It's always painful to see a beautiful car getting wrecked. But it's even worse when the car in question is a one-off, custom build of a classic car. This 1,300 horsepower 1964 Mercury Comet restomod, built by owner Russ Stover in his garage over a period of 23 years to go drag racing with, certainly falls in the list of 'hope to never wreck' cars.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened - and worse, while it was being filmed by Shawn Davis, of YouTube channel AutopiaLA fame. Davis even was an unfortunate passenger in the wreck, with both driver and co-passenger sustaining injuries in the crash. Somehow, this story gets even worse when you learn why the crash happened. And how easy it could've been to avoid wrecking this over $200,000 muscle car in the first place, especially one with a parts list as comprehensive as this. It seems no stone was left unturned in this build. Except possibly the most important one. That, coupled with just a bit of good ol' ignorance seems to be the primary factor in one of the most heart-breaking wrecks we've seen yet.
UPDATED NOVEMBER 2022: This article was updated with more details as to why and how the wreck of this lovely 1,300 horsepower Mercury Comet drag racer got into a wreck and how anyone could avoid a crash like it.
Race-Built 1,300 HP Mercury Comet
In December 2021, Shawn Davis, with the rest of his crew from AutotopiaLA, went to check out this beautifully modified 1964 Mercury Comet. This particular specimen of the Comet is truly a sight to behold. Painted in a shiny red hue, this American classic hides a 632 Merlin big-block Chevrolet engine under its hood (that's 10.35-liters of capacity!), which churns out no less than 1,300 horsepower.
In the initial interview with the owner, we learn that the owner has built this car on his own in his garage. He jokingly explains that this process has cost him 23 years, $208,000, and two wives.
This particular Mercury Comet has been built for drag racing. However, Russ Stover mentions that because of his time and energy on this project, he chooses not to engage in quarter-mile races as it would be a lot of emotional pain if the Comet were to end up in a crash.
At this point, Mr. Stover mentions that despite all the modifications that he has done on his Comet, he still has a few items on his wishlist that he wants to add to his car. On the top of this list are bigger and better brakes, as the vehicle is still using brake technology that is 17 years old. Shawn Davis says that in hindsight, this is something that should have stuck out to him as a potential hazard, but at the time, it didn't.
A Lesson In Why You Don't Ignore Red Flags In Your Car
Soon after this initial interview, Shawn Davis, with the owner Russ Stover behind the wheel, decides to head out for a short drive in the Comet. Since it was just a casual drive, both of them chose to put on just their lap belts and not the harness, which in hindsight again, would have been a much safer option.
Upon arriving at their first red light, Mr. Davis notices that Mr. Stover had to tap the accelerator several times to unstick it, as the engine had been idling at about 2,200 RPMs. A problem he mentions is quite typical with older cars. Soon after driving further down the road, Shawn Davis notes to his companion that he can smell the brakes, i.e., the burning smell from brakes overheating. Mr. Stover replies that this is the case because he had to ride the brakes because of the throttle sticking issue to prevent the car from going too fast.
At this point in the video, Shawn Davis mentions that all the above things should have come across as warning signs. However, he has been in similar situations before, and as nothing has happened in those situations, he decides to not worry about them too much.
But as we can see in the video, this is when the crash takes place. The pair take off from a red light with a bit of speed, around 45-50 mph. Seeing a red light ahead, Russ Stover applies the brake, but he realizes they have failed. So he tries to swerve to avoid hitting the stopped cars but fails to do so and hits a minivan straight in the back.
1,300 HP Mercury Comet Crash: The Aftermath
Though the crash was severe and resulted in serious injuries to the people and extensive damage to all the vehicles involved, the good news is that all the involved parties have now fully recovered. Shawn Davis and Russ Stover are in perfect health, with the former back to producing great content on YouTube.
But what about the rare Mercury Comet? Is it dead? Mr. Davis says that though Mr. Stover has put the project on hold, he wishes to take it up again soon. And hopefully, we will quickly see this 1,300 hp 1964 Mercury Comet restored to its former glory being showcased on AutotopiaLA's channel.
The video ends with Mr. Davis sharing a few words of wisdom: his learnings from this accident. First, he stresses always putting on the safety harnesses and installing them in your classics if you don't have them installed already. He also advises regularly getting the brakes of such cars tech-inspected. Furthermore, his most crucial suggestion is to install a manual handbrake in a custom-built car, even though the possibility of it ruining the look of your car's center console. Who knows, maybe if this Comet had one, things would have ended differently.