Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner
| Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Ford |
| Also called | Ford Galaxie (500) Skyliner (Retractable) |
| Production | 48,394 from 1957–1959 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | Full-size car |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner |
The Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner (Retractable) is a two-door American full-size car with a retractable hardtop which was produced by Ford in the United States for the model years 1957, 1958 and 1959. In 1959 the model name changed to Ford Galaxie Skyliner very shortly after the production of 1959 models had started. The retractable roof mechanism - also known as "Hide-Away Hardtop" - was unique to Ford branded products, and was not offered on Continental, Lincoln, Mercury, or Edsel branded vehicles during this time period.
The Ford Skyliner Retractable was only the second car in history to be series produced with a retractable hardtop; the first to reach four and five digit production numbers, and the first series produced coupé convertible to feature a roof composed of more than one segment.
Part of the Ford Fairlane 500 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 seven reversible electric motors (only 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 a total of 610 ft (185.9 m) 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 14 mpg‑US (17 L/100 km; 17 mpg‑imp) overall. The fuel tank was placed vertically in back of the rear seat, which inadvertently added safety in rear collisions.
The wheelbase of the Skyliner was 118 in (3,000 mm) and the overall length was 210.8 in (5,350 mm).
During the 1959 model year the Galaxie series was added to Ford’s full-size range and the Skyliner model was absorbed into that series. Although the 1959 Galaxie was designated as a separate series, Galaxies carried both “Fairlane 500” and “Galaxie” badging, on the rear and sides respectively. It came with the standard 292CID 2-barrel 200 hp V8.
...
Wikipedia