Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner

See also Ford Crestline Skyliner for the 1954 Ford and Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner for the 1955–1956 Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, both with an acrylic glass roof panel.
Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner
Overview
ManufacturerFord
Also calledFord Galaxie (500) Skyliner
Ford Retractable[1]
Production1957–1959
48,394 produced
Body and chassis
ClassFull-size car
Body style2-door retractable hardtop
Dimensions
Wheelbase118 in (2997.2 mm)
Length210.8 in (5354.32 mm)
Height56.3 in (1430.02 mm)
Chronology
PredecessorFord Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner

The Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner is a two-door full-size retractable hardtop convertible, manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1957–1959. However, early into the 1959 model year, its name was expanded to Fairlane 500 Galaxie Skyliner.[2] The retracting roof system was marketed as the Hide-Away Hardtop, and was exclusively sold on this Ford-branded model, for three model years.

Ford's 1957 Skyliner was the world's first retracting hardtop convertible to be truly mass-produced by a car company from the factory, coming close to 50,000 sales. Earlier, French car-maker Peugeot had offered several such models in the 1930s, with the help of a coachbuilding company, which sold only in very limited numbers. It also marked the first time the hard roof featured a folding (front) section, to retract and fit inside the car's trunk.

  1. ^ "International Ford Retractable Club". www.skyliner.org. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference OldBroch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).