Today's Mercury Montego is a Cyclone presently blowing through Ohio. Hopefully its price won't mean there's a bad storm a' brewing.

Are you sitting down? Good, I have some shocking news to tell you. Yesterday's dropped in a huge 85% Crack Pipe loss. What's that, you're not shocked by the 15% that went Nice Price? Boy, takes a lot to impress you. Fortunately today, we have a lot of Mercury that just may.

Montego Bay is sort of the antithesis of Toledo Ohio. Not to dun Ohio's fourth most populous city, but when it comes to visions of vacation spots which first comes to mind, the shores of Lake Erie or the warm Caribbean quietly lapping on a Jamaican shore? One thing that Toledo has all over Jamaica however, is today's wildly cool that has been Cylcone-ized.

The Montego was Mercury's mid-sizer back in the day, a badge engineering job based on Ford's Torino. Its Cyclone derivative was a sporty car built on the coke bottle coupe and for '71 offered in three models, Cyclone, Cyclone GT and Cyclone Spoiler. At no time could you get a Cyclone wagon. That is, unless you built one yourself.

This Montego has been so Cycloned. It sports a Cyclone dash, bucket seats, Magnum 500 wheels and from the looks of it, a bad attitude. Much of that 'tude comes from the drivetrain which conceivably could drive a train as it's a 4bbl 351C backed by a Hurst-equipped top-loader 4-speed, and a Detroit Locker rearend with 3.89:1 gears.

Both the Cleveland and the gearbox are said to have been rebuilt with today somewhere north of 30K on the small block. For those of you wondering what the differences are between the Windsor and the Cleveland, I can tell you that one is Canadian and the other born in the good old U.S. of A.. Actually, the differences are many and subtle. For the quick and dirty: the 351W is a punched out 302, while the 351C is a member of the 335 family, built in Ford's Brookpark, Ohio engine plant. The C is also a bit heavier but also generally breathes better. I'm sure there are experts among you who can further detail the diffs. Talk amongst yourselves.

The rest of this wagon looks totally serviceable, and the seller says that he has owned the car for 10 years. He also claims that it was once an Arizona car so as you might expect, it has A/C. The paint is said to be original, although the hood scoop and air dam are not. Also, it looks like the current owner prefers airflow over high beams.

There's a ton to love about this wagon, and I think it strikes the right balance between ostentatious and sublime. Of course my opinion doesn't mean squat as it's to you to say whether its price is likewise well balanced.

The seller is asking for $8,500 or a trade of some other old Ford or Mercury. Since we lack the iron, we'll have to go with the gold. What do you think about this Montego for that kind of money? Is that a deal that should have a new owner wagon bragin' in no time? Or, is this a Cyclone with a price that just blows?

You decide!

, or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Dealkiller for the hookup!

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