This 1969 Mercury Cyclone Dan Gurney Special Is A Muscle Car Legend You've Never Heard Of

Sep. 27, 2023 10:38 AM ET by John Mendoza Muscle Cars / 6 Comments

Only five are believed to have been built in this spec with the Drag Pak option.

American muscle cars will forever be iconic, but among them, the Aero Cars are the most notable. And among the limited-production Aero Cars ever built, five Mercury Cyclone Spoiler Dan Gurney Specials are the cream of the crop, standing out for their rarity.

Aero Cars were purpose-built versions of ordinary street cars modified for better aerodynamics intended to race in the 1969 and 1970 NASCAR seasons. These include the Dodge Daytona, Dodge Charger 500, Plymouth Superbird, Ford Talladega, and the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler.

To homologate these cars into NASCAR racing, the manufacturers needed to sell 500 street version units of each Aero Car model to the public, per the 1969 NASCAR rules.

In 1969, the Mercury Cyclone Spoiler hit the scene. One of the rarest examples of this model is a 1969 Dan Gurney Special Mercury Cyclone Spoiler, named after the legendary race car driver who drove the #1 Ford GT MK IV to victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1967.

Only 1,025 Mercury Cyclone Spoilers were manufactured at Ford Motor Company's Lorain Assembly Plant in Ohio. The plant's advanced paint processes enabled the distinctive paint scheme of Wimbledon White on the body and Presidential Blue on the roof and upper surfaces.

Only five factory-produced Mercury Cyclone Spoilers were equipped with Ford's Drag Pak option. The upgrades included a remote oil cooler, rear-axle gears with 3.91 or 4.30 ratios, and special engine components.

Under the hood lives a 428 ci Super Cobra Jet (SCJ) V8 engine paired with a RUG-AJ code Toploader four-speed manual transmission. This mill was also used by the original Ford Mustang Mach 1 and the base engine for the equally rare Boss 429 Mustang.

The car you see here, owned by Marty Burke, is one of those five cars with the Drag Pak option and is one of only 54 Dan Gurney Specials estimated to remain in existence today. Burke's Cyclone Spoiler is the only one with a black vinyl-knit interior, making it unique compared to the other four '69 Dan Gurney Specials with dark blue cabins.

The one-of-one factory-built Dan Gurney Drag Pak Mercury Cyclone Spoiler was immaculately restored a few years ago, has been raking awards in classic car shows, and is considered to be the best in the world.

Given its rarity, it's an extremely special car, and one that can be considered muscle car royalty should you ever encounter it in the wild.