Vehicle Description
West Coast Classics are proud to present an absolutely exceptional
and great daily driving and completely rust free and mostly all
original California example of this 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser 2
Door Hardtop with its original 368/290HP V8 engine in its original
factory beautiful and striking 'Pastel Peach' color paint with
original full length bodyside stainless trim with rear quarter
panel gold anodized trim on tailfin and with a gorgeous condition
and mostly all original and unrestored interior. The car is fully
loaded with factory options including the:368/290HP V8 engine,Power
windows including the legendary 'Breeze Way' power retractable rear
window,Town amp; Country push button AM radio option,Dual
exhausts,Dual mirrors,Oval Deep Dish steering wheel,Push button
transmission,Combination electric clock and trip odometer,'Monitor
Control Panel' instrument panel,Seat-O-Matic Power Memory
seat,Chrome window surround moldings,Power steering,Power
brakes,Horn ring,Heater amp; defroster,Tinted glass,Padded
instrument panel,Full wheel covers and whitewall tires!The Mercury
Turnpike Cruiser would be both the top-of-the-line Mercury as well
as one of the most gadget laden cars ever produced in the 1950's
whilst also boasting the larger and huge new 368 CID 290HP V8
engine which was first seen in the 1956 Lincoln line. Mercury's
automatic transmission known as the 'Merc-O-Matic' now featured a
'Keyboard Control' pushbutton feature similar to what Chrysler was
using at the time but which also featured a pushbutton to start the
engine and a push/pull control to set the parking brake and for
locking the transmission in gear. This was definitely unlike any
Mercury ever produced to date. The Turnpike Cruiser Hardtop used a
unique windshield that wrapped upward to give better vision with
the upper area capped at each end with supplementary roof-level air
intakes with faux antennas projecting from the center and each
operated by it's own interior control. It had a unique oval
steering wheel flattened at the top for an even better view of the
road! The twin roof level air intakes were part of the 'Breeze Way'
ventilation system that included a power operated rear window
section which lowered into the rear deck compartment and which some
considered better than actual air conditioning! The Seat-O-Matic
power system allowed an almost infinite combination of some 49
different seating positions and the Turnpike Cruiser's clock was
actually a combination clock and 'Average Speed Computer' that
reported the average speed at any point on a trip. The padded dash
with rubber housings for the tachometer and clock surrounds was a
safety feature and the first of its kind. In addition to all the
other power options as standard, it is clear to see why the '57
Mercury Turnpike Cruiser was dubbed the 'King of Gadgets' and
Mercury was to market the car as "The most advanced car you can buy
at any price!"A Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Convertible was selected
as the official pace car for the 1957 running of the Indianapolis
500 mile race which marked only the second time in Mercury's short
history to be selected for this honor. These Mercury Turnpike
Cruisers were the top-of-the-line offerings for 1957-58 and in 1957
were widely promoted as a separate series only to be reduced to a
Montclair sub-series for 1958 before the high cost of buying one,
and maybe some aversion to it's flamboyant looks and gadgets
galore, but more importantly the unfortunate recession of the late
fifties which took its toll on many mid-market models of the era
such as the Turnpike Cruiser and Edsel, which led to the model
being dropped from the Mercury line up after only two years of
production. In later years, the high performance of the Turnpike
Cruiser would help popularize the cars use in demolition derbys,
one of the reasons along with its limited production numbers why
you wont see many of them out there today. It wasnt even considered
a true collectors car until recently, when people started to
appreciate its uniqueness (and rarity)! The four-door model with
the Continental kit measures an astonishing 18-1/3 feet in length.
The Mercury Turnpike Cruiser is a now revered as a true American
classic and treasure of automotive history.This particular example
is exceptionally rare and unusual as a true mostly all original
survivor with no signs or history of any accidents or rust ever!
The floor boards, trunk and all the typical rust-prone areas are
solid and rust-free. The car has a beautiful and very professional
repaint in its original 'Pastel Peach' factory color and has a
beautiful complimenting tri tone correct original material interior
with all its original factory instrumentation intact including the
original 'AM' Town amp; Country radio, all of which is in quite
exceptional and original specification condition throughout.The
368/290HP V8 engine is extremely strong and powerful and sounds
absolutely magnificent and this particular car also drives
absolutely magnificently - a truly remarkable daily driver that
will give any modern day car a run for it's money! The transmission
shifts smoothly through the gears and the car is an absolute
pleasure to drive!This is an extraordinarily rare opportunity to
own a great daily driving and mostly all original, only restored
where required over the years, and completely rust free 1957
Mercury Turnpike Cruiser 2 Door Hardtop Coupe in a very striking
color combination and beautiful matching interior! A true all
American classic car for the Mercury enthusiast or simply any
classic car enthusiast to enjoy today!