| vehicle specifications | |
|
Constr. year |
1957 |
|
Price |
not for sale |
|
Engine |
8 cylinder |
|
Engine position |
front/rear |
|
Cubic capacity (ccm) |
5768 |
|
Nominal power (PS) |
263 |
|
Top Speed (km/h) |
180 |
|
Car body |
sheet steel |
|
Qty Produced |
20766 |
|
Availability |
sufficient |
|
Availability of spares |
bad |
|
Copyright |
Hua De Feng Ying Co.Ltd. |
|
The basic car that hosted that electrical and hydraulic folding top was a two-door Ford Fairline 500. The package came with a big V-8 (272cid in 1957), independent front suspension, lots of room and a massive trunk hovering over the live rear axle. When Ford’s designers got to work on the folding hardtop version of the Fairlane, they knew just what to do with that trunk. Quite literally, there was a price to pay for that folding top, and it was a $150 premium over the $2,550 cost of the standard convertible. Considering the miles of wiring, the hydraulic pumps and lines, as well as the many engineering man-hours, it’s hard to see how Ford could have made any money on these amazing cars. The Skyliner concept was carried over into 1958 and again into 1959, when it benefited from the styling tweaks applied to the big Fords. Although the standard Fairlane V-8 was the 292 cid unit, the Thunderbird’s 332 cid version of the overhead valve mill was an option that boosted output to 225bhp. The standard transmission was a column-shift three speed manual that was also available with overdrive. But for the top-of-the line customer willing to pile on another $242, Ford’s Cruise-O-Matic three-speed automatic was available. |
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