I am thinking of dropping the hammer on a 57 turnpike cruiser.. It has been my dream car since I was 13 years old. I rode in my friends(used to be my brother's) 57 merc. It is four door hardtop and i loved that I had my own window in the back seat.. I found one in Kansas ( I live in Ohio) and I am trying to figure out how to get it here.. I'll also need to sell my 60 Impala flattop to get it.. I love Gadgets and this car has them. It has a flat steering wheel, push button everything and retractable rear window.. It even has a memory seat and air conditioning..It is also I believe the first american car that had a tachometer! It is also sunset orchid( a light pinkish purple) and black two tone.. I am going into this with my eyes wide open. The gas tank willl probably have to be dropped and flushed.. It will need everyhing an old car needs that has sat too long.. It will need points,plugs, carb rebuilt, radiator recored, new tires and of course, a set of cruiser skirts.. Has anyone ever driven or ridden in one of these cruising vessels? I drove one a couple of years ago that I thought he was asking too much.. Apparently so does everyone else because it is still for sale.. My long term plans for it if I get it are to cruise it as I fix it up and add accessories until I can affort to get it painted.. Let me know what you guys think and any experience with this type of car...
nice cars to drive and build. i have 2 -2 door hardtop wagons and 1- 4 door hardtop wagon...one day i'll do something with them.
Friend's brother had one. Pass everything but the gas station. Handling on anything other than the flat slab of the turnpike was questionable. I remember it being laid up alot due to problems with all the electrical stuff. Steering wheel mounted transmission pushbuttons liked not to work. I did like the electricly operated dual radio antanneas at the upper corners of the windshield. His had dual spotlights, bubble skirts, and a Continental spare carrier. Couldn't get the garage door closed when he put it in. Black white with gold trim (maybe a 58) black and white int.
Go for it! I always wanted one of those cars...they just seemed to have a cool factor that few others have or had.
Cool car, friend has one waiting for paint. If ya buy it and can wait till Aug I can haul it when I go to the mopar nat's for some fuel money. I live in Oklahoma and pass through Kanas on the way so no big deal. Just let me know if interested.
A buddy had a blue one in '62. Cruised the Lower Mainland all summer, handled dirt roads as good as anything I ever saw. Long and low, big and heavy, 430 cubes and power everything! Way cool! I loved the antennae sticking out over the windshield and the Buck Rogers power seat control. I think it held 30 gallons of gas!
I did the new car prep work on these gals when I worked for Nappi Lincoln Mercury back in Sewickley, Pa. Milage was always a problem, but they were still new, and had lots of chrome. Not many of them left. Would be a great cruser. Iceman
Wow Ricardo, your Merc is bad to the bone!! I hope you pursue the car in Ks., I was told about one at an estate sale in Lawrence Ks. a few years ago but didn't have the coin to pursue it. I also have great memories of one my Dad had on his car lot, that back window was magical! Get it!! ~Sololobo~
The windshield is not broken and it's tinted since it has AC!! There is nothing like it on the road and pix are great!!! I do have some pictures but I do not know how to post them. The weird thing is I bought a spotlight mirror for it last summer even though I do not own one.. Mine is same color combo as the one in the picture except the roof and under the chrome is sunst orchid(purple,pink) and the midlle is black... I will keep you guys posted..
They are a boat for sure. The wife and I had a '58 when we were in highschool. We loved it. But they are a boat.
They named them right, what a cruiser. I parted out a rusty 4dr '58 a few years ago. Those cars had some space-age features. A note on the windshield, the one I sold on eBay went well over $1000. Not sure on 1st American car w/tach but '53 Covette's had them. Keep us posted.
If anyone is interested, I have a 1957 Mercury Turnpike Cruiser 4dr HT for sale. Send me a pm with your email address and I will send the 34 photos out that I have.
I believe they made about 8 thousand 4 door hardtops and about 7 thousand two door hardtop turnpike cruisers... Pictures do not capture all the round and squared off angles and also the cool looking coves..
I live in a town of 400 in illinois and about 10 years ago there was a 57 turnpike convertilbe, totally complete sitting in the local junk yard no one was allowed to go into, one day the old boy sold it to someone and they picked it up with a fork lift and it broke in two! sad sad story, they guy drove it in there 30 years before that! red and white with matching interior! valve covers and all
60WideWhitez said: Pictures do not capture all the round and squared off angles and also the cool looking coves. Jimi: Been a lot of years, and I am STILL not over the rear windscreen -- COOOOOL !!!
any one have the valvecover pieces i need two of them and i know were theres a parts car if anyone else needs something thanks
I remember my folks looking at '57 Turnpike Cruiser some 50 years ago. I really dug the 'Breezeway' rear window and antennae at the top of the A-Pillars at the front. They ended up buying a '58 Lincoln Capri... At the time, the Mercs were promoted as having 'Dream Car Design', and one wonders if the dream was, in fact, the result of eating bad shellfish! (LOL) Seriously, it's a cool car just for its Fifties' outrageousness. I'd be happy to own one...
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