Mosky’s Musings: Dan Gurney, the 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II and the 1970 Road Runner Superbird
It seems fitting to spotlight cars with a Dan Gurney connection. The racing legend died in January. One of NASCAR’s wilder eras was that of the “aero wars” fought by Chrysler and Ford in 1969 and 1970. Gurney had experience with cars from each camp.
In early 1969, Mercury released the Cyclone Spoiler II, a model replete with aerodynamic modifications. NASCAR officials were shown enough of them to be convinced that the 500 car minimum for homologation had been fulfilled. Cyclone II’s could be purchased as a red and white Cale Yarborough edition or in the blue and white livery associated with Dan Gurney. Yarborough had produced an enviable record for the marque the previous year, having won six NASCAR races including the Daytona 500. Ironically, Gurney piloted Mercurys on just two occasions in NASCAR’s premier Grand National series. Neither finish was memorable.
However, Gurney was already a legend and a trophy by association. He had excelled at home and abroad. He brought Porsche its only Formula 1 World Championship win. He achieved five overall victories in World Sports Car Championship events including the 24 hours of LeMans where he had famously teamed with Ford and AJ Foyt. One week later he became the only American to win a Formula One contest in a racecar of his own design. He won seven times in the IndyCar series and had five major NASCAR wins. He’s credited with popularizing the full-face helmet and with introducing Lotus to Ford, a combination that triumphed at Indy in its third outing.
The slippery shape of the 1969 Cyclone II put Mercury in victory lane eight times during its two NASCAR seasons. Most were won by Yarborough who might have won many more if not limited by the Wood Brothers who entered less than half the NASCAR events each year. During that period Chrysler products represented Ford and Mercury’s major competition. Dodge introduced its winged Charger Daytona in 1969. Plymouth anxious to lure long time standard bearer Richard Petty back to the Chrysler fold followed with the Road Runner Superbird in 1970. A change in homologation rules meant Plymouth had to build at least 1920 winged cars, one for every two of its dealerships. Aerodynamics and a the 426 Hemi engine led to Chrysler dominance that season. Bobby Isaac and his Dodge were champions but the surprise was Pete Hamilton, the junior teammate at Petty Enterprises.
The Massachusetts native won three of the four races at NASCAR’s fastest tracks, Daytona and Talladega. Hamilton had not gotten the nod to team with “King Richard” at the Superbird’s first outing. The honor belonged to Daniel Sexton Gurney who piloted the #42 Plymouth to a sixth-place finish at the 1970 NASCAR season opener at Riverside.
1971 ended the aero wars as cars with specially streamlined bodies were handicapped with a 305 rather than the standard 427 cubic inch displacement limit.
Cyclone Spoiler II’s are easily identified by an elongated nose; it extends 19.5 inches in front of the wheel wells. Named a D-nose, it protrudes less at the center and the sides than the W-nose of the standard Cyclone. The Cyclone’s hood has a scoop and retention pins and ends abruptly at the grill. The Cyclone II’s hood has no adornments and flows smoothly into sheet metal which ends flush with the grill inches beyond. The elongated nose required an interior hood release which can be found beneath the dash.
The rear spoiler was a dealer add on and its absence may not be mistake. Look for an elongated tab beneath the rocker panel; typically these are ¾ inch. Mercury re-rolled the rocker panels pressing the sheet metal below.
The rocker panels were higher and once the sheet metal below was cut, a lower ride height as measured by NASCAR could be achieved. Untrimmed Spoiler II’s tabs approach 1 3/4 inches.
Whether you’re a NASCAR fan, a Pixar’s Cars fan or just someone stunned on the street by the oversized spoiler, recognition of the Superbird comes easily. Distinguishing it from a clone may be difficult. The spoiler was aluminum and supported by metal braces in the trunk. There you’ll find two jacks, a scissors jack for the front and a bumper jack for the year. All Superbirds have vinyl roofs to cover the rear window surround, an aerodynamic improvement. The nosecone is metal and painted with lacquer. The Dodge Coronet fenders and the rest of the body are painted with an acrylic enamel. The headlight covers are fiberglass. All came with hood pins, power front disc brakes and power steering. None came with air conditioning. Experts and VIN decoders may be helpful here.
The price differential between the Plymouth and Mercury is stunning. Though Superbird production was four times that of the Cyclone II, the average Superbird auction sale price is more than four times that of the rarer model. The Plymouth’s outlandish façade and colors are part of the explanation. Perhaps as important are the Mopar mechanicals. All Cyclone II’s came with a relatively anemic 290 hp 351 cubic inch Windsor engine backed by a 3-speed automatic transmission and a 3.25 rear end. The shifter was column mounted. Superbirds were equipped with larger, arguably more legendary, and more powerful engines; available were a 440 cubic inch Super Commando topped with three 2-barrel carbs or a single four barrel and the famed 426 Hemi with its two 4- barrel carburetors. Unlike the Mercury it could be had with a floor mounted manual four speed or an automatic, and the rear gear was lower.
Sports Car Market’s 2017 price guide lists median auction prices for the three Superbird configurations as $155,700, $127,500, and $343,800 respectively. Median price for the Cyclone Spoiler II is listed at $33,000!
There were a few Dan Gurney/ Cale Yarborough Editions released in standard Cyclone trim. All sorts of options were available including the powerful 428 Cobra Jet. Prices of these vary little from the Cyclone II’s. Perhaps there’s an opportunity….Shhh!
(Spoiler (I) Editions)
Have you owned either car? Which do you prefer? Any personal experiences? We value your comments.
Thanks to Mecum Auctions, who opened its extensive files to help illustrate this article.
To receive stories in your inbox every week, sign up for our weekly newsletter here.
Check out the more than 8,000 car listings on My Classic Garage.
Click here for information on financing for classic cars from Woodside Credit.
Click here for information on collector car insurance from TDC Risk Management.
Click here for information on transporting classic cars from Plycar.
