Since around the year 2000, many European manufacturers have developed and sold cars featuring retractable metal hardtops. Motoring journalists have tended to fall over themselves, extolling the virtues of this remarkable innovation, while successfully forgetting that Ford had a similar system available on the 1957 Fairlane 500. Our feature classic is one of those vehicles, and while it is essentially complete and solid, it needs a new owner willing to return it to its former glory. If you feel prepared to take on that challenge, you will find the Skyliner located in San Jose, California, and listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has rocketed to $6,100 in this No Reserve auction. I have to say a big thank you to Barn Finder Larry D for spotting this cool classic for us.
It appears that this Colonial White Fairlane has spent its life in sunny California, and that is excellent news for potential buyers. The seller supplies underside shots, and while there is a healthy spray of surface corrosion, it appears that the floors and frame are rock solid. The only rust of any note that I can spot is in the trailing edge of the decklid, but it appears to be the type that would be easy to repair. The panels are straight, with no dings or dents worth noting. The hubcaps are missing, but the remaining trim is intact. Some pieces would benefit from a trip to the platers, but the buyer won’t need to spend time or energy locating missing parts. There are no issues or problems with the glass, but the state of the retractable top is unknown. The Skyliner has been parked for around seven years, and the top operated correctly then. It doesn’t work now, but it may be the case that some basic maintenance and lubrication will get things working again. Potential buyers will need to hope this is the case because the system can be complex if fault-finding becomes necessary.
Lifting the hood reveals that the original owner ordered this Ford with the 292ci Y-Block V8, an automatic transmission, and power steering. That Y-Block would have produced 212hp in its prime, allowing the Skyliner to gallop through the ¼ mile in 18.9 seconds. Once again, we’re confronted with a “ran when parked” scenario with this Fairlane. The previous owner parked it in a barn around seven years ago, so given that we’re not talking decades, coaxing the car back to life may not be difficult. It will undoubtedly need a thorough inspection and some possible work on the brakes and perishable components. However, it is conceivable that the new owner could return the vehicle to a roadworthy state with little effort or cost. Hey, a person can always live in hope.
Using the photos and information the owner supplies in his listing, it is possible that the most challenging and expensive part of this restoration could be returning the interior to a factory-fresh state. The seat upholstery is badly shredded, while the padding and foam are no better. The shopping list will extend to a carpet set, headliner, and depending on what an in-person inspection reveals, there could be other upholstered parts that have deteriorated beyond the point of no return. I searched for trim kits online but had no luck. Mine was a pretty cursory search, so more time and effort could produce positive results for the new owner. It would be worth it because this interior would attract attention if the buyer retrims it in its original combination of black and white vinyl.
Slipping behind the wheel of a classic convertible can be a wonderful experience, but they can have their downsides as well. Some soft-tops aren’t particularly weatherproof, while they can be a target for undesirables who wish to relieve owners of their worldly possessions. However, classics like this 1957 Skyliner offer owners the best of both worlds. They are a convertible that allows its owner to experience the pleasure of top-down cruising. However, the press of a button transforms the car, offering a classic coupe’s weather protection and security. Ford hit the right note with the Skyliner and managed to sell an impressive 20,766 examples in 1957. They achieved this feat despite the Skyliner being the most expensive offering in the Fairlane range by a very wide margin. Today, a spotless example can easily reach $30,000 in the classic market, while perfection can push that figure beyond $50,000. Whipping this car’s panels, paint, and drivetrain into shape should not be complicated or expensive. The interior could present a more significant challenge, but one thing is for sure; When the new owner puts down the tools for the final time, they will be the proud owner of a classic that is guaranteed to turn heads wherever it goes.
The idiot who designed the placement of the distributor that fit under the firewall overhang should have been shot. You had to be a contortionist
Which probably explains why Ford put it in the front on later engine families
Nice and solid, so a great base from which to star a restoration. These to me, looked best in the many two-tone color combinations Ford offered in `57. Since the interior has to be brought down to bare-bones & redone, and it will obviously need new paint, it would be an opportunity to consider a complete color change. I happen to be extremely fond for Ford’s colonial white so I myself would restore it to this same color. But perhaps a two-tone blue interior upgrade would really set this off!
I would leave it white as well, back in the day 2 brothers owned a white ’57 and a black ’58 retractables selling both at the same time both were gorgeous the white ’57 impressed me . I really hope they still exist.
The retractable hardtop was first introduced in 1935 by Peugeot, on its beautiful super-streamlined model 402 Eclipse, available in 2-seat and 4-seat versions. Production ceased in 1940, due to the war. The 1957 Ford Skyliner model was the only car in the world featuring a retractable hardtop, and it was about 30 years after its production ended before retractable hardtops reappeared. This car is definitely a significant automotive milestone and worth restoration. Wouldn’t a collection focused on retractable hardtops would be interesting?
Truly impressed that you know about those Peugeot. My hat is off to you. Just one correction, the first peugeot to have a retractable hardtop was the 301 (also available on the models 401 and 601), indeed named “eclipse”, and they were introduced in 1934. The 601 eclipse looks gorgeous.
Pierre, I am equally impressed that you knew of the ’34 Peugeot 301-401-601 Eclipse models. I never knew they existed, and thank you for bringing them to my attention. They must be very rare! They are good-looking cars, and the 601 is gorgeous indeed, in a more “classic” way than the later streamlined Eclipses.
I know, It’s just me, but I never liked these. The top contraption made the backend too big and boxy.
I agree with you on that. They aren’t very beautiful. Even so, they are historically significant and pretty scarce, plus there’s that huge “cool factor” to consider!
@ Iron Mistress:
That “idiot” to whom you refer went on to design the engine placement in the 1990-on Chevy Caprice with the 305 engine. That Ford distributor would be an absolute dream to work on compared to the one on my ’93 Caprice 305. And I have the blood blisters to prove it.
The distributor on my 2001 Dodge Ram 5.9 was up under an overhang and when it failed it went to the garage. I couldn’t get near it.
After a full frame-off restoration I saw one a few years ago that sold for $85K. This one will need a whole lot of TLC to get it there but will be well worth i. Wish I still had my ’57 Country Squire Wagon.
Neighbor has a restored ’57. Top works, “you just need patience to follow all the steps in the manual when it does not” he says. Only issue is that it rattles and squeeks. If you look at the post-2000 hardtops that converted, many of the tops look the same, perhaps the design/manufacturer for the VW, Volvo, and Pontiac versions were the same. Here, once in great while, you will see a Pontiac, in Europe the VW and Volvo versions were common. I thought that maybe my Allante with the two man removable hardtop would be quiet enough for my wife to ride in, but, no, the wind noise above 35 mph, top down, soft top up, or hardtop on, is more than she can stand. Friend’s Mercedes SLK on the other hand is quiet as a mouse.
I’m a former owner of a 1959 Galaxy retract, and in 1970 I went to the FoMoCo service school for the ’57-’59 retracts and the ’60-68 Lincoln and T-Bird disappearing tops. I still have all the service books for these.
Tips on repairing them:
1. Get the manuals, and also a later repair book put out by a Lincoln parts dealer in Mass.
2. If you can’t get the deck lid to unlock, don’t panic, and never cut holes in the sheet metal to access the mechanical locks. Inside both rear wheel arches is a 9/16 bolt head. Put a matching size socket onto a 6″ extension with a socket wrench. Undo both bolts & remove, along with a big flat washer.
3. 2 people can now use plastic wedges to pry open the trunk lid, far enough to place wooden blocks to keep it open and allow you access to pull a pair of cotter pins out of the screw jacks that open the lid. Push out the main pins on each jack, and you can open the lid fully [brace it so it won’t fall forward].
4. Check to see why you don’t have power to the deck lid unlock wiring. It might be the relay or simply a loose connection.
5. Now here is the most important part of the system: Where ever the top mechanism stops, is where your problem lies. It can be a sensor switch out of alignment, or a relay not actuating. It’s rarely a motor problem, and usually it’s a out-of-adjustment switch. Follow the instructions in the top manual!
Mr. McCloskey, that has to be one of the best, most valuable posts ever. It is our good fortune that you posted it!
My Alante’ is pretty quiet up to 75-80 and not bad at 100. I had a 59 retrac 50 years ago when in college after Vietnam. Had a trailer hooked on wired thru the trunk,top wouldn’t go up to work on so after 4 hours and the Ford dealer loaning a manual finally found the screw drive in the rear pillar was missing the relay. That operation took 4 hours in 20 below weather in Gunnison ,Colorado. Lesson learned? Colorado sucks.
These are great cars. Getting the top working, and other mechanics would be a top priority. It is not that far from a daily driver. Get a nice seat cover, and floor mats and enjoy it for a while. To do a restore is going to require $$$, and unless your dough is ready, I hope the new owner won’t pull it all apart, and end up selling it later as a basket.
There’s a whole lot to go wrong with the retractible hard top so it’s potentially a hard product to handle. One funny thing through is for some reason the rear view of one of these always reminds me of a Ranchero with a hard bed cover on it.
Ha! It does look like a Ranchero with a bed cover from the rear! They really should have put more thought into that rear end styling, but they still look cool.
The ’59’s with the higher rear fenders looked better, but still a bit awkward.
Last bid now is $6700 with 32 bids with an hour and 53 minutes left, between 12 bidders. I notice a couple of these bidders are repeatedly outbidding themselves (suspicious)! There is another ‘57 retractable Skyliner with a continental kit (yellow/white), in mint condition for $49,800 also on eBay.