1957 Ford Ranchero and Skyliner

Press Release

Forward thinking

• The 1957 Ranchero and Skyliner opened the door for many of today's innovative products

The upcoming launch of the all-new 2007 Ford Edge, which promises to redefine the crossover market, is just the most recent example of a Ford spirit of innovation that is decades old. Take for example two of Ford's more innovative - and imitated -- vehicles that were introduced 50 years ago this fall.

The 1957 model year saw the launch of what might be considered the original crossover, the Ford Ranchero. In a surprising redefinition of the pickup truck, the Ranchero mated a pickup-style bed to a sedan platform. A niche vehicle, the Ranchero was successful enough to stay in production through the 1979 model year and notch a total of 508,355 sales during that time. Widely imitated, during the course of its run the Ranchero inspired car-based pickups from the likes of Chevrolet, Dodge and even Volkswagen.

Also new for 1957 was the groundbreaking Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner retractable hardtop. After a long history of failed attempts, this was the first successful mass produced car with a retractable metal roof.

In the early days of the motoring all cars were open cars. The dream at the time was to create a fully enclosed metal-bodied vehicle. Closed cars with metal tops didn't start appearing until 1910 or so. Even then the center of the roof of most cars was made of canvas or some other fabric. That was because metal tended to flex and "boom" when used as the center section of a roof. Fabric center sections proved much quieter. Soon, however, techniques were developed that eliminated the booming of metal tops. Closed cars with full metal tops then became commonplace. Once they did, though, customers began to desire all the advantages of a hard topped car and all the romance of an open car combined in one convenient package.

They finally got their wish in 1957 in the form of the Skyliner. To accommodate the long folding metal top, the rear of the car was extended three inches when compared to standard Fairlane convertibles of the time. In those pre-computer days the system that retracted the top was made up of three drive motors, four lock motors, ten power relays, ten limit switches, eight circuit breakers - and 610 feet of wiring.

During its three-year run, nearly 50,000 Skyliners were sold. It would be almost 20 years before another automaker was able to produce a successful retractable hardtop. And even then such vehicles were limited-production items, not mass-produced vehicles.

Today, thanks to computer controls and advanced electronics, the retractable hard top is seeing a renaissance, as exemplified by such models as the new Volvo C70. As for the pioneering Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner, it has become a highly sought-after vehicle among car collectors.