I’ve joked in the past about how some sellers are extremely skimpy in word count when it comes to advertising their classic car or truck. Even basic information (and photos such as the engine bay) are omitted for some unexplained reason. Well, this one wins the Skimpy Words Award hands down. All that is mentioned in the craiglist ad is: “1959 ford galaxie skyliner.” That’s all, folks. Fortunately there are enough photos (but photos of the engine bay aren’t included) to show that this is one nice looking, well-optioned 1959 Ford Skyliner. I’d like to thank Mitchel G. for sending this remarkable retractable our way!

Model year 1959 was the first year of the Ford Galaxie, but the last year of the Skyliner retractable hardtop. It was always a niche car to show off Ford’s engineering talents, but between its high price, untested technology, and limited luggage space with the top down, the gee-whiz cool novelty factor faded quickly after the Skyliner’s 1957 debut. In fact, this is one of only 12,915 Skyliners produced for the ’59 model year. To me, with its squarish good looks, the restyled ’59 Ford is the best looking of the three Skyliner years. The formal roofline blends in well with the new styling that reflects the sculptured lines of the popular ’58-’60 Squarebirds.

The attractive Inca Gold was a color only available on Fairlanes and Fairlane 500’s in 1959 and this two-toned Inca Gold and Colonial White looks beautiful. It’s one of my favorite ’59 Skyliner color combinations. The paint looks great as does all of the chrome and shiny stuff, trim, glass, lenses, and those attractive Sun Ray full wheel covers. Exterior options spotted include the Beauty Guard Fender Shields (available as stainless steel or painted), Cushion Stop Bumper Extensions, Bright Metal Bumper Extensions, Deluxe Outside Mirrors, and the Bright-Metal “Eyebrow” Molding for the front fenders. The panels look straight and I’m not seeing signs of rust, or accident damage.

The late 50’s were a high-water mark for colorful, dazzling interiors, and this ’59 Skyliner is no exception. Even though it’s a “bread-and-buter” Ford, the marketing team advertised their Thunderbird-inspired cabins as “Luxury Lounge Interiors.” I’ll have to admit that this Skyliner looks more like a Mercury or a Lincoln inside with its tri-toned gold, black, and white seat fabrics, upscale patterned door panels, and black instrument panel with just enough chrome and bling to smartly compliment the rest of this inviting interior. It looks fantastic with minimal wear visible (but I’d ditch the black fuzzy dice).

Once again, a seller of a not-so-cheap classic car failed to include a photo of its engine or describe how it runs and stops or if any puddles gather underneath it in the garage. A 200-horsepower Thunderbird 292 was the standard V8 on all models in 1959. If you wanted more oomph, you could specify a 225-horsepower 332 V8 or a 300-horsepower, four-barrel carb 352 V8. The seller says it has 121,000 on the clock and it appears to be mated to a Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. This stunning ’59 Skyliner is currently residing in Hagerstown, Maryland, and is for sale here on craigslist for $34,995. It’s a head turner for sure and one of the finest ’59 Skyliners we’ve listed here on Barn Finds. I envy the next caretaker of this classic.