The Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner is a full-size two-door automobile with a retractable hardtop which was produced by Ford in the United States for the model years 1957, 1958 and 1959. The retractable roof mechanism was unique to Ford branded products, and was not offered on Continental, Lincoln, Mercury, or Edsel branded vehicles during this time period.
Design
Part of the Ford Fairlane range, the Skyliner had a complex mechanism which folded the front of the roof and retracted it under the rear decklid. No hydraulic mechanisms were used as in regular convertibles of the era. The Skyliner top has six electric motors (only five for 1959 models), four lift jacks, a series of relays, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof, and a total of 610ft (185.9m) of wiring. The large top took up vast amounts of trunk space, limiting the car's sales (however, unlike what most people believe, the mechanism had decent reliability). 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 14mpg-US (17L/100km; 17mpg-imp) overall. The fuel tank was placed vertically in back of the rear seat, which inadvertently added safety in rear collisions.
The Ford Fairlane and LTD are full-size luxury vehicles that were produced in a series of models by Ford Australia between 1959 (with the LTD commencing production in 1973) and 2007.
From 1959 to 1964, the Fairlane was a locally assembled version of the American Ford Fairlane which had taken its name from Henry Ford's estate, Fair Lane, near Dearborn, Michigan. This was Ford Australia's top-of-the-range model until replaced by an Australian-assembled version of the full-size American Ford Galaxie. In 1967, Ford Australia reintroduced the Fairlane, this time as an Australian-developed, luxury, long-wheelbase version of its mainstream Falcon, positioned between the Falcon and the Galaxie. The locally assembled Galaxie evolved into the LTD which was itself replaced in 1973 by an Australian-developed, Fairlane-based model, also known as the Ford LTD. In North America, unlike its designation in Australia, it was not considered a luxury vehicle. In Australia, "LTD" originally stood for "Lincoln Type Design", although Ford Australia later promoted a connection with the meaning "Limited".
Over time, the name referred to a number of different cars in different classes; the Fairlane was initially a full-sized car, but became a mid-sized car from the 1962 model year. The mid-sized model spawned the Australian-built Fairlane in 1967, although it was considered a large car there.
First generation (1955–1956)
For 1955, the Fairlane name replaced the Crestline as Ford's premier full-sized offering. Six different body styles were offered, including the Crown Victoria Skyliner with a tinted, transparent plastic roof, the regular Crown Victoriacoupe with lots of stainless steel trim, a convertible Sunliner, the Victoria coupe, and traditional sedans. All featured the trademark stainless-steel "Fairlane stripe" on the side. Power options were a 223CID (3.7L) straight-6 engine and a 272CID (4.5L) V8. The 292 Y-block was offered as an option and was called the Thunderbird V-8.
Dust on the dash board, rust on the back door Daddy paid cash for that ol' four-door Ford Fairline Bottle on the floorboard, butts in the ashtray Where he sat and talked to mamma after she passed away Sittin' on some good years, parked in the driveway He just let it go Handcarved minnow, haggin' from a cane pole Layin' in the trunk, case we passed a hole we had to fish Crack in the window, where dad pitched me one soft and low Had to duck his head, mamma said i guess he's got the hang of it now Until now I did't know why he never got that window fixed He just let it go The carburetor needs a kit The driver's side visor's ripped It's getting a little hard to shift And the knobs are missing off the radio It's lost it's glossy candy apple shine The ink has faded ont he for sale sign The only dirver that car ever owned The first million dollars takes it home The three on the tree was tough My feet barely reached the clutch but Daddy'd let me fire it up Back it out and pull it in Dent in the fender, sin in the seat where I found the pin that fell from her hair The night me and Becky lost it Sixteen when I stole those keys I guess he'd been where we'd been 'Caue he just let it go The carburetor needs a kit The driver's side visor's ripped It's getting a little hard to shift And the knobs are missing off the radio It's lost it's glossy candy apple shine The ink has faded ont he for sale sign The only dirver that car ever owned The first million dollars takes it home Dust ont he dashboard, rust on the back door
At the end of July, Talaga, who is also a Lions season ticketholder, drove his FordFairlane500 Skyliner retractable hardtop down to Allen Park, where the Lions have a practice facility ... Ford produced ...
At the end of July, Talaga, who is also a Lions season ticketholder, drove his FordFairlane500 Skyliner retractable hardtop down to Allen Park, where the Lions have a practice facility ... Ford produced ...
Hardtop convertibles are nothing new — the 1957FordFairlane500 Skyliner had a folding rigid roof — but their popularity is largely a 21st-century phenomenon.
