1963 Mercury Comet Convertible

Introduced in 1960 as an upscale version of the Ford Falcon, the Comet was originally designed as an Edsel, but with the demise of the short-lived marque, the Comet ended up as a Mercury. Previously available only in sedan and wagon form, Comet convertibles with power-operated tops were introduced in 1963, along with the Sportster hardtop coupe. Initially, 1963 Comets were offered with a choice of Thriftpower inline 6-cylinder engines: a 144-cubic-inch version producing 85 horsepower and a 170-cubic-inch version producing 101 horsepower. A 164-horsepower 260-cubic-inch Challenger V8 became available mid-year. 1963 would be the last year of the first-generation Comet. This example was photographed at the 2004 Clatskanie Heritage Days Car Show.