1958 Mercury Montclair

American cars of the 1950s were highlighted by excessive use of chrome, gadgets, tail fins, jet-age styling, and bright colors. Mercury Montclairs, introduced in 1955, was the company's mid-range car, available to those with deep pocks and a yearning for style and elegance. They were equipped with Mercury's finest accouterments with extra chrome trim, jet-inspired design cues, and two-tone paint combinations. Full-length side chrome strips with silver trim between them, and chrome headlight rims, helped distinguish the Montclair from the other 1958 Mercurys.

1958 Mercury Montclair body styles included a sedan, hardtop coupe, hardtop sedan, hardtop coupe, and a convertible, with prices ranging from $3,240 to $3,600. The Turnpike Cruiser was offered in both 1957 and 1958 and was inspired by an auto-show concept car of the same name. They were built to celebrate the Interstate era, offering both style and power. The Turnpike Cruiser joined the Montclair line in 1958 and was offered in both hardtop coupe and hardtop sedan body styles. A total of 2,864 examples of the two-door Turnpike Cruiser and 3,543 of the four-door Turnpike Cruiser were built.

The overhead valve 383 cubic-inch V8 had five main bearings, a Holley four-barrel carburetor, and delivered 330 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. A Merc-O-Matic automatic was standard. The largest rendering of the MEL (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) design to date was the 430 cubic-inch engine with 360 horsepower. A three two-barrel carbureted version with a special intake brought horsepower to 400 bhp and was the first American engine to have a factory rating of 400 hp. Bill Stroppe's West Coast shop was tasked with developing these engines, with the special intake reportedly cast for Mercury by the Mooneye company and a unique polished aluminum air breather designed by Hot Rodder Lynn Wineland. These engines were offered as a dealer-installation option before being factory installed. It is believed that 100 examples of these special 430 cubic-inch engines were built that year, which could have been optioned onto any Mercury vehicle.

by Dan Vaughan

Hardtop Coupe
Chassis number: M8WB527967

The 1958 Mercury Montclair was available as a hardtop coupe, hardtop sedan, sedan, convertible, and the 2- and 4-door Turnpike Cruiser. The base engine was an overhead valve V8 displacing 383 cubic inches and developing 330 horsepower. The Turnpike Cruiser cam with a 430 cubic-inch V8 rated at 360 horsepower. A Merc-O-Matic was standard.

The Montclair was given two full-length side chrome strips which were separated by silver trim. In the front, dual headlights on either side of the vehicle were styled with chrome.

The Turnpike Cruiser models had an overhanging rear roof, twin air intakes on the roof located above both sides of the windshield, and a retractable rear window.

Most 1958 Mercurys could be ordered with a 430 cubic-inch V-8 engine built to near NASCAR specifications. This potent engine came paired with three two-barrel carburetors and developed 400 horsepower. This setup was known as the Super Marauder.

This particular Montclair Hardtop Coupe was fitted at the factory with the 383 cubic-inch V8 engine with a four-barrel carburetor and offered 330 horsepower. Since then, it has been uprated with an original Super Marauder engine believed to have been dealer-installed in period. This car is well optioned, with power steering, a push-button Merc-O-Matic transmission with 'High Performance,' a Town & Country signal-seeking radio, dual outside mirrors, a factory clock, tinted windows, dual exhaust, a rear-mounted 'Continental kit' spare, and fender skirts. It currently has fewer than 50,000 original miles.

This car was once part of the Jerry Capizzi 'Cappy Collection' in Illinois and was later owned by Wayne Davis, of Texas, prior to its purchase by the present owner.

by Dan Vaughan

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.

The top of the Mercury line in 1956, the full-size Mercury Montclair was created under the Mercury Marque. The Montclair was introduced to be included in Mercury's premium automobile line.

Though not much evidence exists to support this, the name is believed to have been derived from an upper-class community of Montclair located in New Jersey.

With a distinct design feature that set it apart and designated it a part of the Montclair series, the vehicle had contrasting color panels that ran beneath the side windows. The Montclair showcased some of Mercury's best features including the two-tone paint combinations and the additional chrome trim.

The vehicle came with the option of the Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission. It also featured a 312 cubic inch V8 Engine and a 4 barrel carburetor.

Founded by the Ford Motor Company in 1939, Mercury had begun with the idea to design and manufacture semi-luxury vehicles. Mercury's original major success has been attributed to the Ford Marque in the early 50's as it stretched and lowered then existing Ford platforms which in turn generated superior results from their target markets.

From 1955 to 1960, the Mercury Montclair was both manufactured and sold by the sole Mercury Division and from 1964 to 1968 by Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division.

Upon the introduction of the Mercury Turnpike cruiser in 1957, the Montclair name had the distinct misfortune to be pushed down the market until 1958.

The Montclair was discontinued in 1961, yet was resurrected for the 1964 model year until it was once again retired at the end of the 1968 model year.

by Jessican Donaldson