely upgraded drivetrain in the form of a 460cid V8 that sends power rearward through a C6 three-speed automatic transmission and a nine-inch positraction differential.
The green comet heading our way is going 128,500 miles per hour. This four-wheeled one might not go that quickly, but the seller says it’s a crowd-pleaser anyway: “Haven’t left a car show empty-handed yet,” the listing concludes. “Make an offer I can’t refuse.”
The seller is asking $35,000 for this Comet.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.
That color doesn’t do this magnificent car justice. Calientes have some of the sweetest body lines of all time!