Good, bad, or indifferent, Pennsylvania is known for a lot of things. It offers culinary delight in scrapple, cheesesteaks, and pretzels from Philly, just for starters. It’s home to the Liberty Bell, the Steel City, eight professional teams in five major leagues, and a little place called Three Mile Island. Dubbed “sideways Indiana” by professional east-west travelers, the state is also known for its 360.1-mile-long turnpike. When opened to the public on October 1, 1940, the then-marvel of modern transportation became the benchmark for future superhighway design and construction. Fitting, then, that we spotted this 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser at another Pennsylvania staple, the AACA Eastern Fall Meet held each October in Hershey.
Arguably, the Turnpike Cruiser was Mercury’s halo car when unveiled for 1957. Factory literature boasted it was the “most dramatic expression of Dream-Car Design,” available “with exclusive features no other car offers.” Like its Skylight Dual-Curve windshield that provided extra ambient light and greater forward vision. At the top of each A-pillar were “roof level air intakes” linked to individual driver and front passenger controls mounted above the dash. And aside from dramatic new styling, there were canted C-pillars and a three-piece rear window: the “exclusive Breezeway Ventilation–the newest advance in draft-free, fresh air comfort” made possible by lowering the wide center pane into the bodywork behind the rear seat. It was power operated, of course, as were the side windows; just a few standard equipment items that made the Turnpike Cruiser one of the most gadget-ladened, mid-market cars offered that year, aptly named for the luxury travel it provided.
Photo: Matt Litwin
Automotive journalists drove test mules just as production launched, most of whom looked upon the space-age styled Mercury with favor. In its March 1957 issue, Motor Trend reported fine handling, thanks to the Air-Cushion suspension system, and 0-60 times of 9.9 seconds that, along with ample passing acceleration, was attributed to the also-standard 290-hp 368-cu.in. V-8 that lurked below the hood.
Available as a two-door hardtop, convertible (which was selected to pace the Indianapolis 500), and our featured four-door hardtop sedan, and costing an average of $576 more than equivalent, base-equipped Montclairs, sales expectations were high. Unfortunately, 1957 was met by a recession. Turnpike Cruiser production numbered 16,861 units in total, including 8,305 four-door hardtops; the line’s best seller.
Costing $3,849 without option when new (or $42,160 in 2023 currency), this sedan benefitted from what appeared to be an excellent restoration, finished in a typical late-Fifties two-tone motif (tri-tone was also available). Though the “highway hugging profile” was decorated with morning dew, it was easy to see the shine the exterior trim offered; even the bumpers were devoid of scuffs of nicks from turnpike cruising. Similarly, the inviting two-tone all-vinyl interior had potentially benefitted from careful maintenance or minimal use. Sadly, deal-making details were lacking, yet it was clear the captivating mid-market cruiser was there to sell, its $28,900 asking price on par with condition #2 value guides. And at nearly half the original cost (factoring inflation), it doubled as a bargain buy.
1957 MERCURY TURNPIKE CRUISER FOUR-DOOR HARDTOP
Asking Price: $28,900
Found At: 2022 AACA Eastern Fall Meet (Hershey, Pennsylvania)
Website: hershey.aaca.com
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