Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Convertible

Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Convertible

The 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser represented the absolute zenith of 1950s American automotive exuberance. In an era when Detroit's Big Three were engaged in a frenzied competition to out-chrome, out-fin, and out-gadget one another, Mercury created a car so laden with technological novelties and styling excess that it seemed to have arrived from the future, even by the wild standards of 1957.

The Turnpike Cruiser was powered by a 368-cubic-inch V8 producing 290 horsepower, a substantial engine for its day that provided effortless cruising on the new Interstate highway system that inspired the car's name. The engine was paired with Mercury's Multi-Drive Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission, operated by pushbuttons mounted in the center of the steering wheel hub, allowing the driver to select gears without removing hands from the wheel.

But it was the Turnpike Cruiser's roster of innovative features that set it apart from everything else on the road. The Breezeway rear window could retract electrically into the roof, providing open-air ventilation to rear seat passengers without the wind and noise of fully open windows. The Seat-O-Matic system used a memory function to automatically adjust the driver's seat position when the ignition was turned, presaging the memory seat systems that would not become common for another three decades. A unique average speed calculator mounted in the dashboard computed the car's average velocity for any given journey.

The exterior styling was a riot of chrome, compound curves, and dramatic fins. The car-line roof featured inward-canting windshield pillars and a distinctive air-intake scoop at the front of the roof that housed an air vent for the unique ventilation system. The dual headlamp arrangement was canted inward at the top, giving the front end a predatory squint that was immediately recognizable. The rear featured aggressive blade fins flanking the retractable window, creating a profile that was unmistakably late-1950s Detroit.

Mercury offered the Turnpike Cruiser as the pace car for the 1957 Indianapolis 500, further cementing its status as the brand's flagship model. The convertible version was particularly stunning, with its power-operated top and continental spare tire kit creating a rolling spectacle of 1950s automotive ambition.

Commercially, the Turnpike Cruiser was not a success. Its high price tag, complex mechanical systems, and polarizing styling limited sales to 16,861 units for 1957 and even fewer for 1958 before the model was discontinued. The elaborate features proved troublesome in service, and Mercury dealers were not equipped to repair the car's innovative but fragile systems.

Today, the Turnpike Cruiser is one of the most celebrated and collectible 1950s American cars, valued precisely for the over-the-top qualities that limited its original sales. The convertible models are exceptionally rare and command premium prices, while even hardtop versions in good condition attract serious interest from collectors of the era.