Nineteen fifty-seven is a popular year for many American brands, but not for Mercury. That was the year Mercury unveiled its series with “Dream-Car Design,” but enthusiasts and collectors tend to look elsewhere for Atomic Age greatness. Our Pick of the Day is one of these dark horse classics: a 1957 Mercury Montclair. It is listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Greely, Colorado. (Click on the link to view the listing)
Mercury might as well be known as “Sybil” because Ford Motor Company gave it several images that made it seem the brand had multiple personality disorder. Initially created to fill a gap between Ford and the Lincoln Zephyr, Mercury eventually grew into a junior Lincoln, then had its own exclusive bodies, then evolved into a premium Ford after the Edsel debacle, back and forth. After spending several years in the shadows of its competition (if not Ford) in the 1950s, Mercury was poised to make a splash for 1957 with its own unique interpretation of personal transportation.
“Styled to influence the shape of cars for years to come,” the “Big M” 1957 Mercury featured styling reflected by the 1956 XM-Turnpike Cruiser show car. Canted taillights leading to “projectile side theme” rear fenders were unusual, even for 1957. Available “Quadri-Beam” quad headlights was a forward-thinking feature. “Keyboard Control” push-button automatic transmission was a contemporary option that’s more commonly seen as a Mopar feature. A new power seat option featured a dial to save your seat setting.
Under the hood, Mercury appeared to step up to the plate and greet Chrysler in the horsepower wars: a “Safety Surge” 312 four-barrel with 259 horsepower was standard, with a 290-horse “Turnpike Cruiser” with four-barrel being optional for the Monterey and Montclair. On top of that, buyers could specify the M-335 power package that included dual-quads and 335 horsepower.
Speaking of Turnpike Cruiser, that also was the name of a new, special Mercury model that sat above Monterey and Montclair. Said to have been named to commemorate the creation of the Interstate Highway System, this new flagship featured every power item offered by Mercury, including the following:
- The “Monitor Control Panel” dashboard was ‘driver-planned” with tachometer, and featured a “Average-Speed Computer Clock,” which worked both as a timepiece and a speed calculator. The steering wheel also featured a recessed hub for better vision and safety.
- The “Skylight Dual-Curve Windshield” wrapped upwards, as well as around, and was flanked by twin antennas atop the A-pillars.
- “Breezeway Ventilation” brought air in through “supplementary roof-level air intakes.” Air flowed out through a retractable, power-operated backlite on hardtops.
In the collector car world, the Turnpike Cruiser garners the most attention, leaving cars like this 1957 Mercury Montclair Phaeton Coupe (Mercury’s way of saying “two-door hardtop”) to fend for themselves. Painted in Classic White with a Fiesta Red top and gold-hued side sculpting, “this often-overlooked gem of ‘50s Americana boasts its original 368-cubic inch V8, one of the largest, most powerful engines on the market at the time, producing 290 horsepower and mated to a Keyboard Control automatic transmission,” says the seller. Note the optional quad headlights.
He also calls the car a “survivor”—is it? Or just a loose use of the word to suggest “unrestored?” This under-appreciated piece of 1950s glitz certainly deserves your attention and, if its space-age styling doesn’t do it for ya, maybe the $9,999 asking price will.
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
Source: www.classiccars.com