Named in honor of Henry Ford’s Michigan estate, the Fairlane was a staple in the Ford lineup from 1955 to 1970. At first, it was the top model, but the Galaxie took over those honors in 1959. The seller has a 1958 Fairlane (not the 500) that runs and drives, but has its fair share of cosmetic issues. Located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this numbers matching machine is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $7,500. Kudos to “NW Iowa Kevin” for this tip!
Ford’s cars were redesigned in 1957, and the new look beat out the warmed-over Chevrolets in sales by a small margin for the first time in years. Changes were “few” in 1958, most noticeably different taillights and quad headlights grafted on to where duals once were. Four main series were offered, namely the Custom 300, Fairlane, Fairlane 500, and the Ranchero – plus several station wagons with their own branding. The Fairlane was the mid-range offering in terms of trim, and 57,490 4-door sedans were produced (like the seller’s car).
We’re told this Ford runs and drives as it should, but it’s not pretty to look at. Under the hood is a 332 cubic inch V,8 which the seller says is original, paired with a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission that today’s teenagers might have trouble mastering. There are “lots of new parts”, though we don’t know what they are beyond an aluminum radiator. We assume you could drive this car for a while before diving into a restoration.
The two-tone paint is full of patina, and rust seems to be prevalent in the car’s lower extremities. The interior is equally well used, and you’ll want to buy some new upholstery and carpeting to get things rolling there. This seems like a cool sedan, but the fact that it has four doors instead of two may limit the number of buyers who will want to spend a small fortune reversing this Ford’s timeline.
This would have been an attractive car when new, and 1958 was the year the FE V8s came out, this car’s 332 being the first. It’s a shame this car is so far gone because it will take a lot of time, effort and money to bring it back, if it’s even worth it.