Vehicle Description
1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner
To the Los Angeles elite, Ford Fairlane (Andrew "Dice" Clay) is
known as "Mr. Rock 'n' Roll Detective." This loudmouthed ladies'
man serves an exclusive rock star clientele, who depend on his keen
eye and smug discretion. So, when a heavy-metal musician dies
mid-concert, Fairlane is on the case before the lights come up. But
things turn shocking when radio personality Johnny Crunch (Gilbert
Gottfried) hires Fairlane to find a missing groupie mere hours
before he is electrocuted live on air.
For consignment a Fairlane whose claim to fame is that Skyliner was
given a complicated mechanism that enabled it to fold down the
front portion of its roof and retract it under the rear trunk lid.
No hydraulics were used in regular convertibles of that time. It
had seven reversible electric motors, four jack lifts, a series of
relays, ten limit switches, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms
for its roof, and two for the rear trunk lid. The car's fuel tank
was placed vertically in back of its rear seat, giving the car
added safety in the event of a rear-end collision. And it all
works! This frame on restoration with a new interior can put on a 1
car show for you, as you'll be mesmerized with the top up and
down.
Exterior
The quintessential Flame Red and Colonial White two tone steel slab
sider presents in good condition on the paint checklist with just a
few obligatory for this age car faults shown in the photos. Gaps
are beautifully minded, and all is straight steel. Not unlike Elvis
with his swiveling hips, and snarling lips this car has the iconic
swoop spear trim molding on either side with a snazzy textured gold
metal insert and it swings with the 50's design and definitely
attracts attention (you hound dog!). All this and chrome around the
windows and lower B pillars, bumpers and badging is in very good
condition. Dual searchlights are on (what exactly was everyone
looking for at night??...now we just sit and watch TV). The hardtop
is a thrill to watch, and really was a feat of engineering which
had been tried on an earlier Peugeot concept car, and a few other
concept cars, but was never really put into production until this
Fairlane. We give you the retractable hardtop. On to the back,
looking much like the rest of the Ford lineup with 45 degree angled
outward fins, and the round jet engine taillights. A shout out to
the chrome turbine style, jet age, polished hubcaps courtesy
Thunderbird, which are wrapped in wide whites. And lest I forget
the Continental rear bumper complete with a covered spare tire. A
round chromed rear end goddess! Fender skirts give the low and slow
look and accentuate the large long rear quarters (that top has to
have somewhere to go!).
Interior
In full vinyl jackets the dual benches in the passenger area are
wrapped with Red Airweave vinyl with smooth white bolsters. These
are like new, recently covered during the restoration so they
present very well. All the essentials are restored and looking just
like when this car rolled out of the showroom. Ford dealership
installed air conditioning hangs from below the dash and blows
slightly cold. In case of too cold a Kleenex dispenser is under
here too on the passenger's side...Achoo! A town and country radio
is in complete with an FM converter, and this car has the padded
dash option. The original steering wheel protrudes from the dash
and is red plastic with a 2/3 circular horn ring. Red carpet in
good condition floods the floors, and the white headliner remains
tight even though it had its fair share of ups and downs (tongue in
cheek).
Drivetrain
A wonderfully restored Thunderbird valve covered 292ci V8 engine
sits within a restored engine bay and appears clean. It is topped
by a 2-barrel carburetor and correct matte silver air cleaner
cover. A 3-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission and Ford 9"
rear with 3.89 gears complete the drivetrain. We can see the
electrical system has been converted to an alternator and the A/C
unit appears like new.
Undercarriage
Lots of nice straight rust-free steel on the X frame. Plenty of
rustproofing abounds underneath and the rockers are rust free.
Independent coil springs upfront and leaf springs on the rear offer
up a smooth ride, and drum brakes all around are noted. We also
note that the floor pans have had patch work done and the body
hangers have been replaced at some time in the past.
Drive-Ability
A little choke and a few preliminary pumps of the gas and she
immediately came to life. Once warmed up, idled smoothly, had
decent acceleration, and of course a smooth ride. Overall a nice
car with a well-functioning hardtop, and excellent mechanicals.
In the late 1950's Ford was getting tromped by the Tri-Fives over
at Chevy. So they used what they knew best, that bringing
innovative attracts attention. A very nice example which was given
the once with its frame on and well maintained by the same owner
since then. This car has a new battery so you can play with that
top all day and it has a remote. Grab a lawn chair, and a bottle or
two of wine, the remote and go find a show! This world truly
revolves around the Sky-Liner...
VIN DECODE
C7EW263385
C-292ci V8 2bbl 206hp
7-1957
E-Mahwah, NJ Assy Plant
W-Fairlane 500 Retractable Hardtop
263385-Sequential Unit Number
WARRANTY TAG
BODY 51A-Fairlane 500 Retractable Hardtop
COLOR F-Starmist Blue
TRIM BC2-Blue Airweave Vinyl
DATE 17F-June 17th Build
TRANS 1-3 Speed Manual
AXLE 4-Ford 9" 3.89 Gears Conventional
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special
interest automobile showroom, featuring over 600 vehicles for sale
with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle
barn find collection is on display.
This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia
on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is
www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914.
Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the
vehicle in person.
