Mercury, the entry-level luxury brand that Ford recently discontinued, was an unfortunate victim of lean times. In the end, it was known as a tarted-up Ford driven only by the elderly. Once though, Mercury was at the cutting edge of performance and luxury, offering cars with style, comfort, and the horsepower to keep up with the best Detroit could dish out.

One of these vehicles was the Mercury Cyclone, which was based on the Ford Fairlane. Up on eBay is an uber-rare Cyclone GT equipped with the 429 Super Cobra Jet V8 engine.

1970 was one of the last years for the Cyclone, which started off as an option package for the Falcon-based Comet, before becoming it’s own car (sort of).

The Cyclone could be had with any of Ford’s engines, and was offered in three packages in 1970; Cyclone, Cyclone GT, and Cyclone Spoiler. The Spoiler came standard with the 429 SCJ V8, competition handling package, and a Hurst shift.

This Cyclone GT has all of those options, was well as the drag pack, though it lacks the Spoiler’s front bench seat. It’s one of those rare oddballs that has all the goodies, but lacks the name that makes it truly valuable. As a result, this Cyclone GT with a 429 SCJ sold for only $9,500…a bargain for a rare, unique muscle car back from the days when Mercury made cars for men…not just old men.