Continental had passed on the idea of the retractable despite the fact that it had been perfected over the course of three years of intensive development by Smith’s team. The Ford Division appropriated the technology and debuted it as the “Aura” model in the totally redesigned ’57 line.
Ford tapped the stars of the hit TV show “I Love Lucy” to introduce the car with an in-character commercial. Lucy watches as a Skyliner drops its top. She explains to Desi over the phone what she sees. “Lucy come home, you’re delirious,” he says.
The world loved Lucy but the Skyliner retractable never quite caught on with buyers. Even though it was an engineering tour-de-force there were concerns about the mechanism’s reliability, which after all, was strung together by over 610 feet of wiring, connecting seven electric motors, ten power relays and eight circuit breakers. This hampered first year sales that peaked at little more than 20,000. The recession of ’58 caused the second year Skyliner to experience a case of “sophomore slump;” sales were down to under 15,000. In ’59, even the addition of the “Galaxie” name couldn’t turn the tide. Ford decided to forgo the expense in adapting retractable mechanicals for its all-new ’60 line, ending the short and glorious run. The world just wasn’t ready to “drive a new kind of Ford,” despite the comedic song and dance pitch of Lucy, Desi, Fred and Ethel.
Today, it’s still a thrill to behold a Skyliner in action. The rear-hinged trunk lid, activated by a switch on the steering column, opens as the roof unlocks and rises while the top’s front section swings down on its hinges. Then, the whole shooting match magically finds a hiding place in the trunk as the lid secures itself yielding a perfectly smooth surface aft of the rear seat. In about a minute’s time the whole process is over, a phenomenon not to be repeated on a series production car until the introduction, three decades later of the short-lived Mitsubishi 3000 GT Spyder and the current slew of hardtop/convertibles from Volvo, BMW, GM and others.
Today, Skyliners are surprisingly affordable and the top mechanism has proven to be reliable and easy to service. In the rare instances when the top gets hung up -- or down – you can readily accesses the relays behind the rear seat to reset them, usually fixing the problem. The big issue for any prospective Skyliner owner is rust, as cars exposed to harsh winters and excessive road salt tend to decompose over time. There are an estimated 2500 survivors still flipping their lids and it’s wise to seek out a car manufactured in San Jose (assembly plant code “R”) on the logical assumption that west coast vehicles are less likely to have been exposed to rot-inducing conditions.
The International Ford Retractable Club serves as a helpful conduit for parts and maintenance support. IFRC President Jerry Huggins says that, except for the very rare supercharged “F-series” option offered only the first year and installed on as few as 9 units, prices for “strong drivers” can be found for under $20,000. That’s not a lot more than a soft-top Sunliner brings and, for a certified Milestone car, it’s something of a bargain. With lots of specialized parts available from both general Ford and Skyliner-specific sources, it’s not all that difficult to keep one in excellent roof raising condition. Imposing Continental kits considerably extend the already disproportionately large rear quarters while fender skirts, air conditioning, a choice of four V8s and myriad interior and paint combinations keep things interesting beyond the trick top.
The primary appeal of any Skyliner is experienced at a stand still; in fact, the top won’t operate unless the car is stopped. They’re solid cruisers so it’s not unusual for an IFRC member to drive 2,000 or so miles to a meet. Still, this is a heavy vehicle and, at two tons, it’s almost 500 pounds heavier than conventional Ford convertibles of the era. Skyliners have a modicum of “go,” but the main attraction is the space age flip top and the cache of owning something that is a vision of the future from the past.
Prices: $15 –25,000 for good to fine examples. Three times as much for a supercharged ‘57
Clubs: International Ford Retractable Club, P.O. Box 289, Brockport, NY 14420 (716) 395.0453, www.skyliner.org
Ford Skyliners of Northern California, P.O. Box 577919, Modesto, CA 95357
Spares: Dennis Carpenter Reproductions, P. O. Box 26398, Charlotte, NC 28221 (704) 786.8139
www.dennis-carpenter.com
Ford Reproduction Parts Store, 110 Ford Rd., Bryan, OH 43506 (419) 636.2475
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Related Items:
<< Start < Prev 1 2 Next > End >>
