1958 Mercury Montclair 2-Door Turn Pike Cruiser

The Mercury Turnpike Cruiser, offered in both 1957 and 1958, was inspired by an auto-show concept car of the same name. This celebrated the dawn of the Interstate era with power and style. The '58 version joined the mid-range Montclair line, and was offered in both Hardtop Sedan and Hardtop Coupe models. This particular example, showcasing a rare Silver Sheen Iridescent/Jamaican Blue Iridescent two-tone paint scheme, is one of only 6,407 Montclair Turnpike Cruisers built in 1958.

Any way you look at it, Dearborn's dream machine was space-age all the way and loaded with more gadgets than any Ford product before it. Breeze-way Ventilation with adjustable front air intakes at the upper corners of the Skylight DualCurve windshield, and a power retracting rear window, promising comfort at expressway speeds.

Other out-of-this-world details on the amazing Turnpike Cruiser included a Merc-O-Matic transmission with Keyboard Controls on the Monitor Control Panel (dashboard), and a Seat-O-Matic power front seat adjuster.

The larger standard 383 cubic-inch Marauder V8 engine was new for 1958 and provided ample passing and merging power on those limited-access freeways. Safety features weren't forgotten: a padded dash, deep-dish steering wheel, high-mounted red side running lights, and a dash-mounted rearview mirror were all standard.