1973 Mercury Comet GT Was Left To Rot in Woods, 302 V8 Roars Again After 36 Years

The Comet you're about to see below was parked in the woods sometime in 1986, and it hasn't been moved since. And it shows. The 36 years that have passed since then left a strong mark on the compact. It's pretty rusty on the outside, the interior is covered in mold, and the hood is stuck.

The powerplant doesn't turn freely either, while the chassis must be pretty rusty from all those decades of sitting directly on the ground. But this didn't stop the owner from trying to revive the V8. Because let's face it, this Mercury won't be going anywhere anytime soon.

A 1973 model year version, this Comet is part of the sixth generation, which was introduced in 1971. That's when the nameplate was downsized to a compact again after spending four years on the intermediate market. Originally based on the Falcon, the Comet was moved on the Maverick platform (the old compact, not the pickup truck). The latter debuted in 1969 as a replacement for the Falcon.

Just like its Ford sibling, the Comet was offered with a selection of Thriftpower inline-six engines and a Windsor V8. Being a GT, this one packs the 302-cubic-inch (4.9-liter) V8 under the hood. But it's no longer the 302 that pumped 210 horsepower in the Ford Mustang until 1971.

With the Malaise Era already upon the auto industry in 1973, the 302 came with only 138 horses on tap. But it was a significant bump from the 200-cubic-inch (3.3-liter) inline-six, rated at a measly 85 horsepower.

It makes no difference here, though. What's important is that the guys over at RevStoration managed to patch up the V8 and get it going. It doesn't run for long, and it smokes like crazy, but hey, it's a win. Sort of, because I don't see this Comet being restored. Well, if two guys messing with an old V8 is your kind of entertainment, hit play to watch 302 Windsor come back from the dead.