This 1972 Mercury Comet GT was sold January 31, 1972 at Montgomery Motors in Troy, North Carolina to Elford and he has owned it ever since.
The original warranty card has his name on it and it fits nicely in the glove box with the original Owner’s Manual. The Comet GT remains original except for some few improvements that Elford has done over the years.
“It’s still got the original engine, original transmission, and original rear end. The engine, transmission, and rear end have never been built.” Elford said. “I did change the distributor in ’73 or ’74 to a Mallory duel point distributor cause I couldn’t keep points in it.” He also pointed out, “The Keystone Wheels were put on in ’74; they are the welded ones, not the pressed ones that spin out. It’s a three-speed, but I put a Competition Mr. Gasket shifter in it, so people think it’s a four-speed.”
The Comet GT has never been painted and has the original glass, trim, decals, and interior. Elford has the original spare tire and wheel, and original wheels and hubcaps.
Elford guessed he has around five-hundred miles on the racing surface at Nourth Carolina Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. He explained that the Sunday before the NASCAR race, the track would open to anyone who wanted to go run some laps.
“You had to watch two. Two had that little bump in it till they repaved it. Two would throw you in the wall.” Elford said of his experience at The Rock. “I’d run this about a hundred miles per hour, that’s all it could stand, it was so light in the back.”
In 1992 Elford parked the car and it remained idle for thirteen years. “I started to get it out in 2005 and it has seriously been on the road for two years now. The main purpose of getting it back out was to go to the cruise-ins.
“I mean that’s what it was all about, to go to the cruise-ins,” he said.
Elford is putting it back to original a little at a time while still driving it to car shows and cruise-ins on the weekends.
“I’m getting it back pretty original. I touched up the front of the motor with some paint, and the intake, and got the right decals back on the cover, I got the right style hose,” Elford points out. “I took the headers off and put the stock manifolds back on. Now it’s got duels and those are staying and the Keystones are staying, and the duel point distributor is staying.”
Elford has an economy series Holley carburetor on it and plans on leaving the original carburetor in the box.
“I get 23 miles per gallon with the setup it has now and I don’t want to mess that up. I enjoy driving,” he said.
The Candor, NC resident and his wife Shirley drove the 1972 Mercury Comet GT to Kure Beach, NC where they were presented with the 2nd Carsolina BST of Show Award. Keep Cruising.
Elford’s 1972 Mercury Comet GT was presented with the 2nd Carsolina BST of Show Award, March 28, 2009.
Elford resides in Candor, North Carolina. Pictures were taken March 28, 2009 the Back to the Beach Car Show in Kure Beach, North Carolina and January 1, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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