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. As it is, it is way overpriced.
“Four main series were offered, namely the Custom 300, Fairlane, Fairlane 500, and the Ranchero …”
You left out the Custom which like the Custom 300 was on the shorter 116″ wheelbase. Both those series were sedans only and were the cheapest models. The Fairlanes and Fairlane 500s were on the 118″ wheelbase and offered hardtops and verts as well as sedans. And of course cost more.
Don’t recall seeing many ’58 Fairlanes back in the day as the Fairlane 500s sold much better. A high school friend bought a Fairlane 500 4-door sedan in this color combo (Desert Beige/Colonial White) for $275 in 1966. It had the 352 with Fordomatic and we thought it really moved.
Oddly-in 1958 (and I think 1959) Ford dropped the Custom- making the Custom 300 the entry-level car… the Custom returned in 1964 to accompany the Custom 500- now on the same wheelbase as the Galaxie 500/XL/LTD….I never understood why it was dropped for those couple years.
My dad bought a new Custom 300 2 door with the 6 cylinder engine back in 1958. It was black & white. We lived very close to the beach, so the car started rotting away. He traded it in 1967 for a new Galaxie 500.
All I see here is $1000 bills flying out the window. Full body work. No doubt there will be floor issues. Full interior gut, clean and a search to find original seats and upholstery. With that lump of a V8 and no power steering or brakes, it must be a handful driving around town. And then the wheels… Even if you were going with an Icon type build, it looks like there’s too much “patina”.
I got a ’58 Convertible for HS graduation. My mom wasn’t happy about it as she thought my dad bought it for her. It had the 332 also with the C4 trans. They were the “Police Interceptor” engine used in Police Cars at the time. They were strong engines for the time. I couldn’t beat a ’57 Chevy in the quarter mile, but we also raced to the next stop sign 3 miles away. Remember my spedo bouncing at 125 as I shot past the Chevy’s Red & White, convertible, and fast? What else could an 18 year old ask for??
Speaking of police interceptor, did anyone see the extras that are available with this car? See the video in the ad. At least it runs and drives okay?
The ’58 332 was not the “police interceptor” engine. All the then-new FE series engines in ’58 Fords were marketed as “Interceptor” V8s for that year only. This has led to them erroneously being called police interceptors when in reality the police engine was the 361.
The ’58 332 was offered in 2V (240 hp) and 4V (265 hp) versions while the 352 had 300 hp and the 361 a bit over 300. The cop package wouldn’t be using the 332 when more powerful engines were available.
Vance, scroll to page 6. https://xr793.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/1958-Ford-Police-Cars.pdf
@Sunshine: Thanks for that link, which bolsters my point about 332s. The linked brochure shows that the Police Interceptor V8 Package could be had with either the 361 or the 352. The difference was that the 361 was for police use only whereas the 352 was a regular consumer option. The 332 Interceptors were not part of the police package so were not Police Interceptors.
Plenty of work here but the fact that it presently drives is bonus. Restore while you enjoy! First car i owned in 1973 was a Custom-300 2-door post, 292 with this car’s 3-spd manual. After rebuild of the 292 (with help from JCWhitney catalog of course!) a clutch-drop quickly blew the teeth off of the 3-speed’s first gear and that 292 was a lowly 2-barrel. Maybe even this 332 could do that soooo word to the wise…