Car: Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner ( Retractable )
Year: 1958
What makes it special: Ford’s Fairlane 500 Skyliner/Retractable was a hardtop with a retractable roof, produced for the 1057 through 1959 model years. The unique retractable “Hide-Away Hardtop” mechanism was exclusive to Ford, and not other sister brands.
What made it famous: Skyliner had a unique mechanism that was able to fold the front part of the car’s roof, and slide it into the trunk, not using hydraulics. It had seven reversible electric motors, four lift jacks, series of relays, ten limit switches ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof and two for the trunk. It had 610 feet of wiring. Naturally, the top took up most of the car’s trunk space.
Why I would want one: There weren’t a lot of them built, they are fairly rare, highly collectible, and it’s a great alternative to a cloth roofed convertible.
Fun fact: For it’s time, Skyliner was the only true Hardtop Convertible from any manufacturer in the world.