Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner

Naming and marketing

Ford first used the Skyliner name in 1954, on the two-door hardtop Ford Crestline Skyliner, and on the 1955 and 1956 Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner coupes. These models feature a clear acrylic glass roof panel over the front seats.

For 1957–1959, Ford brought the Fairlane 500 Skyliner, featuring a powered, retracting and folding hardtop roof. For the model year 1959, the name was changed to Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Skyliner, shortly after production began (also illustrated as such in the brochure but described only as "Galaxy" in the related text). The retractable roof mechanism, marketed as the "Hide-Away Hardtop", was unique to Ford-branded products, and was not offered on any Continental, Lincoln, Mercury, or Edsel branded vehicles.

Design

Offering the Skyliner Retractable in Ford's Fairlane (500) range, Ford was only the second car-maker in history to produce retractable hardtops in series (following the 1930s Georges Paulin designed Peugeot 401, 402, and 601 "Eclipse Decapotable" models, converted by Carrosserie Pourtout coachbuilders); and the world's first to reach four- and five-digit mass-production numbers. Ford's design was also the first series produced coupé convertible featuring a roof using two segments, and during its production run, the Skyliner was the only hardtop convertible available.

The Skyliner's retractable top operated via a complex mechanism that folded the front of the roof and retracted it under the rear decklid. Instead of the typical hydraulic mechanisms, the Skyliner top used seven reversible electric motors (six for 1959 models), four lift jacks, a series of relays, ten limit switches, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof and two locking mechanisms for the trunk lid, and 610 ft of wiring. The top largely consumed available trunk space, limiting the car's sales, though the mechanism operated reliably. Production totaled 20,766 units in 1957, declining to 14,713 in 1958 and to 12,915 in 1959. An electric clock was standard. Fuel consumption was around 14 mpgus overall. The fuel tank was placed vertically in back of the rear seat, offering increased safety in a rear collision.

The wheelbase of the Skyliner was 118 in and the overall length was 210.8 in.

During the 1959 model year, Ford added the new top-of-the-line Galaxie series to its full-size lineup, and the Skyliner model became part of that series. Although the 1959 Galaxie was designated as a separate series, It came with the standard 292 CID 2-barrel 200 hp V8 engine.

Requiring a shorter roof and longer trunk, the retractable roof concept was originally intended for Ford's Continental brand. The mechanism's complexity would have required an even more expensive marketing position for a Continental, and when Ford projected losses for this route, the company re-conceived the model and restyled it from the waist down—projecting it would attract more buyers under the Ford brand. Though prescient, the concept ultimately attracted more attention than sales; it was expensive, thought to be unreliable, and consumed almost all trunk space when retracted. The listed retail price was US$2,942 ($ in dollars ) with several items available optionally like power windows, power-adjustable front seat, power steering, power brakes, heater and windshield defroster.

Although the actual mechanicals differed, the Skyliner's retractable roof design was later adopted for the Lincoln Continental fabric convertibles of 1961–1967.

Engines and transmissions

The following engines, all V8s, were available on the Fairlane 500 Skyliner.

Two manual transmissions, a three-speed and three-speed overdrive, and a three-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission. Starting in 1958, Cruise-O-Matic was added, which provided a second "drive" range ("D2"), allowing for an intermediate gear start.

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Notes

Bibliography

References

1. "International Ford Retractable Club".
2. "1957 Ford Skyliner brochure".
3. John Gunnell, ''The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1945 to 1975'', Revised 4th Edition, page 397
4. Ford Motor Company, ''1959 Ford Car Shop Manual'', 3rd Edition, page 502
5. Willson, Quentin. (1995). "The Ultimate Classic Car Book". DK Publishing.
6. Owner's plaque, 50th Anniversary Draggins car show, shot 3 April 2010.
7. Langworth, Richard. (1982). "Great Cars from Ford".
8. (2007-07-20). "1957–1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner". Auto.howstuffworks.com.
9. Flory, Jr., J. "Kelly". (2008). "American Cars, 1946–1959 Every Model Every Year". McFarland.
10. "1957 Ford Skyliner brochure".
11. John Gunnell, ''The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1945 to 1975'', Revised 4th Edition, page 402
12. "1959 Ford brochure".
13. (2014-11-15). "Lot 115 – 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner Retractable Hardtop". Rmsothebys.com.
14. Bonsall, Thomas E.. (2003). "The Lincoln Story: The Postwar Years". Stanford University Press.
15. Aaron Severson. (26 April 2009). "Raising the Roof: The Ford Skyliner 'Retrac'". Ate Up With Motor.