In the late 1960s, NASCAR was a motorsports powerhouse. The old adage “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” was coined during this time and just about any manufacturer with an eligible full-size car and V-8 engine wanted in on the action. Though often seen as the more luxurious companion to Ford, Mercury saw strong sales potential in dominating the high banks of tracks like Talladega, Daytona, and Atlanta.

Mercury worked with two legendary racers, Cale Yarborough and Dan Gurney, to develop the Mercury Cyclone for competition. NASCAR’s homologation rules required 1,000 examples to be built and offered for sale to the public. To celebrate their two most important race teams, Mercury created two distinct liveries for the Cyclone road cars, a white and red theme to celebrate Yarborough and the Wood Brothers and, like the example offered here, a white and blue combination to celebrate Dan Gurney and his All American Racers.

Just 54 examples of the Dan Gurney special are known to still exist. This example has been restored to exceptional condition. Powered by a 390-cu. in. V-8 with 320 hp fed to the ground through a SelectShift three-speed automatic transmission, this car is a superb performer and it seems likely that the 120-mph speedometer might not be sufficient. The black vinyl interior and classic blue and white livery have been executed to perfection, and iconic American Racing Torq Thrust wheels with raised white letter tires complete the classic look.

Considering that few have survived, even fewer with factory air conditioning, this could very well be the finest extant example of this rare homologation model. Included with the sale is a copy of the Marti report. It will make an ideal addition to any performance car collection.