1959 Ford Fairlane

By the close of the 1950s, automotive styling in America was highlighted by space-age design cues and unbridled excess, however, Ford vehicles showed restraint, relying on elegance, a slew of powerful V8 engines, and solid engineering. In recognition, they were awarded the Gold Medal for Exceptional Styling at the Brussels World Fair.

During the early 1950s, Ford designer Gilbert Spear showed his concept drawings for a folding metal roof to William Clay 'Bill' Ford, who was directing the development of the new Continental Mark II scheduled for 1956. Intrigued, Ford envisioned Spear's folding roof to be adapted to the company's new luxury flagship, but after two million dollars of development, it was judged too expensive for the new Continental's already bloated budget. To recoup some of its investment, in 1955, the project was redirected to Ford for development on the Fairlane. Another $18 million later, Ford had a properly functioning retractable model named after the Plexiglas-roofed 1954 Ford Skyliner. The highly-advanced Skyliner had made its debut in 1957 and after 20,000 sales in its first year, a rapid decline followed, off by a third in 1958 and down to 12,915 the following year. Partway through 1959, the Galaxie was introduced and Skyliners and Sunliners joined that new top line. Galaxie body styles were nearly the same as the Fairlane, including a town sedan, town victoria, club sedan, and Club Victoria. The Sunliner Convertible and Skyliner, previously offered on Fairlane 500s, were now part of the Galaxie. The Skyliner was offered solely with V8 engines while the other body styles could be purchased with either Six or Eight cylinder power. The retractable-hardtop Skyliner prompted the most public and media curiosity, but the identically styled soft-top Sunliner was the more popular with buyers, as they were lighter, faster, more reliable, and 15 percent less expensive. The Sunliner outsold the Skyliner nearly four-to-one in 1959.

The solo Fairlane 500 nameplate was used for only part of 1959, being superseded by the new-for-1959 Galaxie moniker partway through that model year. As a result, all 12,915 Skyliners and 45,868 Sunliner Convertible built in 1959 are now referred to as Galaxies.

The Fairlane and Galaxie models were very similar, with the most visual difference being the styling of the top, with Galaxies fitted with standard top with a Thunderbird style 'C' pillar. All 1959 Fords, except for the 113-inch wheelbase Thunderbird, rested on a 118-inch wheelbase and wore fresh exterior styling and interiors. Several engine options were available on top of the base 292 CID V8, which had overhead valves, five main bearings, an 8.8:1 compression ratio, a Holley two-barrel carburetor, and 200 horsepower at 4,400 RPM. The 332 CID V8 delivered 225 horsepower, the 352 CID V8 had 300 horsepower, and the 430 CID V8 produced 350 hp. The 430 CID V8 was only offered in the Thunderbirds and solely backed by a Cruise-O-Matic 3-speed automatic transmission with what Ford called built-in overdrive. The H-Code 352 CID V8 was the top option in the new FE block.

Before the introduction of the Galaxie, the Fairlane was the intermediate trim level, above the entry-level Custom 300 Series, and the Fairlane 500 was at the top. Body styles on the 'base' Fairlane included a town sedan and club sedan, priced at $2,410 and $2,360 respectively. The V8 engine added approximately $110 to the base price.

The Fairlanes had chrome window moldings, two sun visors, a horn ring, armrests on all doors, and more side trim than its 300 Series sibling. The 300 Series was the company's bread-and-butter model and over 462,200 examples were built in 1959. The Fairlane had 97,789 sales with 64,663 of those being town sedans and 35,126 Club Sedans. The Fairlane 500 models added a large aluminum panel around the rear wheel opening that ran to the rear of the bumper, and body styles included the town sedan, club sedan, town victoria, and club Vitoria.

Fairlanes were equipped with an independent front suspension, live rear axle suspension, four-wheel hydraulic drum brakes, and whitewall tires with chrome wheel covers. The stying was a continuation of the facelifts that began with 1957's all-new model, updated along the way, but retaining its conservative demeanor. Its bumper and squared-off grille were reminiscent of the 1958 Thunderbird. There were quad headlights, floating star-like ornaments, and simple side moldings.

1959 was the final year for the Skyliner retractable hardtop, but the soft-topped Sunliner convertibles would continue to be produced for many years to come.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jan 2021