Skyliner: The Birth of the Retractable

212 pp. The Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner (Retractable) is a two-door American full-size car with a retractable hardtop which was produced by Ford in the United States for the model years 1957, 1958 and 1959. In 1959 the model name changed to Ford Galaxie Skyliner very shortly after the production of 1959 models had started. The retractable roof mechanism - also known as "Hide-Away Hardtop" -[1] was unique to Ford branded products, and was not offered on Continental, Lincoln, Mercury, or Edsel branded vehicles during this time period. The Ford Skyliner Retractable was only the second car in history to be series produced with a retractable hardtop; the first to reach four and five digit production numbers, and the first series produced coupé convertible to feature a roof composed of more than one segment.