Vehicle Description
1957 was a big year for Mercury, which saw a dramatic restyling of all of its models and a move upward in the market to compete with cars such as the Chrysler New Yorker, Buick Super, and Oldsmobile 98. Mercury’s new styling bore no resemblance to any previous models and likewise shared no body parts with either Ford or Lincoln, from whom Mercury had borrowed heavily in the past and the result was a new line of sleek and attractive new vehicles that proved to be greatly popular with the public. During this time Mercury was also the only auto manufacturer to produce two- and four-door hardtop station wagons, an elegant feature that was lacking amongst their contemporaries. Built May 8th at Mercury’s Los Angeles Assembly plant in Pico Rivera, California, this 1957 Mercury Voyager 6-passenger station wagon is equipped with an optional Turnpike Cruiser 368ci big block V8 engine mated to a Merc-O-Matic 3-speed pushbutton automatic transmission, and produces 290hp and 405 lb-ft. of torque. Other features under the hood include power brakes, and power steering, both of which were optional, and on station wagons and 368-equipped cars, 3” wide front brakes came standard whereas 2.5” brakes were found on the smaller, less powerful Mercurys. Shown in its original colors of Moonmist Yellow and Classic White, the Voyager shows well with just a few blemishes while the interior shows very nicely as well and the seats are plush and comfortable. Ordered with a number of options, this Voyager wagon features Mercury’s Safety Group package, consisting of a padded instrument panel, and padded sun visors, Visual Aid Group which included tinted glass, backup lights, windshield washer system, and non-glare inside rearview mirror and finally the Glamour Group package which included chrome wheel opening mouldings and rocker panel mouldings, along with the anodized Gold projectile moulding appliqué on the rear quarter panel. Standard features for the Voyager included an electric rear window, Town and Country radio, and Quadra-Beam headlights, which were so bright in their time that they were actually banned in Tennessee and South Dakota. The Voyager rides on B.F. Goodrich Silvertown 8.50-14 wide whitewall tires mounted on a set of original steel wheels with original Mercury hubcaps. Overall, this Mercury Voyager station wagon runs very well and shows nicely for its age and with a production run of only two short years and with just 2,283 built for 1957 this Mercury Voyager is a rare and wonderful example of a wagon from the stylized station wagon era of the late 1950’s.
