Contributed by Russ Muller
When people think of Fords from the fifties, the iconic “baby bird” T-Bird is usually the first car that comes to mind. But there was another car that was arguably just as iconic, though not nearly as well known. For three years (1957-1959), Ford produced the world’s first retractable hardtop to be mass produced by an automaker…
The Fairlane 500 Skyliner had a retractable and folding hardtop. Over its three year run, Ford produced nearly 50,000 of these complex, expensive cars. Instead of using a typical hydraulic system like most power convertible tops, 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” (source: Wikipedia).
This beautiful example is one of 14,713 produced for 1958. The two tone colors are Azure Blue and Colonial White. It features a 300 horsepower 352 cubic inch V-8 and Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. Other features include power steering, power
brakes, and a Town and Country AM radio. The optional cigarette lighter was not ordered with this car. At some point, an aftermarket air conditioning system was added. I photographed this car when it was part of the South 40 Collection in Florida.
