1974 Mercury Comet Emerges After Two Decades of Garage Storage

Ford’s compact gamble paid off three times over in the 1960s, with the Falcon, Mustang and Maverick each racking up serious showroom numbers. When Mercury wanted a piece of that action in 1971, it borrowed the Maverick platform and gave it a fresh face and new rear styling. The result was the Comet, and a 1974 example of that badge-engineered compact has now surfaced in West Berlin, New Jersey, listed for sale at $13,500.

The timing worked in the Comet’s favour. As fuel prices spiked during the early 1970s energy crisis, buyers flocked to smaller cars, and both the Maverick and Comet moved in huge volumes that year, with roughly 300,000 Mavericks and 125,000 Comets finding homes. Federal crash regulations also left their mark on these cars, forcing the addition of outsized front and rear bumpers that remain one of the model’s most talked-about styling quirks.

Under the hood sits a 302 cubic inch V8 paired with an automatic transmission, which has been fitted with a B&M ratchet shifter. The seller describes a car that has spent more than 20 years tucked away in a garage, with an odometer showing 25,000 miles. Recent work reportedly includes the radiator, fuel delivery system, brakes and some power steering attention, and the car is said to run well. Photos suggest a rust-free body, and the seller calls it a nostalgic machine that needs only modest attention to reach the next level, though specifics on remaining jobs are not spelled out. Trades are being considered.

For enthusiasts who appreciate the Maverick and Comet lineage, this survivor stands out as one of the cleaner examples still doing the rounds, and it can be driven exactly as it sits.