Old track cars are not the best candidates for a street driver because they’re built for straight-ahead speed—not grocery getting.
That wasn’t a factor for this time capsule ¼ miler 1961 Comet because now it is a street car with a flashy history.
Jerry Sutherland
Sean Vanchuk is the proud owner of this track warrior thanks to a search on a racing forum. He saw this ’61 Comet listed and noted that the guy was open to trades for a quad. That was four years ago, and he ended up cutting the deal with an old Honda 400 as part of the sale.
Sean couldn’t load the quad fast enough because wanted to close this deal. He learned he’d bought a local legend car because this Comet was built in the early 80s, and it spent a lot of time at local strips. Basically, Mercury Blues is a 40-year-old time machine back to 80s tech and style.
The Comet ran 11.95 times at its peak thanks to the 460 Ford truck engine under the hood. Sean wasn’t sure about the details of the motor–but he did admit that “It’s pretty tired now”. There’s an electric fan to keep the big block Ford from blowing its top in traffic, and the Comet still has a rumble—just not a full-race, open header rumble.
This is a full-bore race car because it has all the pieces you need to run solid times. There’s plexiglass instead of real glass and the front bumper is a lightweight fiberglass version of the factory Comet bumper. The inner headlights are Thunderbolt-style air intake openings because airflow was more important at the track than not hitting a deer.
There’s no back seat. That room is needed for the rear wheel tubs designed for the full race slicks at the back end. There’s an old-school radius to the rear wheel wells to tell you this car wasn’t about looks—it was about traction. There are also no inner fenders because it was all about weight at the track.
This Comet has a full custom frame because you can’t run a beast on the track with a stock front end. There’s a full independent suspension under the front end and discs to haul this track star down after the timing lights come on. Sean said the car is “super clean underneath”.
The Mustang shaker scoop was salvaged after a buddy of the last owner had a bad day with his pony car.
The Comet’s track rear gear is gone now and replaced with a much more freeway-friendly number so Sean said his Comet doesn’t red-line at highway speeds. Sean thought the old race car handled really well in modern traffic.
Sean has plans for his car. He’s always wanted a gasser, so at some point the Comet’s independent front suspension will be replaced with a straight axle so the Comet will become a gasser in street clothes.
Until then, Sean isn’t worried about nice paint or breaking a few things because this ’61 Comet time capsule is all about fun.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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