Michael Callahan from Cincinnati, Ohio, always dreamed about going to Bonneville with a street car and getting into the 150MPH Club. Or should we say, drive a car to Bonneville, make his passes, and then drive home. A few years ago he got into the 130MPH Club with a 1999 Ford Crown Vic that was a Bondurant Driving School car set up by Jack Roush with a 1999 Mustang Cobra valve train. He got into the club with it, but he knew it couldn't go 150mph, and you know that higher speeds are addicting. After he retired from the printing business the search for a 150mph street car commenced. He wasn't after any specific car, with his parameters being for something he could easily modify aerodynamically, and performance-wise too. In 2015 he found the car he thought would work for sale in California, this 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler II. It hit him that this would be the perfect type of production car to make an attempt for his dream.

Cyclone Spoiler IIs were originally made to fight the aero wars in NASCAR, where a 500-production run available to the general public was necessary to homologate the cars for racing. In all 503 were said to have been built, all with 351 Windsor engines, C4 automatics, and all painted white with either blue or red accents. What made it such a perfect Bonneville car was the factory aero aids almost hidden from a standard Cyclone. The noses were extended about six-inches and lowered, and a flush grille was added. Ford Torino Talladegas were built in a similar fashion. The front bumpers were modified rear bumpers, V'd in the center, and capped to help aero. Also, the rockers were modified to roll into the frame higher; to cheat the NASCAR rules stating stock ride heights determined minimum racing heights. NASCAR measured at the rockers, so if they are higher the car can be lower, for a lower center of gravity and better aero. Get it?

Rumors over the years have speculated that actually only 351 Cyclone Spoiler IIs were built, and that Mercury assembled "503" Spoiler IIs as verification for NASCAR, with the cars further back of the assemblage actually being standard Wimbleton White Cyclones. Supposedly NASCAR didn't notice the difference when doing a quick count.

What Michael got when he bought the Merc was a modified Spoiler, set up basically like you see it here. Painted a non-stock black, it also has a 1970 stock block 351ci Cleveland with 4bbl heads and single 750 Holley, hooked to a wide ratio Top Loader 4-speed trans. Out back a 2.75 Detroit Locker rear also got Michael a few steps closer to Bonneville. So the mods and improvements sealed the deal and he drove it home from Torrance, California, with a list of things to fix with every mile driven. Over the last two years of ownership Michael has made substantial small fixes and improvements to ready the car for its salt assault, but the mods made by previous owners proved to be well executed, saving Michael both time and money from his original plan to change out the engine and driveline for something more substantial. He lucked out.

Some ply the salt of Bonneville to build a better mousetrap in any number of classes to break that category's top speed, and the pride and sense of accomplishment that goes with beating a standing record. But you can also choose to achieve a personal best by picking a speed and then attempting to hit it. No categories, no record breaking attempts, just setting a series of parameters and then pursuing your own private conquest. For Michael that meant driving to Bonneville, hopefully exceeding the 150mph magic mark, and then driving home. Speeds are determined by making a pass on the 2 mile course, then making a return pass within a certain time, and averaging the two speeds.

Michael's changes to meet SCTA specs to race the course included a 4-point roll bar, driveshaft loop, V-rated tires, 5-point harness and seat brace, and a handful of other additions. When he put it on a chassis dyno a few other changes were deemed necessary to surpass 150mph at Bonneville. Beehive valve springs with titanium retainers were added, an Edelbrock air-gap intake replaced the single plane manifold, 16-inch rear wheels were added to gain speed, an aluminum driveshaft replaced the clunky original, and many minor changes were made to the Holley. But keep in mind that this car runs a mechanical fuel pump, stock pistons, rods and bottom end. With those changes the Merc ran 168mph simulated on the chassis dyno at 5900rpm.

As for the car's road manners, it's been driven thousands of mile to different events including the Aero Warriors event in Talladega, Alabama. It's tight, squeak free, and surprisingly docile on the open highway and around town. No bump and clang, squeaky urethane suspension, or microwave interior manners. It's that perfect combo of sitting right, looking and performing well, and 4-speed fun to drive.

After all of the thrashing to prepare it for its maiden runs on the salt the 2015 Bonneville meet was rained out, so the wait began for 2016. When it finally arrived Michael drove the Spoiler 1800 miles to Bonneville. Getting there for Tech Day, he passed tech and the next day ran 154mph on his first pass, with a backup pass of 153mph, making it into the 150MPH Club no problem. This was done with windshield wipers and side mirrors, the tune he drove it to Bonneville with, and a mix of 91 octane gas the car had for the trip to Utah, and some 100 octane gas he picked up on the course. He told us the passes were exhilarating, except for the skating on the salt surface as speeds increased. For that you need some mental and physical restraint. If you don't back off and don't over correct, you're positioned to complete the pass short of breaking a part. Backing off or slowing down induces the car to swap ends. If you turn the steering wheel too much one way or the other to try to correct for the skating, you can also swap ends or lose control. Your best reaction is to stay on the gas, and read the feedback the car gives to determine whether you need to correct steering or just forge ahead. Michael settled in and forged.

When he's telling the story it seems so simple; just drive your street car to Bonneville from Cincy, go 150mph, and then drive home. Of course we know that any effort like this required plenty of planning, thought, time and money. Still, Michael got into the Cyclone really reasonably, and though he expected he might have to rebuild the engine and do other major mods, it ended up being one of those happy ending stories that greased the skids to fulfilling one of the most improbable dreams a hot rod enthusiast could have. Congrats to Michael and to his murdered out Cyclone Spoiler II.

See all 52 photos Deception and speed were what led to the limited production, wind cheating 1969 Mercury Cyclone Spoiler IIs. 502 were produced to homologate them for NASCAR racing, as the sanctioning body required a minimum of 500 cars be made available to the general public to be eligible to race in the NASCAR series. Michael Callahan's Cyclone was built for a completely different purpose.

See all 52 photos Cyclone Spoiler II noses were extended about six-inches and dropped to help increase aerodynamic flow and downforce. A flush grille was also utilized, which is the easiest way to identify these rare Cyclone's from their more pedestrian brethren. Callahan added the spoiler below the bumper to avoid lift from air running under the bumper.

See all 52 photos All Cyclone Spoiler IIs came with small block Fords. When Callahan purchased his, it already had this stock block 1970 351ci Cleveland engine, along with a wide ratio 4-speed Top Loaders and Detroit Locker rear. All were built well and required only limited refinement to satisfy Callahan's mission. He added an Edelbrock Air Gap intake, and made minor changes to the 750 Holley carb, along with upgrading to beehive valve springs and titanium spring retainers.

See all 52 photos Left mainly as it came from Mercury, Callahan did swap out a no-name racing seat and 5-point harness, and built a roll bar per SCTA regulations for the 150mph attempt. Callahan says reading the requirements and following them before landing at Bonneville made for an easy tech inspection. Riding in the Mercury it lacks the rattles and bangs typical of this era car, instead expressing a tight but firm attitude on the highway.

See all 52 photos From the rear it's hard to tell this is no ordinary Cyclone. Many came with goofy rear wings for show, but Michael's rear spoiler mimics those found on NASCAR racecars, to aid in added downforce for better traction on the oval. Cyclones shared the same basic body as 1969 Ford Torinos, and came only in white with either blue Dan Gurney stripes or red Cale Yarborough stripes. There were no options.

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See all 52 photos A closer look reveals a sloping hood, longer fenders, and flush grille, all modifications done by Mercury to help cheat the wind. Front bumpers were actually rear bumpers that were V'd and had their ends modified to tuck in and capped to close off the transition from bumper to sheet metal for better aero.

See all 52 photos Callahan added to roll bar per SCTA requirements for a 150mph attempt. This plus the Monte Carlo bar in the engine compartment between the shock towers make for a solid car on the highway. Mostly the interior is stock Mercury, which remains taxicab simple.

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