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, series of
relays, ten limit switches, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms
for its roof, and two for the rear trunklid. 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!
Exterior
The quintessential Flame Red and Colonial White two-tone steel slab
sider presents in good condition on the paint front. A few cracks
and crazing, slight patina as the respray was performed in 2003.
Gaps are inconsistent, but all is straight. 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. All this and chrome around the windows and lower B pillars,
bumpers and badging is in very good condition. 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 hide-away hardtop. A shout out to the
chrome wire wheels with faux knockoff hubs, wrapped in wide whites.
And lest I forget the Continental rear bumper complete with covered
spare tire.
Interior
In full vinyl jackets the dual benches in the passenger area are
wrapped with Red Airweave Vinyl with smooth white bolsters. Some
wear is seen on the seats, and on the driver's, seat is a tear near
the hinge. Also, on the drivers sear there is slight soiling mainly
from rear passenger entrance and egress. All the essentials are
restored and looking just like when this car rolled out of the
showroom. Aftermarket air hangs from below the dash and blows
slightly cold. 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 has had its fair share of ups and downs
(tongue in cheek).
Drivetrain
A rebuilt in 2003 272ci 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 8" rear with 3.56 gears complete
the drivetrain. We can see the electrical system has been converted
to alternator.
Undercarriage
Lots of nice straight rust-free steel on the X frame, and
floorpans. Some repairs of earlier rust have been made to the
rockers but now all is well. Plenty of rustproofing abounds
underneath. Independent coil springs upfront and leaf springs on
the rear offer up a smooth ride, and drum brakes all around are
noted.
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. We noted braking
takes a lot of pedal and goes almost to the floor to get the car to
stop. Overall a nice car with a well functioning hardtop.
In the late 1950's Ford was getting tromped by the Tri Fives over
at Chevy, so they used what they do best that being innovation to
attract attention. A very nice example which was given the once
over in 2003 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! A new star will be born.
C7FW235086
C-292 ci V8 2bbl
7-1957
F-Dearborn, MI Assy Plant
W-Fairlane 500 Retractable Hardtop
235086-Sequential Unit Number
Warranty Tag
BODY 51A-Fairlane 500 Retractable
COLOR VE-Flame Red, Colonial White
TRIM BF-Red Airweave Vinyl
Classic Auto Mall is home to more than 1,000 classic and
collectible vehicles for sale via consignment in a climate
controlled 336,000-square foot showroom (that's more than 8
acres!). The largest single location consignment dealer of classic
and collectible vehicles in the country is located in Morgantown,
Pennsylvania, just 1-hour west of Philadelphia off Exit 298 of the
I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. For more information visit
www.classicautomall.com or call us at (888) 227-0914. Contact us
anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
There is no guarantee of mileage. A $299 Dealer Administrative fee
is not included in the advertised price.
With so many great cars, you know we have a lot to talk about, and
we do that each week on the Classic Auto Mall Podcast with host
Stewart Howden. Stewart discusses new inventory as well as trends
in consignments and car prices, while interviewing celebrities and
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