Bob Thorpe, of Freyburg, stands between his 1964 Mercury Comet Cyclone, left, and his 1967 Cyclone.
Jim Krumel | For The Lima News
FREYBURG – Some cars just seem like they were made for certain people.
That’s how it has been for 75-year-old Bob Thorpe and the Comet Cyclone, a mid-size muscle car that Mercury rolled off the assembly line from 1964 to 1971.
Thorpe has owned four Cyclones. The first two he sold “when family came along” – but he never forgot them. He would buy two more later in life that are now tucked away in a pole barn.
“I just fell in love with the Cyclone a long time ago. I cannot really tell you why,” he said.
It was the 1965 model that hooked Thorpe at the age of 21. Sixteen years later in 1985, he bought his second Cyclone, also a 1965 model.
After selling both of those cars, his wife, Joyce, wasn’t surprised when he bought the 1964 and 1967 Cyclones he owns today. She knows Bob well, given they will be married 49 years this October with four children and five grandchildren.
“He loves those cars,” Joyce said. “They’re fun cars and have a unique body style that gets a lot of attention.”
Thorpe purchased the 1964 model 11 years ago. He came across the vehicle when he saw it being advertised in Hamilton County. Thorpe made a call, and as the man began describing the car, Thorpe politely cut him off, knowing that sometimes you have to make a quick decision. This was one of those times.
“I told him I’ll be driving to Hamilton County tomorrow to buy it,” he said.
“Everything on it is original. It’s a sharp car – white with a red interior and bucket seats. It only has 23,500 miles on it,” Thorpe said.
Four years later, a 1967 Cyclone convertible caught his eye. It now owns a spot parked by the 1964 Cyclone.
“I had it restored. It’s a thing of beauty … jasmine yellow with a black interior and a black top. I only put about 600 to 700 miles on both cars in a year, mostly going to car shows,” Thorpe said.
He credits Gary Keiser with the body work on the 1967 model. Before retiring, Keiser operated Keiser’s Body shop for 50 years near Thorpe’s home in the Auglaize County hamlet of Freyburg.
“It was the last major restoration Gary did before retiring,” Thorpe said. “That makes it a little more special to me.”
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