Parked in ’62: 1957 Mercury Montclair Phaeton Coupe
I’d really like to know the story behind this ’57 Mercury Montclair. It was garaged in 1962 – when it was only five years old – and hasn’t been driven since. With modest details and only six photos provided (and none of the engine, interior, trunk, or undercarriage), this curious coupe has a lot more questions than answers. The seller says the engine turns over and that it’s a low-mileage car, but doesn’t tell us how many miles were actually driven before it was parked. It could be a promising survivor candidate, but it would take a close inspection to determine just how the last sixty-two years have treated this particular sleeping Montclair, and what it would take to make it roadworthy again.
What a difference a year made for the “Big M” for model year 1957. The all new from bumper-to-bumper Mercury received its own original body style. It didn’t share components with its Ford cousin or the luxurious Lincoln, and was noticeably longer, wider, and more massive looking overall. Styling cues came from the 1956 XM-Turnpike Cruiser concept car, especially what Mercury called their distinctive “beautifully-sculpted rear fender projectiles.” Some of those “fluted side channels” were painted but you could also order them with gold anodized trim which this one has. It makes for a sharp contrast to the Merc’s Tuxedo Black paint which looks presentable. This Merc has the single headlamps instead of quad headlamps which hadn’t been legalized in all states in 1957.
The front twin-oval “Jet-Flo” bumper will need some attention and there’s a factory continental kit with that outrageous rear bumper extension (that at least two kids could sit on), but the spare tire holder is missing. The distinctive angled V-shaped taillights are a styling cue from the XM-Turnpike Cruiser concept car that Mercury claimed “was a preview of the future; accentuating modern, contemporary styling.” Some thought the Merc’s futuristic rear end looked cool, and others not so much. As a little kid, I thought the rear treatment was kind of scary looking, which led me to calling these Merc’s a “Spooky Man Car.” (They looked like two red angry eyes staring at me!)
There are no interior photos, but I imagine it’s finished in black and white. Mercury’s cabins for 1957 were really attractive, colorful, and comfortable. Based on photos I saw online of a restored version of this Merc, its interior lived up to the sales brochure hype of “a veritable throne room of sovereign luxury.” Gotta love those subtle, yet bold advertising copywriters back then. Unfortunately, there are no photos of the engine, but the seller says it has the larger of the two engines available in 1957: the optional 368-cubic inch Turnpike Cruiser V-8 that produced 290 horsepower. It’s mated with a Merc-O-Matic automatic transmission. This most interesting ’57 Mercury Montclair Phaeton Coupe is currently located in Renton, Washington and is for sale here on craigslist for $15,000. Hopefully, it will fall more into the “five-year-old time capsule survivor category” upon inspection by the next owner, and it can be gently nursed back to roadworthiness. After sixty-two years of snoozing, I bet this old Merc is itching to get back on the road.
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Comments
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The rear end reminds me of a spaceship from a sci-fi movie. “Spaceballs” comes to mind.
Check out the
1955 Ford X-1000
1958 Ford La Galaxie
&
1956 Mercury XM-Turnpike Cruiser
concept cars.
Absolutely a beauty! No GM product from 1957 came close. The future was now! And all Ford can produce currently is a bunch of trucks. PATHETIC!
And Mustangs…drive my ’22 and I guarantee you’d be impressed for the money.
Sitting since JFK was in office? I was 6 years old when this was parked. I sm now 68. Weird people out there. If there was any gas left in the tank it’s probably lacquer thinner by now.
From back when the auto industry had styling you would be proud to own.
Ad says Phaeton, which was Mercury term for 4-door hardtop, which this is not.
What jetfire said, Ford Motor Company Phaetons were always convertible sedans with roll up windows going back to the Model As.
Mercury also called the 2-door hardtops Phaetons in ’57. “Montclair Phaeton Coupe” is correct.
To begin with, the car is on a trailer soooo why not pull it outside and give us some real clear pictures? Say like pictures of the engine compartment? The interior ? And I’ll bet the critters have been partying for 62 yrs in there. Some pictures of the outside and not very good ones at that! This is cross the country from me. I’m not sure I’d waste my time if it was a couple hrs away. Just for the simple fact whatta ya hiding for 15 grand? Peace!
I had long since left childhood behind in 1957, so, it was interesting to read of the tail-lamps looking like menacing “eyes” staring intimidatingly at a child who was slightly freaked-out by that — a mental image I can appreciate. I simply reacted to these, new, as “The Big M” — a flashy Mercury larger than any previous one. Quad headlights were nearly universal starting in 1958, and most often looked like clumsy add-ons to the previous more graceful 1957 fronts. But Mercury was an exception: these ’57 Mercs looked as though they needed those four headlamps, but that someone had taken away two of them — then the ’58 looked more balanced WITH them. And Mopars in ’57 had those smaller ALMOST second set of headlights. Of course, the all-new 1958 GMs were designed around quad headlamps, looking fully integrated with them. There were four of these ’57 Turnpike Cruisers amongst my relatives when they were new and up to three years old. Lots of Mercurys (including one ’39 that seemed to soldier-on almost “for ever”) and Buicks of various vintages graced the garages of sundry family relatives. My father always had Packards, and invariably the most senior ones (“ask the man who owns one”) — until they acquired Studebaker in 1954, when he saw the handwriting on the wall and shed his 1951 Packard 400 Patrician in a hurry! But, if you asked him, his favourite Packards were the ones he had in the early 1930s, before they went upper-mid-market to survive the Great Depression. Had he had his way, Packard after the War would have gone highly exclusive, way above Cadillac and more a kin to Rolls Royce; instead, they were like a much higher quality Buick or Oldsmobile. One thing about Packard: even their most modest offerings were of the best in build-quality, unlike many another mid-priced car. He drove Peerless and Pierce Arrow automobiles back “in the day”, but was never attracted to Cadillac. He admired Deusenbergs [spelling?] — but they were entirely too sporty and flashy for someone like him: Packards were “dignified”. When these Turnpike Cruisers were around, I was driving a 1946 Ford Super Deluxe V-8, so I didn’t exactly live up to my relatives! But that ’46 served me for 27 years, long after generations of newer cars had passed through their hands.
Our Early Ford club meets at a garage in Bucks County near Philadelphia, where there are three restored 57 or 58 Mercurys. I said the same thing about the headlights, that 4 were not legal in some states until 1958, but I was told they are all 57’s with the 4 headlights. Maybe they were built in late 57 as 58 models? They are all two tone, primarily blue, red or black.
Really nice car from what we can see…..need to see more. My 1967 Plymouth 383 4sp was parked in 1972 with 94,000 miles.
Those are spaceship like, but they are sleek. The rear bumper on this reminds me more of the beginning of “Spaceballs.” The spaceship in the beginning was over exaggeratedly huge. It was intended to make fun of “Star Wars.”