Vehicle Description
May 30, 1957 was a big day in Indianapolis, Indiana; it was the
46th running of the Indianapolis 500 race. This car was the
recipient of a senior national first place winner in 2002 and shows
just as nice today. It was a recipient of a nut and bold, frame off
restoration.
This Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Pace Car Convertible Re-creation was
made on January 5, 1957, at Ford's Hazelwood Assembly Plant in
suburban St. Louis, Missouri (code SL). The car comes with
removable "pace car" vinyl graphics included with purchase.
This example is fully restored and wears the correct Sun Glitter
Yellow paint (code 2000). The paint and trim are in overall
excellent condition, the bodywork is straight and solid, the engine
bay is very tidy, the cargo area looks great, and the re-chrome
bumpers fit tightly to the body. The underside has been restored
and highly detailed. There's a Continental Kit with a Dream Car
Spare Tire Carrier along with a full-size spare tire and wheel in
the trunk.
Although not legalized across the entire United States until 1958,
"Quadri-Beam" dual headlamps were fitted as standard equipment (the
only 1957 Mercury to do so, as well as one of very few cars from
that year to be equipped as such); for states that still allowed
the use of single headlights only.
This convertible rolls on BFGoodrich Silvertown wide whitewall
tires, size 8.00-14 at every corner. The tires are in very good,
order and the wheels are in very good shape.
Under the hood is a rebuilt Lincoln Y-block 368 CID V-8 with a
four-barrel carburetor, dual exhausts and a 9.75:1 compression
ratio. The motor is backed by a Merc-O-Matic three-speed automatic
transmission. Driver convenience features include power
recirculating-ball steering and power four-wheel drum brakes.
Inside is a matching black-and-yellow vinyl interior (code 2005),
echoing the exterior. The reupholstered front and rear bench seats
look great, as does the newer black carpet. A four-spoke steering
wheel faces the driver. The inner door panels and dashboard are in
similar condition. The speedo/odo are inop. Much like Chryslers of
the era, this Mercury sports a pushbutton automatic transmission,
which falls to the driver's left hand. An AM radio completes the
interior.
This pace car came from the Hendricks Collection was selected to
run in the 100th Anniversary Indianapolis 500 in 2011. The vehicle
was awarded the AACA Senior National First Prize in 2002.
Documentation includes a 40- x 80-inch photo of the original pace
car doing laps with the race cars in the 1957 Indy 500 race, two
20- x 40-inch promotional signs, a scale model of the '57 Mercury
Turnpike Cruiser Pace Car, official 1957 Indy 500 Race Program,
admission ticket, two trading cards and two framed photos of the
original pace car and the car and driver who won the race.
Convertible competition to this Mercury in 1957 included Buick's
Series 70 Roadmaster Convertible, Cadillac's Series 62 Convertible,
Chrysler's New Yorker Convertible, the Continental Mark II
Convertible, DeSoto's Fireflite Convertible, Dodge's Custom Royal
Super Red Ram Convertible, Imperial's Crown Convertible Coupe,
Lincoln's Premiere Convertible and Oldsmobile's Starfire 98
Convertible.
If you collect pace cars or you're a classic Mercury fan, this
Turnpike Cruiser may be for you. You should visit MotoeXotica
Classic Cars today to look it over for yourself.
VIN: 57SL61233M
This car is currently located at our facility in St. Louis,
Missouri. Current mileage on the odometer shows 71,961 miles. It is
sold as is, where is, on a clean and clear, mileage exempt title.
GET OUT AND DRIVE!!!
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pertain to the purchase of any said vehicle, thank you.