This Rare 1957 Mercury Commuter Will Make You Forget About the Chevrolet Nomad

However, this body style disappeared in the mid-1960s due to slow sales.

The Chevrolet Nomad is arguably the most iconic two-door wagon. Produced from 1955 to 1957, it's stylish, relatively rare, and highly popular among classic car collectors and restomodders alike. But as much as I love the Nomad, there are other two-door wagons I like more. And all of them are very underrated.

The Pontiac Safari is the first that comes to mind. It was Pontiac's take on the Nomad, which ended up being notably rarer due to its expensive body style. I favor the Safari over the Nomad simply because I like the styling of mid-1950s Pontiacs better.

Then there's the Mercury Commuter. Much like the Voyager, it's one of Mercury's lesser-known nameplates. It debuted in 1957, it became part of the Country Cruiser series in 1959, and went into the history books in 1968. The two-door version was short-lived, with only two years in showrooms (1957-1958).

The Commuter was one of three Mercury wagons available in 1957. It was the entry-level version, slotting below the mid-level Voyager and the top-of-the-line Colony Park. The Commuter and Voyager were offered in both two- and four-door versions, while the Colony Park was restricted to the latter. All three featured hardtop roofs as standard, which was a first for the American market.

The hardtop wagon wasn't new; AMC introduced the body style on the Rambler in 1956. Other automakers had also introduced the pillarless design in 1957, but only as an option. But Mercury was the first to produce its entire wagon line in a hardtop body style. Moreover, the Commuter and Voyager were the only two-door hardtop wagons available (the Nomad wasn't a true hardtop).

Mercury sold nearly 290,000 cars in 1957, but only 35,792 were station wagons. The Voyager accounted for 16,655 units, with the two-door being the rarest of the bunch, with 4,665 built. It may not be very rare by the overall production number, but far fewer survived, and only a tiny fraction are still on the road today. The Nantucket Blue example you see here is one of those rigs.

A quad-headlamp model (most automakers switched from dual to quad front lights in 1957), this Commuter is probably one of only a dozen units roaming the streets in such fantastic condition today. The wagon has been with the current owner since 1989, and it's looked like this since 1992. Yup, the partial restoration took three years to complete.

I say "partial" because while the exterior has been repainted, most of the interior is still original. The owner shares it was still under plastic when he bought it, with only the driver-side seat back and door panel redone. He also opted to add carpet to the floor. Otherwise, the Commuter's interior enjoys survivor status.

The restored engine is also factory original. The unit is a 312-cubic-inch (5.1-liter) V8, which was standard on the Commuter at the time. The mill packs 255 horsepower and 340 pound-feet (461 Nm) of torque. Mercury also offered a bigger 368-cubic-inch (6.0-liter) V8 rated at 290 horsepower and 405 pound-feet (549 Nm) of twist on the options list.

This rare wagon looks fantastic overall, and I can't remember when I last saw a Commuter in this condition. It's rarer and more flamboyant than the Nomad, making it a great choice if you're into two-door wagons. Kudos to the owner for keeping this fabulous grocery-getter on the road.