A car show last summer at a lake resort village followed a lakeside parade that featured many of the participants in the show, including a 1961 Mercury Comet sedan filled with kids and driven by its current owner, Jim Bailey.
Jim’s late father bought the Comet over 40 years ago and restored the car to suit his vision for the humble 4-door sedan.
According to Jim, it left the factory as a green car, but his dad decided to change the color to a striking red paint scheme.
Jim Sutherland
Jim is an active car guy and was working on a 1949 Chevy ½ ton project that captured his dad’s interest, but Jim was not a more-door fan, so he passed on his father’s offer to trade his ‘61 Comet for Jim’s ‘49 Chevy pickup.
His father drove the vintage Comet for about ten years before he offered to give the little sedan to Jim in 1996. Unfortunately, Jim’s father passed away suddenly, and the 1961 Mercury Comet was shoved into storage for many years while Jim mulled over its future in his family.
As mentioned earlier, Jim is not a fan of 4-door sedans, but his kids intervened and convinced him not to sell “Grandpa’s car”, the car that helped them remember their beloved grandfather in such a positive way.
Jim listened to his kids and kept his late father’s sedan for sentimental reasons. The next step for Jim was to resurrect the ‘61 Comet from storage and bring it back on the road. The process included a swap to an electronic ignition, a re-core on its original radiator, and stylish aftermarket wheels to give the Comet a sportier look.
He did some investigation into the car’s six-cylinder engine and discovered it was a larger 200 cubic-inch engine donated by a 1968 Ford product. The swapped engine is hooked up to the Comet’s factory 2-speed automatic transmission, according to Jim.
Jim told MyStarCollectorCar that his Comet has its original seats, and they are in good shape under the protective seat covers. It also has its original tube AM radio that still works after its brief warm-up period.
Jim found the Comet’s factory mirrors to be somewhat challenging because they are not great for rear view visibility in their horizontal position, so he changed them to a vertical position to better see traffic behind him.
There were five kids in the 1961 Mercury Comet when MystarCollectorCar spotted the bright red car in a parade at a resort lake on a sunny summer day and every one of them was Jim’s grandchild.
It was clear the kids loved the old car because of its association with their generation’s grandfather, namely Grandpa Jim.
The unassuming little Mercury Comet was building fond memories with another generation of grandkids from the same family and paving the path for a new generation of car guys and girls every time they ride in it.
Jim may still resist the idea of four-door sedans in his world but with one major exception: Grandpa’s Car.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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