The Comet GT bucket seat debate...

I have a 1971 Comet brochure (16 pages) sent out to the salesmen introducing the new Comet. According to this brochure buckets were part of the GT package. Some other interesting things, according to this document, all base line Comets were to include:

Bright wheel well molding
Dual body side paint stripes (pin striping)
Bright decklid and quarter extension molding

 

That's interesting, I've had 2 Comets that had none of those, they were about as basic as they could have been. One was a 74, and the other a 75.

 

I had a '71 comet GT back in '84 and if my memory serves me right, it had bucket seats. Six banger car.

 

Could be all those standard things in 1971 became optional in 1972.

 

I've never seen a GT without buckets, really havent paid alot of attention to the other options. I dont get to see many comets around here..

 

There have been a few GTs brought out on this board that did not have buckets.

 

My GT (73) had a bench and a six when I found it. My non GT (also 73) had buckets and pin striping. Ironicly they were the same color... the cars.. and the bucket seats .

 

This is copied from Ford's 1972 Comet ordering guide, "Car Buying Made Easier":

GT PACKAGE…………………………………………………..…..178.80

Includes high-back bucket seats, deluxe door
trim panels, black instrument panel with bright
moldings, hood scoop, dual racing mirrors, hub-
caps with bright wheel trim rings, bright window
frames, dual body tape stripes, blackout grille,
headlamp doors and lower back panel, and hood paint treatment.
Not available with Exterior Décor Group.
Not available with 4-door sedan.

 

Whoa guys, are you trying to say Ford isn't consistent with their builds?

 

According to everything I have read and seen, all Comet GT's came with buckets. Along the way, someone may replace them with a bench, but the holes for buckets will still be there in the floor. Such was the case with my red GT. The previous owner had replaced the buckets with a bench. I removed the bench and the holes for buckets were there. I put buckets back in it.

Although 1975 was the last year for the Comet GT, the GT features remained available in 1976 and 1977 with the "Sports Accent" option group.


Jim

 

My '72 is a baseline, and it does have the wheelwell moulding, pinstripes and rear trunk/quarter extention trim. No drip rail trim, no trim around the side glass, painted boomerangs. Standard black bench/ column shift interior. But it came with tinted glass, v8, c4, power steering, and A/C. Special order maybe?

 

I think back in the day, bench seats were standard in most cars. Some people did not like buckets seats. My dad was one of them! We had a neighbor that ordered a '69 Chevelle SS 396 with bench seat interior. Some guys said they could not have there girl friend sit next to them. I remember that sometimes we would take my Maverick Grabber to the drive- in and the couple in the back seat could not see the screen with the high back bucket seats so we usually took friends cars. A nice 4 door sedan with bench seats was perfect for this! Today, I don't think anyone makes a car with bench seats.

 

I couldn't imagine sitting in the back of a Mav, watching a movie at the drive-in, the front seat has no room as it is.

 

I spent many a weekends at the drive in my Sprint back when I first got it. Watching the movie wasn't top priority.

 

I agree. The rear seat of a Mav is for kids or beer coolers.