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Ford Fairlane Sunliner - Swingin' down the lane

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Created in 2021

Text:

Paul Krüger

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

31

Archiv

6

Bruno von Rotz

31

Archiv

6

The Ford Fairlane Sunliner from 1956

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The photo car wears the original color combination of diamond blue at the top and Bermuda blue at the bottom.

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Impractical: the combination of "Sports Wheel Carrier", "Bumper Wing Guards" and "Deck Guard" makes the trunk virtually inaccessible.

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Well hidden: the exhaust tailpipes are routed through the corners of the bumper

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Officially advertised and approved as a six-seater, the pattern of the upholstery suggests only four seats.

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Everything tone on tone. Where does the hood end? Where does the dashboard begin?

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Thunderbird obliges: the '56 model year has sporty round instruments. Bottom left: the pull switch for the electro-hydraulic soft top.

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Chrome instead of airbags. The recessed steering wheel hub was part of the "Lifeguard" safety package.

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Always in view: Warning lights for oil pressure and charging current

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In contrast to saloons and coupés, convertibles always had black carpeting

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The needle is vertical after exactly ten seconds. If the straight is long enough, it climbs up to 109 mph (175 km/h)

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Display for the selector lever position of the three-speed Fordomatic. In the DR position, it starts in second gear.

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Radio with automatic station search

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The quilting of the door trim takes up the pattern of the radiator grille

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The most popular seat in the drive-in movie theater. Unusual: window cranks on the top model.

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The "Thunderbird Special Y-8" delivers 228 hp in combination with automatic transmission.

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Before aluminum wheels became standard, you could choose between different hubcaps.

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A decorative strip like a crown of foam on a wave crest. In 1955, the kink was even further forward.

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The optional fender skirts provide additional elegance

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Attention to detail: Anyone who ordered "Wire Wheel Caps" also received a matching fifth hub cap for the spare wheel.

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The rear lights are reminiscent of jet engines. Reversing lights cost extra.

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The three-color fantasy coat of arms with the Staufer lions first adorned a model from Dearborn in 1950.

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The Ford emblem can also be found between the rear seats on the soft top box...

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...and together with the lions on the door sills.

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The radiator grille is a dynamic symbiosis of rocket, jet fighter and bird of prey.

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Really true: even the exterior mirrors once cost extra.

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Is it a bird? Is it an airplane? No, it's a Fender badge indicating the 228 hp V8.

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Even with the soft top closed, the lines are just right. If you didn't want to lower it completely, you could just open the rear window with a zipper.

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The predecessor Ford Crestline Sunliner at the 1954 Geneva Motor Show

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Simple opulence: the 1955 Ford Fairlane Town Sedan

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The ohv-V8 introduced in 1954, here in the 1955 basic version with 164 hp

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The Fairlane Sunliner at the 1956 Geneva Motor Show

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This contemporary press photo shows the simple elegance of the Sunliner without bumper guards and chrome rocker panel trim on the sills.

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The Ford with the hot tin roof, the 1957 Fairlane 500 Skyliner, at the New York Auto Show in November 1956

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Summary

In the mid-fifties, it was still good form for US car manufacturers to crown their model range with a full-size convertible. At Ford, the Fairlane Sunliner took on this task in 1956. If you wanted something even more glamorous, you had to go for the Thunderbird. This article tells the story of the Fairlane Sunliner and shows it in current and historical images.

This article contains the following chapters

The Fairlane's new clothes
V is followed by Y
Minor model update for 1956
The top three in the Ford range
Driving the Sunliner
Only playing second fiddle

Estimated reading time: 6min

Preview (beginning of the article)

The first Sunliner appeared for the 1952 model year as an open version of the Ford Crestline. Of course, there had already been convertibles in Ford's official sales program before that, but until then they all bore only the pragmatic suffix "Convertible" after their sometimes rather extravagant model designation. It was only with the change from the pontoon-shaped "Shoebox" models introduced in 1949 to the new trapezoidal line that the open-top Fords were given that euphonious name, which conveyed a little more of a vacation feeling than the mere information that the car was "convertible". It almost goes without saying that the most representative body shape was reserved for the noblest model series in the Ford range, the Crestline. The middle Customline and the naked Mainline, which shared the body with the top model but had less ornamentation, remained closed.

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