Introduced in 1960 alongside the Ford Falcon and sharing its unibody platform, the Mercury Comet would undergo a number of transformations over the following decade and a half. Originally developed to be added to the Edsel lineup, the Comet would find a new home when Ford’s ill-fated marque would cease operations that same year.

Initially envisioned as a fuel-sipping runabout and available in sedan and five-door station wagon configurations along with the Comet coupe, as the muscle car era began to take shape in the early-to-mid 1960s, the Comet’s performance offerings expanded in turn.

For the Mercury compact, this would result in its first earnest foray into the realm of muscle cars with the Comet Caliente in 1964. Although the second generation Comet would only be in production for two years – and the Comet Caliente as a moniker and tied-in performance package along with it – the model made an indelible mark on the performance scene both on the street and at the race track.

A Fiery Comet

Although it was underpinned by the same unibody structure as the previous model, the 1964 Mercury Comet was significantly revised from an aesthetic standpoint, adopting a squared-off look that lent itself well to a high performance treatment. Along with the performance-focused Comet Cyclone, the Comet Caliente and Cyclone comprised the pair of top-spec trim levels that could optioned for go-fast thrills in Mercury’s understated compact.

Although the Caliente package was primarily aimed at buyers who wanted plush embellishments like deluxe carpeting, extra chrome trim, and other luxury accoutrements, like the Cyclone it could also be equipped with small block V8 power. For the 1964 model year, that would initially equate to the 260ci Ford V8 as the most potent offering, though it would be supplanted mid-year by the new 289ci V8.

By the time the 1965 model year Comet rolled out with even more aggressive sheet metal, this new power plant could be had in three different configurations – a two-barrel carburetor version with 200 hp, a 225 horsepower version with a four barrel carb, or the high output four barrel motor which, like it did in the then-new Ford Mustang, dished out a healthy 271 horsepower. And in similar fashion to Ford’s new pony car, the Comet Caliente could be had with a Toploader four-speed manual gearbox.

Caliente Means Hot Durable

To promote the Comet Caliente as a performance car, Mercury took an unconventional  approach. Rather than touting the car’s straight line prowess or cornering abilities, they instead set their focus on durability under extreme conditions. Getting things underway in earnest, Mercury put four Comet Caliente cars through a crucible of high performance punishment at Daytona Speedway, starting on September 21st, 1963.

The brainchild of Fran Hernandez – a gearhead, racing enthusiast, and the head of the Lincoln-Mercury division’s performance program at the time – to call the durability test ambitious would be a major understatement. For more than a month under the supervision of NASCAR officials, Mercury drivers logged roughly 2500 miles every day around the course per car with pit stops every two over the course of roughly five weeks. When all was said and done on October 30th, the four cars had logged 100,000 miles over 960 hours, with an average speed between 105 mph and 108 mph.

The worst failure experienced during the course of the challenge was a broken valve spring, which would take one of the cars out of record contention. Despite that setback, the other three cars managed to break or establish more than 100 speed and distance records over the course of the event, while a fifth car was on hand to break a specific record, doing so with an average speed of 124.421 mph over 10,000 miles. Check out the Lincoln-produced video below to see how it all went down:

Mercury wasn’t done there though, and the next feat of strength would take them to another continent when they entered the Comet Caliente in 1964 East African Safari Rally. Long considered one of the most grueling events in the world of rally racing, the event would take competitors through Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

No American team had ever campaigned a car in the rally’s decade of existence put to that point, but that changed when Hernandez brought roughly half a dozen Comet Calientes (the numbers vary from five to ten cars, depending on who you ask) to the event.

One of the ’64 Comet Calientes blasts through a stage of the East African Safari Rally. Image: Hemmings

As a testament to the brutality of the event, among the 91 cars entered in the event just 21 would actually finish. Among those finishers were two Mercury Comet Calientes, though their disappointing positions at 18th and 21st place would result in Ford never returning to the rally in an official capacity.

Drag Strip and Road Course Racing

It was just the high speed ovals and rally courses of the world where the Comet would compete – Mercury was determined to show off the vehicle as a versatile performance platform.

In a similar fashion to Ford’s ’64 Fairlane Thunderbolt cars, Mercury prepped a handful of Comet Calientes for Super Stock and A/FX class drag racing competition. The lightweight racers featured fiberglass hoods, front fenders, doors, and bumpers, while Lexan windows replaced the traditionally glass pieces and the cars were devoid of any non-essential content.

Under the hood was a massive 427 big block V8 with 14:1 compression and a pair of 780 cfm Holley carbs atop a high rise intake manifold. While the official output was pegged at 425 horsepower, most estimates put it north of 500.

Under the hood was Ford’s dual-quad high riser 427, dishing out a notoriously underrated 425 horsepower. With Dyno Don at the helm, the big block Comet Caliente dragster would rack up no less than 78 wins (and one loss) in the A/FX class over the course of the 1964 race season.

And on the road racing front, the Comet Caliente would also see some action in the SCCA A and B Sedan racing before the series would become known as Trans-Am in 1966, and onslaught of pony car entries would overshadow the Comet and its ilk.

Legacy

By 1966, the Comet and the Caliente package would begin to see some significant changes. Now a mid-sized vehicle just in time for the muscle car craze, Mercury would begin to put a greater emphasis on the Cyclone as the Comet’s high performance offering, and Caliente trim level would be slotted below both the Cyclone and Cyclone GT in the hierarchy.

The Comet would follow a similar trajectory both visually and mechanically to Ford’s Fairlane and Torino models until 1971, when the Comet would transition to the compact Ford Maverick platform. By 1974 the Comet’s fate as an economy vehicle was essentially sealed as the entire industry reacted to drastic shifts in the automotive market. By the end of 1977, the Comet was discontinued to make room for the Mercury Zephyr, which was set to debut for the 1978 model year.

The 1971 model year would see another major transformation for the Comet nameplate, now attached to the same compact platform that underpinned the Ford Maverick. Image: Ford

In terms of collector car status, while the Comet Caliente isn’t nearly as sought after as the Cyclone, well cared for examples still fetch a healthy sum at auction these days.

Their under-the-radar status versus Cyclone models has its own benefits too, as it means Caliente is often a more accessible as an entry point into the hobby while giving up little to the Cyclone in terms of looks and performance.