The 1957 model year was a big one for Ford. They were all new that year, the Ranchero pickup and the Skyliner retractable hardtop were new body styles, and Ford beat Chevrolet in the sales game. The latter was a rare feat for the perennially #2 automaker. The seller has a ’57 Custom 500 4-door sedan for sale – but it may have more rust than most buyers will want to tangle with. Located in Taunton, Massachusetts, this Forlorn Ford is available here on craigslist for $2,850. Once again, Mitchell G. delivers in the tips department.
Yep, Ford outsold Chevy in 1957 (model, not calendar year). But by only 7,200 cars. But it was enough to claim bragging rights for a while. While the Fords were new, the Chevies were in their third year of a three-year design cycle. The new Fords were lower, longer, and wider, while Chevrolet went the route of tailfins. Ford had several V8s in 1957, while Chevy had two (up from one in 1955 and 1956). Chevy wouldn’t get a car-based pickup until 1959 and never attempted a retractable, a gimmick Ford went with for three years. The 1958 Chevrolets were all-new and dethroned Ford, though it was a recession year for the industry.
The Custom 300 was a second-tier offering in a four-car lineup: Custom, Custom 300, Fairlane, and Fairlane 500. Every step up brought more glitz and glitter. The seller’s car has had a hard life and may have as much corrosion as sheet metal. It’s a two-tone car that was likely repainted at one time without having had some of the rust repaired (if I interpret the seller correctly). The interior is no better and comes with see-through floorboards.
We’re given a VIN for the engine, which suggests it’s not a Y-block V8 as per the seller. And no engine compartment photos to verify. The seller says the Ford will yard drive even though the overall condition is credited as “salvage.” The Custom has an automatic tranny (any issues?) at 80,000 miles before the odometer broke. Despite the car’s ills, someone was optimistic enough to replace the fuel tank and radiator. But does a rusty 4-door warrant restoration, or should it best serve for parts (but at $2,850?)?
Not enough left to restore here.
Quick fried to a crackly crunch…
Leave it to Beaver fans will recognize this car as the 1st car Ward Cleaver is seen driving. It was in black and white, so not sure of the color, but it was a 4 door, Custom like this for the first 2 seasons. He then switched to Plymouths in 1959 and for the remainder of the show. You talk about Asian cars rusting, ( that were probably ground up ’57 Fords), this would be considered a clean one, as I remember practically all late 50s Fords with then headlights gone, doors dangling, and no floors. Ward coughed up just over $2grand for this car new, clearly before he got that manager job at the stockbroker firm. ’57 Chevys stole all the thunder, but Ford actually sold more ’57 Fords than Chevys. These were truly all new. Again, got to be nicer than this. I see little interest in restoring this.
You beat me to the Ward reference…
Unfortunately it’s an overpriced parts car. The ad was placed 26 days ago and with takers, sub-$1,000 or less is more realistic.
Steve R
Hard to imagine anyone without an emotional connection to this car investing the considerable time and money it will take to restore it, or even to just make it roadworthy again.
Thought this was a MOPAR for a sec…
I see worst looking cars on here every day. A couple of floor pans, some new carpet, recovered seats, oil change, some bondo here and there, a new paint job, some fresh gas, a lot of sweat and a little elbow grease and some grease in other places and even Ward Clever would be proud to ride in this sure nuff classic.
Janet Leigh’s last ride in Psycho.
This one is a little to crispy for me!
Seems the only thing keeping it together is the trim.
Why, the ad says that it “yard drives” and I see a new gas tank, so redo brakes, spray some rust stopper, and some old license plates for floors, and away we go! Use a large Mickey Mouse as passenger while driving around RI in the evening, drinking Narragansett beer perhaps?
There’s 57 Fairlane 2 door in my area going for just under 15,000 cdn and it’s an older restoration. Been sitting awhile but everything is there and it’s solid. To restore this car back to it’s former glory would require a ton of money and time. If a 4 door is what you’re looking for, there’s probably better examples out there to work with. This one is probably better suited for a parts car unfortunately
That’s relatively rust free for a ’57 Ford from the Northeast
I find it hard to understand why Ford retired this attractive body style after only one year, for several reasons. It outsold the ’57 Chevy, a better built car as far as body integrity, with proven appeal by outselling Ford the two previous years. The retooling costs would have been better spent shoring up the quality of the Ford bodies to approach G.M.’s. And the greatest mystery of all–who ever considered the ’58 a styling improvement over the ’57—then or now? I don’t think Edsel Ford was involved, his namesake creation was much more pleasing to the eye. Well, there’s one ’58 I kind of like – a black Fairlane 500 featured on a Gateways Motors You Tube video clip–with Snakeskin Blues playing in the background…
I agree with you Dave. Just put some new metal in the floors, fix the fuel tank, upgrade the brakes,
Change the fluids, tune it up and drive it! That’s what we did over
50 years ago and it didn’t hurt us.
We just wanted to save as many
old cars as we could back then.
There was no such thing as repro
parts back then so you made do with what you had available to you. Yeah, we made new headlight buckets out of Bondo,
floor pans out of whatever kind of
sheetmetal you could scrounge
up. Would make a great beater
when you got it done. If restos
are righteous, then beaters are
neater!!
You guys realize that there were 2 distinct bodies that rolled off the ’57 Ford assembly lines: the low series (non-Fairlanes) and the high series (Fairlane and Fairlane 500’s). This is the low series body production. Even in pristine condition, will never give the restorer the payback they’re hoping for.