68 Cyclone Road Tests
I currently have 2 road tests for the Cyclone, both I purchased from Ebay. The first one, is from the November 1967 issue of Mechanix Illustrated. Yes, that is how they spelled it back then. The magazine was also in a 6 by 9 inch size. I like this article since the test is with the exact car that I have. The same engine, rear end ratio, transmission etc. The 0-60 and quarter mile times look a little on the slow side, but in those days, they just didn't make tires that grip like today. There was a lot of wheel-spin off the line which greatly affected acceleration.
Mechanix Illustrated Road Test.
The second test is from Motor Trend in August of 1968. At this time, the 390 was not the largest engine available anymore. On April 1/68, the 428 Cobra Jet became the hot one. Earlier in the year, Ford was bragging about the upcoming 427 engine (this was mentioned in the Mechanix Ill. article) but for some unknown reason to me, they didn't come up with the 427 they had been using since the mid sixties. Instead, we got the 428, a milder version of the 427. Basically, its a tweaked 390, with bigger valves, and a longer stroke. It even has the same cam as the 390 GT. In this test, they got some pretty healthy 1/4 mile times, probably due to the 4.11 rear end ratio. Nevertheless, on todays tires it would be even better.