| What's New?
Year's most radical styling,
patterned after XM-Turnpike Cruiser . . . A production version
of the quadra-lighted Turnpike Cruiser itself . . . Optional
"aircushion" rear suspension highlighting an all-new
chassis . . . Five inches longer, three inches wider, and
four inches lower with two inches greater, ~ headroom and
700 square inches more glass than last year's models . . .
Pushbutton trarismission control . . . Dual-control shock
absorbers.
Your Choice
Mercury this year invades the
lush upper-medium price bracket with its new top-of-the-line
Turnpike Cruiser models. Available in two- and four-door hardtop
form, these deluxe touring specials feature an electrically
retractable rear 'window which, combined with air intakes
mounted in the leading edge of the roof ' permits the industry's
finest draft-free passenger compartment ventilation. For those
who want to play games while touring, there is a special set
of instruments (in addition to a tachometer) for solving how
far you have gone how fast. Check this one out before committing
yourself to the purchase of a middle-line Buick or Chrysler
product, Oldsmobile Super 88 or 98, Nash, Hudson, and most
particularly the Golden Hawk which is the most comparable
sports-type car.
Mercury continues the Monterey
and Montclair, but has dropped the lowerpriced Custom and
Medalist series. This action may have a lot to do with the
pricing area in which the smaller of the two forthcoming "E"
cars (late fall of '57 introduction) will fall. Both Monterey
and Montclair offer a complete range of normal body styles.
Convertible enthusiasts will surely drool when they see the
smartly tailored two-tone nylon -tops used this year.
. Station wagons get the emphasis
they deserve, saleswise, with a series to themselves. Called
Commuter, Voyager, and Colony Park in order of ascending price,
they should be shopped against Buick, Olds, Dodge, DeSoto,
and Studebaker suburbans. Two- or four-door, six- or ninepassenger
varieties (mostly hardtop-style construction) are offered.
Mercury Power
Top Mercury engine, standard
in the Turnpike Cruiser and optional in all others, is a 368-cubic-inch,
290-horsepower V8 straight out from under the hood of a Lincoln.
To be sure, the compression ratio is a little less but only
by a quarter of a unit, a difference so small as to be beyond
manufacturing control. Pushbutton -controlled Merc-O-Matic
is standard whenever this engine is specified.
Sure to be more popular, however,
is the much smaller (312-cubic-inch) 255-horsepower engine.
It puts out more power per cubic inch, should be much more
economical, performs nearly as well, and therefore is the
better buy. With this, but not on the other engine, is an
optional drive that keeps the fan inoperative when it is not
needed, namely at speeds over 25 mph or so. Mercury claims
a 17 horsepower gain under certain conditions when this extra
is installed. Both engines have a fine air - intake system
that draws its supply from outside the hood, preheats when
necessary. Three-speed transmission is standard, overdrive
or Merc-O-Matic optional with the smaller engine except on
Montclairs and Voyager or Colony Park wagons where you must
accept the automatic transmission.
Mercury on the Road
Best-riding Mercurys by far are
those equipped with the extra cost (except for station wagons)
air-cushion front shackles for the rear springs. Engineers
found this to be the point where maximum shock was transmitted
to the chassis and thence to passengers. Their simple solution
was to encase the fixed shackle eye in a kind of miniature
tire, filled with air at atmospheric pressure. The "tread"
of this tire, though, is on the inside, as if it were working
against its wheel.
Other ride features of the all-new
chassis include shock absorbers that work as well at high
speeds as they do when bumps are taken slowly, and a swept-back
version of Mercury's famed ball-joint front suspension system.
Mercury, along with Ford, pioneered this now almost industrywide
feature in 1954. The result of this maximum effort to keep
Mercurys glued to the road is that they stay there.
Inside Your Mercury
You haven't driven a truly modern
American car until you sit behind the wheel of a Turnpike
Cruiser. Instrumentation, including the time-rate-distance
computer and tachometer, is delightfully complex. Vision through
the wrap-over-the-top windshield (on this model only) is all
-encompassing though sometimes too sunny.
Anyone in the family can dial
his preferred driving position with optional (on all models)
Seat-O-Matic. Initial procedure is to tailor yourself to the
car by dialing the panel-mounted control. At trip's end, with
ignition turned off, the seat moves all the way back to facilitate
exit. When you get in again and start the car, the seat moves
back to the original position. It can be adjusted en route,
of course, by twiddling the dial.
Another Turnpike Cruiser exclusive
is the power-operated rear window, which can be adjusted to
take maximum, draftfree advantage of the roof-mounted air
intakes. All models offer optional airconditioning integrated
with the beater.
Why Buy?
Radical, sculptured styling that
won't be out of date for many seasons . . . First car where
at least design thinking was keyed to President Eisenhower's
road program . . . Most advanced conventional suspension system
. . . Excellent resale value with corresponding low cost of
overall operation. |
