Best 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler in the World!

Noted Ford Fairlane and Cyclone collector, Marty Burke revealed his latest restoration at the 2019 MCACN (Muscle Car And Corvette Nationals) and it is the best ever! Those of you how are regulars to our sister site, www.TalladegaSpoilerRegistry.com, may recognize this very rare 1969 Mercury Cyclone Dan Gurney Spoiler 428 SCJ as the one that sat in our garage for several years. At our last Talladega Family Reunion in 2017, we had many discussions about whether the car should be preserved as-is in its original survivor condition, slightly renewed to make it road worthy or completely restored to Concours condition.

At that time the general consensus was to preserve it as a driver. Although this would have been a very easy solution and one that would have provided my wife, Katrina, and me with a wild driver for the street it also seemed like a missed opportunity. We already had a survivor Dan Gurney Spoiler II that makes a great driver. A 428 Super Cobra Jet with 4:30 gears is really not street friendly but would be a blast to drive. Taking this car to Concours quality would be a major undertaking but one that would result in, arguably, the best 1969 Spoiler in the World.

After considerable thought, the decision was made to sell the car (actually put it up for adoption) to Marty Burke. Katrina and I have known Marty for many years and respect him as a man, husband, father and car owner. After several discussions and getting Marty’s assurance that he would do the best possible authentic, correct restoration the Gurney was gone. It was very difficult to part with. Katrina and I had looked for the car for five years and owned it for many more. It was intended to be the pinnacle of our collection. When we realized we could not the best custodians for the car, the decision to pass it on to Marty was easier.

At Marty’s request, we attended the 2019 MCACN show for the unveiling of the SCJ. We were also showing our 1969 Ford Talladega (the first production Talladega off the assembly line) at the show so it was a great time to reunite the to cars as they had shared a garage for many years. The unveiling of the Dan Gurney SCJ was a proud moment for all of us. As Marty says, when the car left it was like sending a child off to college for the first time. With that said, the unveiling was like seeing that same child pick up its diploma after graduating from college!

The video below tells you more about the car and shows you some of the details that make it one of the most important Mercury Cyclones ever built.

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