Charles Phoenix JOYRIDE: 1956 Mercury X-M Turnpike Cruiser

DREAMCAR DREAMS DO COME TRUE: I felt like the luckiest guy in the world to be among the first to see Mercury’s one-of-a-kind 1956 X-M Turnpike Cruiser, freshly restored to divine perfection. After all, for decades I’d been dreaming of the day Detroit’s ultimate concept/dream would be brought back from the dead. Finally, after 60 years of decay and deterioration the ravishing resurrection of this ultra high-fashion cosmic carriage has triumphantly happened, all thanks to automotive restoration artist extraordinaire, Tom Maruska who heroically rescued and painstakingly restored the “eXperimental-Mercury.” The result is intoxicating. Someone, please give this man a superhero cape! Make no mistake about it, this is the space age show car that outdid and upstaged every other prototype of its era. Unapologetically, the X-M Turnpike Cruiser epitomizes, like no other, the extravagance, exuberance, and out-of-this-world optimism that defined the skies-the-limit automotive design and style guide of the late 1950s. We might as well just get it out in the open, the Mercury X-M Cruiser is more than a mid-century modern masterpiece, it’s a world-class national treasure of the absolute highest order to behold! I’ve celebrated many a mid-century motor car but this one is my absolute FAVORITE CAR OF ALL TIME.