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Ford Skyliner
In the 1950s American car maker Ford was seriously engaged with concept cars and delivering innovative developments to the market place. Consequently the Ford Skyliner was developed by a then 27-year-old body engineer named Ben Smith.
The initial Skyliner was a 1954 Ford design having a Plexiglas see-through top above the front seat. Kind of like an early sunroof. But the company became attracted to the notion of developing a two-door hardtop vehicle that could transform into a totally open automobile with the touch of a button, a "hardtop converible."
What made the Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner one of a kind was the retractable hardtop metal roof. An automatic system brought the roof up and collapsed it snugly within a space inside the trunk area. Unfortunately, the elaborate apparatus was prone to malfunction and reduced the workable trunk area.
The Ford retractable hardtops aren't anything new. Some European exotics made them available in the 1930s. When Ford began producing the Skyliner in 1957 and continuing until 1959, it was most likely the first mass-produced model of its kind.
The Ford Skyliner is a perfect example of a genuine and instant classic. Although it failed to last that long in production, it grew to be a source of motivation for other designers in creating their particular masterwork for the market. These days, the Skyliner has turned into a highly valued collectible automobile. The International Ford Retractable Club was launched in 1971 to encourage the preservation and restoration of the 1957, 1958, and 1959 Skyliner Retractable Hardtop cars.
Regrettably 1959 was the final production year of the Ford Skyliner. Upper management put a stop to what they felt was a gimmick. Only 12,915 units found their way to consumers that year with a starting price tag of $3346. Even as a footnote in car-making history, the Ford Fairlane Skyliner has resonated over the years as a great example of American ingenuity taken to its extreme.
