The Skyliner retractable hardtop was part of the 1957-59 Ford product lines. Marketed as the “Hide-Away Hardtop” the metal roof retracted into a space that would normally be allocated to the trunk. Though it saw more than 48,000 copies in total, that wasn’t enough for Ford to give it a berth in 1960 and beyond (although it was adopted in part for the 1960s Lincoln Continental convertible). Tucked away in a barn in McKenna, Washington, it looks as though this ’57 Skyliner hasn’t seen much daylight in recent years. But what we can see of the body looks decent. This Ford is available here on craigslist for $18,000. Thanks to our own writer Montana D for the tip!
Unlike the Ford Sunliner which was a true convertible, the Skyliner combined the best of both worlds, a hardtop with open-air capabilities. Positioned as part of the Fairlane 500 lineup in 1957-58, it migrated to the new Galaxie 500 in its last year. The top was activated by an elaborate set of hardware, switches, and wires that some say were troublesome while others thought it performed as it should. Repairing or replacing these gizmos is likely a more difficult challenge now than 60 years ago. And if you wanted to haul groceries and other items usually stuffed into the trunk, you had to use the back seat for that. Perry Mason drove one of these machines in part of the TV series of the same name in 1957.
The Skyliner was not the first car with a retractable hardtop, that honor going to the 1938 Peugeot 402 Eclipse Decapotable, but it was the first to be mass-produced. Something of a novelty in the gee-whiz era of the late 1950s, the Skyliner peaked in its first year, with 43% of total Skyliner sales coming in the first year. That means that when one of these cars does surface for sale, the ’57 is more common and the ’59 the most rare. Another unique feature of the Skyliner was the gas tank was mounted vertically to conserve space (and indirectly proved to be safer).
Little information is provided by the seller on his/her ’57. How long has it been in the barn? What put it there in the first place? It has the optioned 292 cubic inch V8 (272 was standard that year) which the seller says has been running (what does that mean? not well enough to be pulled out of its perch for better photos?). The single photo offered is rather blurry. The body looks good and we think the paint is a combination of white over turquoise. The interior, however, is a mess and the front carpeting has been pulled revealing surface rust only. The $64,000 question is does the top work and is it complete?
Just so everyone knows; That big white box sitting in the back seat is the special trunk insert that is used to store whatever is in the trunk when the top is retracted. Because they were often taken out, they can be very difficult [and costly] to find.
If the top is operational and without problems, this is a decent price. I can’t tell from the photos if the decklid has a big crease in it, or it’s a shadow from something else. If it’s a crease, that can be a lot of work to get right, as whatever metal work is required can make a difference in how the decklid fits and works.
Looks to be a shadow from something
leaning on the left quarter. Hope so!
That’s a cool detail (“ What’s in the box!?!?”), Bill. I’ll bet very few of us would have been knowledgeable of that detail. That sort of input from Members is yet another reason I love this site.
Tom,
I’ve been foolin’ around with and repairing these cars since 1971, and many ’57 to ’59 Skyliners lost the trunk tub when it was taken out to allow more storage in the trunk. Many of these ‘orphaned’ tubs were forgotten years later and when the car was sold or traded in, the tub was left behind.
Ford didn’t have any identifying markings as to what the tub was used for, hence later people who had one laying around had no idea what it was used for, and it was typically sent for scrap. Around 1980 I was wandering around the Carlisle, PA flea market when I saw one in a vendor’s stall, It was screwed down to a plywood base where he used it around his farm to put stuff inside, and for the Carlisle event, car parts. I bought it for $10, as I had a ’58 without a tub.
1961 to 1967 Lincoln convertible had the same thing. A small box to put tools, cleaners or even groceries in so they did roll around or get in the retractable tops mechanism
I own a 64 Continental Convertable. I don’t recall seeing one? I had a fully loaded 59 Skyliner. It did have a luggage tub in the trunk. I liked using it for longer trips.
Angel,
I’ve owned 1965, 66 and 67 Continental convertibles, and I’ve worked on literally hundreds of them over the decades. While I’ve seen numerous little boxes that owners have installed [mostly in the 2 areas adjacent to the inner fenders, and a few over the gas tank area], I’ve never seen any that were offered as factory installed or even as an L-M accessory, nor do the owner’s manuals mention the storage boxes, the manuals simply warn about making sure nothing is in the way of the top when folded.
In 1978 I had a 1966 Convertible, black with wine leather, and I found it with under 10,000 miles. Got it from the orignal owner’s estate. She only used it a couple of times a year and it was kept in a heated and dehumidified garage. It was 100% original, even the tires. It never had any boxes.
For my 1966, I used the same gray trunk lining material to cover some small cardboard boxes, and I kept various items in the boxes. They looked like factory boxs, but were not. I took the car to a LCOC national meet one year, and the judges didn’t realize the boxes were add-ons!
Does this mean the car is tubbed?
Al,
I suppose you are correct! And I would add the Skyliners may be considered the only “tubbed vehicle” that is easily converted back to non-tubbed condition!
you can buy rust free examples in good condition for 35 40 thousand this is a 15 thousand dollar car retract
I have one of these a bit rougher than this but I can’t get any lookers at 5K and I will never get a round tuit
BF: “It has the optioned 292 cubic inch V8 (272 was standard that year)”
Not sure the 272 was offered in the ’57 Fairlanes except possibly briefly. By October of ’56, the 292 was the base Fairlane/Fairlane 500 V8 option per Ford’s brochure published that month — no mention of the 272. The Skyliner brochure of April 1957 lists the 292 as the standard engine for that model (the 223 six was standard in other Fairlanes). The 272 was available in the shorter wheelbase Custom/Custom 300 series, at least at the start of the model year.
BF: “Positioned as part of the Fairlane 500 lineup in 1957-58, it migrated to the new Galaxie 500 in its last year.”
Good grief, how many times do we have to say this: There were no Galaxie 500s until 1962. The ’59 Galaxie is unique because the decklid still said “Fairlane 500” but it was not a Galaxie 500.
I remember reading in a ’57 Ford brochure that said a buyer could order “any engine with any transmission in any car,” with the exception of the Thunderbird which came standard with a V8. That accounts for the handful of Customs with the supercharged 312 and three speed overdrive, so there may be a Skyliner out there with the 223 L6 and the Fordomatic.
Rick & tiger66,
I suspect the only approved way one might get a smaller engine was if it was intended for export. Due to situations including high fuel costs, import taxes, and yearly vehicle road taxes based on the engine size and/or number of cylinders, most American car companies offered their smaller engines for overseas delivery, while not offering them for North American purchase. For these reasons, I suspect if one had enough influence in Ford Motor Company, it might be possible to order a lesser engine size.
I have a 57 Bird with a 312 and standard 3 speed stick, no OD. Supposedly that was not available in a TBird, only OD. So yes you could probably get any combo your heart desires.
292 would have been the stand engine in that car with the 312 being the optional engine all Fairlane 500 got the 292 stand but most had the optional 312 known as the thunderbird special parents had a new 1956 Fairlane wagon with the 312 was fast for it’s time had 225 hp
Did the Lincolns have tubs also and if so would they fit in the Fords?
Grumpy,
No. While the later Lincoln and T-Bird convertibles had the same basic opening trunklid, and a top that disappeared into the trunk, the Retract steel top simply lifted up and into the trunk, with the top’s [approx 12″] front section folding down so the top’s length could fit into the trunk. *
In the area where people’s upper body and head would be when the top was “up”, was considered unused space when the top was stowed away in the trunk. Rather than risk people loading up the trunk to the point where stuff could come into contact with the top mechanism, Ford used the tub to delineate the area that could safely be used for storage.
The big change was the Lincoln and T-bird tops were soft tops that folded up before pivoting about 180 degrees [on 2 hinge points just in front of the rear wheel wells] and disappearing into the top. That meant the entire trunk area was devoted to the folded top when stowed in the trunk.
While it was possible to tuck various small items in and around the retracted soft top, everything would need to be removed prior to the top being raised. About the largest item one can pack around the folded top is a large gym bag.
* If I remember correctly, the retractable top was designed for use in the ’56 Continental Mark II body to create a convertible alongside the coupe. As the Mark II top was shorter by about a foot, it would fit inside the trunk without requiring the front section of the top to fold down. Because the Fairlane’s passenger area and top was longer, if the top was not made to fold, the trunk area would have needed to be about 12 to 15 inches longer, and this would have resulted in a terrible overhang.
With the design costs spiriling out of control due to the complexity of what was involved in making the entire top disappear at a touch of a single switch, Ford realized to recoup the development costs, they would need to sell far more cars than the numbers possible with the Mark II, hence the Ford Skyliner was born.
I don’t have access to the info at this time, so I’m going by memory, but I think the design costs for the retract system were over $12,000,000, a substantial figure even today. With the ’57 to ’59 retract production numbers over 50,000, Ford still lost money on each car sold.
It looks like it will need floor work and possibly more. 5-10k sounds more like it.
I would rather have the blue and white 57 Sunliner convertible next to it. At one time I knew where 3 retractables were. a 57,58, 59. The 57 had a floorshift for the stick trans, also had overdrive. 58 had fender skirts, black w/ red interior, 59 had 6 foot “cruiser skirts, continental kit, dual spotlights, with the mirrors on the backside of the light (maybe factory). 59 was goldenrod yellow and white, 57 is in several different colors of primer. there was also a 56 Olds 98 Starfire convertible, w/ J-2 motor and a floor shift., black but pretty well beat to snot. I never could get in contact with the guy that had them. About 10 years later (1986) place was overgrown with weeds and small trees, couldn’t really see much of anything, and I didn’t have time to stop and look.
Those spot lights with the mirrors in the back are factory options. I have a 59 Squire with them.
I have two of these spotlights on my ’59 Skyliner.
Further research shows that the 272 was never offered in the Skyliner. The car wasn’t introduced until April 14, 1957 and Ford’s own Skyliner brochure dated April 1957 states that the 292 was the standard engine.
There are plenty of online articles and sources (wikipedia, how things work, etc.) that say the 272 was standard in the Skyliner but they are simply incorrect. Far as I can determine from Ford’s own sales brochures, the 272 was never offered in any ’57 Fairlane series model, including the Skyliner.
I wonder why the top remained down all this time? Perhaps the mechanism failed and the top could not be fully raised?
My old ’08 Chrysler Sebring had the top retract into the trunk as well (like it’s Daimler cousins at that time). Had a little more room than under the old style.
At the same time as the Chrysler, VW, Volvo, Pontiac (Canadian built), all made them, and I suspect some used the identical mechanism. Mercedes SLK as well. These are great cars if you like convertibles for around town, but like enclosed car at Interstate speeds. Neighbor had a ’57 Ford, top worked, but it rattled and squeaked as much as the neighbor’s ’48 Ford woodie wagon at the age of 10. My Allante has a hardtop which takes two people to lift on or off and which is still very noisy at Interstate speeds, but much quieter than the soft top, let alone top down.
1961 to 1967 Lincoln convertible had the same thing. A small box to put tools, cleaners or even groceries in so they did roll around or get in the retractable tops mechanism
1961 to 1967 Lincoln convertible had the same thing. A small box to put tools, cleaners or even groceries in so they didnt roll around or get in the retractable tops mechanism
Why, oh why, do people put cars away for a long slumber with the TOP DOWN?
I’ll never get that.
Some of us just have an old beater convertible that only comes out in nice weather. One day we decide not to re-register it, move to another and before you know it a decade passes. Yup, that’s the case of and old 60 Caddy I used to run. 10 years inside with the top down. You can bet it is shrunk up to the point it would never raise without a knife, if the pump and rams even work anymore. Folks forget these and many other now coveted cars were nothing more than old junk not to long ago. Even in todays world many like the mentioned Caddy are nothing more than borderline parts cars.
The last 57 Skyliner I owned was one I bought for $800 in West Sacramento, CA. It was sitting in a trucking company back lot. I put a battery in it and drove it home. I did a restoration on it and got the top working properly. It had a 312V8. The original owner told me the 292 had been replaced under warranty and the only available engine at the time was a 312, so Ford approved it. I ended up selling it through Hemmings to a buyer in Japan. That was in 1971. I still miss that car.
Great 57 Skyliner hardtop, but with all the 6 servo motors involved and the 676 ft of electrical wires to engage them, I would have to see this one in person or pay to have inspected before I pulled the trigger to buy it. Can’t tell by pics or someone’s word that it’s a working retractable hardtop.
The picture’s a bit blurry, but that looks to be a 4barrel carburetor, if it’s original, it’s a 312, they didn’t make a 4barrel 292 in 57. I think the price is reasonable, especially compared with certain others we see here.
you are rt about the 4 barrel and as I said before most of them came with the upgraded 312 which by the way I think was a great engine
They really were a great engine, at least for the day, unfortunately, it was also a short lived one. The 312 reached its performance peak in 57, which was also the last year it was used in a Ford. It lived on briefly as a detuned base engine for Mercury thru 1960.
@William,
I may have overstepped my bounds.
I’m not sure all the other years came with it, but my 1962 Lincoln convertible had the luggage tub
So interesting that the 292s and 312 engines were the precursors, in the late 50s Fords and Mercurys, to the later FE engine Ford series engines in the early to mid 60s. I have an original , 1965 FE in my Mercury and feel like it was one of the best engines ever made.