The Turnpike Cruiser's fake roof antennas hid nothing; they were styling cues for a car named after the new interstates.
Median 85 hp across 139 similar cars
Lead trim: Turnpike Cruiser 368 cu in Lincoln Y-block V8 (290 hp, 1957) · up to 400 hp
Mercury Turnpike Cruiser1957–1958
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Mercury Turnpike Cruiser yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThe Turnpike Cruiser's fake roof antennas hid nothing; they were styling cues for a car named after the new interstates.
The Mercury Turnpike Cruiser was produced for the 1957 and 1958 model years, named to commemorate the creation of the Interstate Highway System and marketed as the flagship Mercury above the Montclair, when Mercury was positioned upmarket to luxury status as Edsel was introduced. Derived from the 1956 XM-Turnpike Cruiser concept, it was a luxury two-door and four-door hardtop (plus, on a limited basis in 1957, the Convertible Cruiser, the Indianapolis 500 pace car, with 1,265 convertibles and 4 pace cars built), marketed against the Buick Roadmaster and Oldsmobile 98. It shared the 122-inch wheelbase body-on-frame chassis (211 in long, 79.1 in wide, 56.5 in high, 4,015 lb) with the Monterey and Montclair. Features included a retractable "Breezeway" rear window, compound-curve windshield, mechanical pushbutton transmission controls, a trip computer, rooftop ventilation intakes with fake radio antennas and "Quadri-Beam" dual headlamps. For 1957 it had the 368 cubic-inch, 290 hp Lincoln Y-block V8; for 1958 two all-new "Marauder" engines were introduced, a 383 cubic-inch, 330 hp V8 (standard) and a 430 cubic-inch, 360 hp V8, with an optional triple-two-barrel "Super Marauder" 430 producing 400 hp, the first factory-produced engine with a 400 hp output. All had a 3-speed Merc-O-Matic automatic. In total 23,268 were produced (16,861 in 1957 and 6,407 in 1958); for 1958 the Turnpike Cruiser was phased into the Montclair line and the top role given to the Park Lane.
Collectors Spotted in the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Mercury Turnpike Cruiser yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
4 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnpike Cruiser 368 cu in Lincoln Y-block V8 (290 hp, 1957) | 1957–1957 | 6.0 L V8 | 290 hp | 405 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Turnpike Cruiser 383 cu in Marauder V8 (330 hp, 1958) | 1958–1958 | 6.3 L V8 | 330 hp | 425 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Turnpike Cruiser 430 cu in Marauder V8 (360 hp, 1958) | 1958–1958 | 7.0 L V8 | 360 hp | 480 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
| Turnpike Cruiser 430 cu in Super Marauder V8 (400 hp, 1958) | 1958–1958 | 7.0 L V8 | 400 hp | 480 lb-ft | — | RWD | — | — |
Owning one
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Owners’ builds
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Photographs
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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