The Mercury Turnpike Cruiser was only produced for two years, and it featured some innovative ideas and features that helped it to truly stand out. This 1958 Cruiser 2-Door Hardtop is listed for sale here on Craigslist. The car is located in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan and is listed with a clean title. Asking price for this classic is $6,500.
The photos of this car are frustrating, especially for an unusual car such as this. While there are plenty of photos, they are mostly blurred or close-ups that reveal limited details. What I have been able to ascertain is that the car looks to be in quite good order bodily. Rust issues appear to be minimal, with no significant rust in the body, floors or frame. The car is missing a couple of small trim pieces such as a headlight surround, but otherwise, it looks promising. Distinctive features such as the “Twin Jet” air intakes above the windshield appear to be complete. The car also features a “Breezeway” rear window which can be lowered to improve ventilation.
It’s hard to tell a lot about the interior due to the quality of the provided shots. It looks like the rear seat may be okay, but the headliner appears to be quite badly torn, and it will require replacement. The front seat and the door trims also look to be damaged and will require re-trimming.
Under the hood is the optional 430ci Marauder V8 which delivered 360hp. It is backed by the 3-speed Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission. This is where things become positive. The seller does let us know that the car does run. If this is the case, then hopefully the car won’t require too much work on the drive-train to get it back to a driveable state.
The most desirable model in the Cruiser range is the Convertible, which was only built in 1957. For 1958 buyers could choose either a 2-door or 4-door hardtop, and the 2-door is the most desirable. This car features the mid-range 430ci engine. Very few of the ’58 model have reached the market recently. Sale prices on cars of this specification have ranged from around $37,500 for nice cars, reaching $51,000 for cars that would be in #2 condition. This one has a way to go to reach those heights, but with a running engine and a solid body and little rust, it could get to that stage.
I wonder what it must have been like to even see one of these in Super Marauder form in 1958. Four hundred horses is not a tiny number now. It must have seemed like a race car.
I always loved the styling excesses of the ’57-’58 Turnpike Cruiser. Ya gotta dig the Breezeway rear window.
The fact that this example has the Lincoln 430 is a plus; I wonder if the price is a little steep for what would be a total restoration project, however…
My folks looked at what was a then low mileage, ‘late model’ ’58 Turnpike Cruiser back in 1960. The car was a complete dog, with rattles everywhere, power windows that didn’t work, etc. They ended up buying a 1958 Lincoln Capri more-door hardtop, instead.
For those who bashed the dash mounted mirror on the MoPars of the day. The ‘Cruiser was an absolute cloud to ride in. My MoPar engineer dad’s uncle had one for 20 years. It was always a source of great times. Red over white, of course.
Neat find.
Some one save it please.cool car .
I agree save it! Only made of two years. Might be hard to find some parts!
I’ve heard that the twin ventilation intakes on the windshield are for cigarette smoke. Open those up, and crack the rear window, and it’d whip out of there before you could even think about it. I guess that’s good for cold or rainy days that you don’t want to have the windows down. What a different world we live in now.
The twin ventilation intakes also provided mounts for duel radio antennas.
I wonder how well that worked in receiving Am radio signals as the antennas didn’t project above the car at all.
My parents had a 58′ Turnpike Cruiser. Awesome car and always got attention wherever they drove it. Only reason they ended up getting rid of it was it needed a new windshield and they could not find a windshield for it. Great car for restoration and rare at that.
I had a ’57 (not the Turnpike Cruiser) that burned gas like it was free and was slower than a school bus. My friends called it the ‘green turd.’ I traded it on a ’59 Chevy convert. and drove muscle Chevy’s for a lot of years. Now my two main vehicles are Toyota but I still have a Vette.
A 383 MEL was the standard power plant that year. For 1957, the only engine available for the TC was a big 368 y block from Lincoln. Love these late 50s Mercs.
Only thing missing is the Continental wheel on the rear bumper and rear fender skirts .
Don’t forget the racoon tails & fuzzy dice !
I was 14 in 1958 and walking home from school one day I found an absolutly beautiful ’58 Turnpike Convertable in front of my neighbour’s house. I swear it had the reverse slanted rear window, but I cannot now find a picture of one like that. Anyway that neighbour bought a new Merc every second year through the 50s so I got to check them out on even numbered years, although they were all 4door sedans. I thought the 1960 was the best looking of them all and I still love the looks of the ’60 Edsel
Reverse slant wrap around plastic window.
Thanks for that P T . I do remember some things better from 1958 than from 2018.
A friend of my parents had one in blue and white. A 4 door it was impressive in 1958. I was 9 and was smitten. I think every car I drew after that for quite a while had Mercury cues in it .
Extremely rare.
Worth a full resto
Good luck finding a windshield if you break one. Turnpike cruisers are one of the most expensive and rarest windshields to obtain.
I love old Merc’s and these were real “Jukeboxes” but unlike the 55-56 292 and 312 YBlocks these big blocks were pretty much a dog. May have had a lot of H.P but all needed fr all the overweight add ons. They were pretty much dogs in a short time if used much..While attractive units don’t know what Stard eq was either year but evidently all the accessories were optional to a point mention was made that the continental kit and skirts are missing, but this car appears to never have been equipped with a Continental kit, nothing seems to be missing ere and as for skirts the long Cruiser skirts were available but the standard inside fitting skirts were available as well thoughprobably more models left the factory with the full cruisers or either none at all, I don’t think they were standard equipment either year,but I am no expert. A rare old Merc and be nice to see one this solid saved. They just had so many options mechanically as well that just did not hold up and within a couple of years were just Dogs. Lincol-Mercury offered some High dollar very unique cars during this period of years and through the 60’s into the 70’s but for me they were not their finest hours or years for quality for Ford Motors and probably a big drag on them. I just never thought Ford had much to offer in their Luxury divisions those years compared to GM.
I had a `57 Monarch (The Canadian equivalent of the Mercury) rag top. There were only 285 of them ever made. The Monarch didn’t have the Jet air intakes or dual headlights. The `57 Merc. was the first car to have dual headlights (the Monarch only had singles). Last year a fully restored `57 monarch rag sold for $85K. Probably the nicest car I ever owned, and I regret, to this day, having sold it.
Hi Leigh We re moving from S.E. Sask to BC and hope to bring my 1949 Monarch to Kelowna next summer. Always liked these better than the Mercs.
The only other one around here is 1961 sedan. Huge and quite ugly but I still like it.
Cool it survived….we had a few in our salvage yard – not sure if they made it out.
I love this car. There are so many styling excesses that are so wrong that it’s hard to know where to start and I LOVE every one of them! The scoops on the top above the windshield and they did have antennae which I seriously doubt had any function. The overdone taillights, the huge bumpers. They’re totally great. If I could I would do a complete restoration in and out. And then cruise up Central Ave to Cubby’s and then down Riverside to Jack’s Driveup … if they’re still there. (It’s been 60 yrs. Good times)
My dad had one or these in 1962. I was eight grader and knew nothing mechanically. Not the case now. We tripped from Vermont to Wisconsin and it floated every mile at 70 MPH maybe more. Dad knew he had a power plant in front of him. One Sunday we stropped at a local Drag strip and we all stayed in the car form some reason. Dad convinced someone to let him fly. We were told the continental kit was throwing sparks off the strip. Just sayin. Dad must have had one of those really bright ideas later that summer because I was told he threw a push rod on the highway and he traded it in for a Corvair. What a shame.
I still remember as a13 year old in 1957, seeing an all black ’57 turnpike Cruiser Convertible. It had a continental kit and was always tooling around our neighborhood in South New Jersey.
Seems to me like it’s a 383, the 430 were painted gold. Still, it’s a wonderful car for your Eyes.
The Lincoln and Mercury convertibles of these years had the reverse slant rear window. Not sure if standard or an option….I believe it was a hoop design and with enough time putting the tops up and down the fabric would eventually separate from that component.