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In the early sixties, the Comet project was taken over by Mercury from Ford. When first released by Mercury in 1961, most Comets carried the 'Thrift Power' six cylinder engine. It wasn't until 1964 when the series really started to pick up. At that time, a high-performance version of the Comet came out known as the Cyclone. It featured the Ford 289, producing around 210 horsepower. In 1966, a GT version of the Cyclone was released having the 335 horsepower 390 V8. That year a Cyclone GT convertible became the official pace car for the Indy 500.

By 1970, the Cyclone had fully matured. While the Comet became a economical sub-compact the Cyclone was given the Ford 429 engine. Around 1700 of these Cyclones received a special Spoiler package. These cars featured deep front and rear spoilers with the 429 Cobra Jet engine.

In and around in 1970, Ford was experimenting with new front designs for their King Cobra. At this time, Ford stylists took a Mercury Cyclone and attached the King Cobra nose. The end result was a unique Cyclone Spoiler II. Like the aero jet Superbirds and Daytonas, the Spoiler II featured a totally restyled front end with a larger spoiler at the rear.

Much speculation has been circulated around the existence of The 1970 Cyclone II. Until an orginal specimen showed up at the Ford's 100th anniversary celebration, many journalists have been writing off the Spoiler II as an urban myth. Truth be known that this car is orginal and is accompanied by a bill of sale. It stands as the one of the most unique and powerful Mercury's ever built.

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