Rare 1959 Hardtop Skyliner Convertible 352 Fe Cubic Inch California Barn Find on 2040-cars

 Up for auction is a 

Rare Unrestored 1959 Skyliner Hardtop Convertible!

Purchased from the local California Automobile Museum with the intent to restore and utilize it.  I started to make improvements but among my 100s of projects, I never got to this great beast.  Hopefully just the car that a lover of these square bird like 59' fans with the fins enjoy.  Most or all of the moldings are in a box.  Please see the photographs.  There are also some extra parts that I bought as I intended on using this as a reliable classic.  This body style was only made one year and there are only a few hundred of these left on the road today.  These are really starting to pick up again with the economy and I think a great investment.  Please see my other auctions and thank you for looking! 

Starts right up when you pour gas into the carburetor.  Shifts through the gears nicely.

A menacing head turner Rat Rod in its current state or a future parade classic.

One of the most powerful engines in 1959, the 352 FE Cubic Inch was the optional large motor that is highly sought after.

 Matching numbers.  Great sound. 

The car was purchased by me from the museum back in April of 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wthZQDINpsY is a short Youtube of the California Museum starting it.

I got it to run smoother by changing the fluids.

1959 is the year that Fairlane switched to Galaxie and the car featured emblems of both of these models

as the Galaxie version did.

Body Style: 51A

Color: A

Trim: 56

Date: 11L

Trans: 4

Axle: 6

 Detailed Model Information

 At the time of its introduction, the Skyliner was the only true hardtop convertible in the world. Today, it has become a very valuable collectible car, with high-point, well-restored examples costing upwards of $73,830

Few people could afford the extra $507 for the hard top convertible over the soft convertible.  In addition, the cars were expensive to produce.  The biggest expensive would be for the total redesign in 1960 with the new body style and the executive team that was needed was in Argentina and in other endeavors.

The Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner is a full-size two-door automobile with a retractable hardtop which was produced by the Ford Motor Company in the United States for the model years 1957, 1958 and 1959. Part of the Ford Fairlane range, the Skyliner had a complex mechanism which folded the front of the roof and retracted it under the rear decklid. It had three roof drive motors driving four lift jacks, four door-lock motors, ten solenoids, four locking mechanisms for the roof, and a total of 610 ft (185.9 m) of wiring. The large top took up vast amounts of trunk space, limiting the car's sales (however, unlike what most people believe, the mechanism had decent reliability). Production totaled 20,766 units in 1957, declining to 14,713 in 1958 and to 12,915 in 1959. An electric clock was standard. Fuel consumption was around 14 mpg overall. The fuel tank was placed under the rear seat, which inadvertently added safety in rear collisions.

The wheelbase of the Skyliner was 118 in (3,000 mm) and the overall length was 210.8 in (5,350 mm).

During the 1959 model year the Galaxie series was added to Ford’s full-size range and the Skyliner model was absorbed into that series. Although the ’59 Galaxie was designated as a separate series, Galaxies carried both “Fairlane 500” and “Galaxie” badging, on the rear and sides respectively. It came with the standard with the 292CID 2-barrel 200 hp V8.

The following engines, all V8s, were available on the Fairlane 500 Skyliner.

Despite a poor showing in 1958, when the redesigned 1959 Fords were introduced, the Skyliner was still available. The Skyliners was still built on the 118-inch wheelbase that now served all Fords and shared new exterior panels and a fresh interior with them. They were also substantially improved in the areas of ride, handling, and build quality. 

Midway through the model year, a new Galaxie series became the top-line Ford. The Sunliner and Skyliner migrated over from the Fairlane 500 ranks. Naturally, the Galaxie Skyliner was the centerpiece among these loaded luxury cruisers, the most expensive car (apart from Thunderbirds) in the 1959 Ford catalog. Its price increased again, though not so drastically, to $3,346 without options. As such, the retractable cost $507 more than the Sunliner convertible.

Sales of many Fords were better than they had been in 1958, but the Skyliner once again posted a drop in deliveries, down to 12,915. The decline didn't faze Robert McNamara, who wanted the Skyliner to be continued for 1960. But to do so with the all-new body and frame scheduled for that year would have required some serious development, and the team that had made the first retractable work had been broken up. Ben Smith had been sent to Ford's operation in Argentina, and some of the other engineers who had worked with him were involved in other projects.

After six months of work and some $1 million had been expended in preparation for a 1960-1961 retractable, the program was ended.

Smith never lost interest in the retractable idea. He had proposed a luxury station wagon with a lifting rear-roof section using retractable hardware in 1958 and had built a fully functional prototype on a standard 1958 Lincoln. It was interesting, but bizarre.

Much later, he would champion the idea of a retractable hardtop for the Mustang, but this, too, was never taken seriously by Ford management. The company did make some further use of the retractable's engineering for stowing the convertible tops of "Squarebird" T-Birds and, most notably, 1961-1967 Lincoln Continental.

The real pleasure of owning a Skyliner was inviting friends over to watch as the mechanism did its thing, waving its decklid in the breeze as the top rose, folded, and disappeared into the vast open area behind the rear seat, complete with lots of whirring noises from the drive motors. And that, for a relative handful of buyers back in the 1950s and the collectors of today, is enough to make the Ford that flipped its lid something special.

Detailed Condition Information

Engine:  Works well.  Needs pouring of gas into the carburetor to turn the car over.  Numbers of engine are matching to the car and the engine is the original.

The brakes stop the car but should be serviced.

The automatic transmission shifts nicely through all the gears as it should.

Exterior: Lots of little scratches and imperfections,  I foolishly pushed the car with another car.  A little Impreza and dented the back but it can be popped back out.   The car spent most or all

of its life in California so the paint is baked on but the metal is still very nice on this car.

Interior:  Red, Black, and Some Silver. Diner style and highly sought after.  Needs some restoration or ride as is.

Glass: The glass appears to be original except I replaced one of the small triangular vent windows.  In addition, I had to replace the left front drivers window and obtained the window from Dearborn Classics.

Battery: the battery is fairly new and was replaced when I bought the car from the museum two years ago.

Top:  The top can rise and fall but not always.  The conduits need a good cleaning.  I think it would be easier to analyze one the car is running from gas in the tank because I had to open and shut the hard top with a generator power and bypass.  We did so twice and is was really amazing.

Tires: The tires should be replaced and I will replace the right rear tire before the car is trailered home. It has a slow leak and I will put a different tire on that rim and install it. 

  Paint:  The paint appears to be original and is consistent with many of its day.  It might also have been aqua at one time.  I am unsure but the Color code "A" should help us with that.

Its a California Black Rat Rod Patina.

Title:  The title is a clear California title.   Please check the rules in your State about title transfers.  The car is located in Stateline, NV (which is near Reno, NV and not near Las Vegas).

Detailed Auction Information

Please note that the winning bidder must contact us within 24 hours of auction end, and make arrangements for payment at that time. A non-refundable $500.00 deposit is due within 24 hours of end of auction. The remainder is due within 3 days of Auction end. If no contact is made within 24 hours we will go forward with the non-paying bidder procedure and sell it otherwise.

Winning bidder is responsible for the smog certification in their State or Country.  Please check the rules in your township, county, and State, Country

Buyer is responsible for pickup or shipping of this vehicle. If you wish to have it shipped using a service, then you are still responsible for all payment and pickup time requirements.  Miles as shown on odometer and are not guaranteed as actual. All sales are final and "as is". 

If you are not sure about something, Please ASK before placing a bid. Please do not assume anything not listed is included. We reserve the right to cancel bids for excessive negative feedback or someone without feedback. We have the right to end the auction early.  Serious bidders only! First time buyers to Ebay must contact me prior to bidding or face bid retraction. Although we do our best to describe these vehicles, these are previously owned vehicles and there is a possibility that we might overlook some appearance and mechanical details. We do our best to list any major defects in appearance or running condition.  As a result, we do not guarantee this item at all. We strongly recommend you inspect this item BEFORE bidding. We also recommend you tow your vehicle away and have it checked out by a certified mechanic before driving - regardless of its condition. If we do not require the vehicle to be towed and you choose to drive your vehicle from our location, then you do so completely at your own risk.  It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the vehicle before the end of the auction, and to have satisfied themselves as to the condition and value to bid based upon that judgment solely.

This vehicle is being sold as is where is. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.  Thank you so much!