By Greg Zyla —
1957 to 1959 Ford Skyliner ‘flip-tops’
Q: Greg, can you give us some info on those Ford retractable hardtop / convertibles back in the late 1950s? I know many cars from Audi to Chevy SSR have released popular retractables, but those early day Fords were amazing considering the year they were introduced. Charlie K., a car lover from Pennsylvania.
A: Charlie, I’m happy to oblige. Ford’s hardtop convertibles, correctly known as “retractables,” were mass produced and available for purchase from 1957 through 1959.
However, Ford’s first retractable appeared as a concept car thanks to a Lincoln Mark II show car that was built in 1953. Following great consumer interest of the flip top Lincoln, Ford mass produced retractable Fairlane 500’s in 1957 and 1958, followed by Fairlane 500 and Galaxie versions in 1959. All retractable hardtops carry the Skyliner designation.
Back in 1957, Ford introduced its novel hardtop convertible called the Ford Skyliner. Available only in 1957 was a V8 Supercharged version that today commands top dollar if one shows up at a televised Mecum or Barrett-Jackson auction. (Ford)
Notable in 1957 was then president Dwight D. Eisenhower, himself a car lover, becoming one of Skyliner’s first customers. Specifically, a black ’57 Skyliner shared space at the White House garage.
Overall, Ford built less than 50,000 retractables during the car’s three year run, as consumers weren’t sold on both the style of the car because of its boxy and bulky rear design, and the lack of cargo space in the trunk that housed the hardtop necessities. The actual performance of the flip top took about 40-seconds to complete if things worked properly.
The 1974 Buick LeSabre was one of General Motors’ top sellers. However, of the near 500,000 Buicks built in 1974, only 3,627 were Buick LeSabre convertibles. (Buick)
Precisely, the pre-transistor era Skyliners had to rely on seven electric motors, eight circuit breakers, 10 switches, 10 relays, and over 600 feet of wire to accomplish the “top up-top down” scenario. Yet, it is precisely this early technology, similar to the old pinball machine’s switches, motors and relays that made the Ford effort all the more interesting.
Furthermore, even in this day of economic struggles here in 2024, the Ford retractable hardtops are still very popular at the auctions like Mecum and Barrett-Jackson and offer up a unique piece of automotive history.
According to Hagerty’s “Valuation Tools” price guide, pristine and concours 1957 Fairlane Skyliners with the supercharged 312 V8 can bring up to $118,000, while carburetor 292 V8s chart at $68,200. The ’58 Fairlane with the 352 V8 comes in at $78,500 while the 332 V8 is close behind at $74,800. The 1959 retractables with the 352 V8 list at $76,300, while the 292 V8 models come in at $63,200. Remember, these are prices for top restored cars, as the average price for a (good condition) 1958 Skyliner, for example, drops to $27,700.
The Chevy Corvair debuted in 1960 and underwent some difficult times thanks to a mention in Ralph Nader’s book, “Unsafe at any Speed.” Chevy was finally absolved of the litigation, but it took several years and many investigations to clear its name. (Chevrolet)
Credit for the first true hardtop convertible retractable, however, goes way back to the 1922 American-built Hudson for a manual version that never saw production; and French carmaker Peugeot in 1935, which successfully developed the first electrical unit to be sold publicly.
Today manufacturers produce computerized hardtop convertibles that work flawlessly compared to Ford’s “non computer” assisted Skyliners. Still, I’d want to see a ’58 Fairlane Skyliner retractable before any modern day version, just as I’d rather play a 1959 Gotlieb pinball before one of today’s modern wizardry machines.
As for production, the 1957 Skyliner resulted in 20,766 owners, followed by the 1958 Skyliner that attracted just 14,713 consumers. In its final year, the1959 Skyliners sold 12,915 units.
The Yenko Stinger was a dominating race car in the SCCA sanctioned D/Production class. It won the class championship in 1966 thanks to Pennsylvania Chevrolet dealer Don Yenko. (Yenko Collection)
1974 Buick LeSabre Convertible
Q: Greg, back in 2006 I purchased a 1974 Buick LeSabre convertible from a collector. The car is all original with only 16,000 original miles. I have maintained its originality and enjoy going to car shows and driving it on a regular basis. My wife and I enjoy the pleasure of driving and riding in our ’74 Buick very much and our LeSabre turns heads wherever we go. Jim J., now retired in Illinois.
A: Jim, glad to hear you are enjoying your classic LeSabre convertible. The LeSabre nameplate first appeared on a production Buick in 1959 when GM decided to start renaming all in the Buick line.
LeSabre took over for the Buck Special that once stood very strong, sales wise, in the Buick pecking order. It may not have been equipped like Buick’s top class Roadmaster, but by 1974 the LeSabre turned into a big, luxury best seller.
The engine under your LeSabre’s hood is either a 350-V8 with a two-barrel carb, which was the standard engine, or perhaps a 350 four-barrel. There were also two 455 four-barrel V8s available, namely a 455 two-barrel and the powerful Stage 1 455 “performance package.” The wheelbase is a lengthy 124 inches, which was similar to competing “big car” wheelbases of the day.
All 1974 Buick LeSabres came with the new steel belted radial tires and a “low fuel” warning light. Being that your LeSabre is a convertible, it is worth more than any of the other 1974 LeSabres because just 3,627 ragtops were built of a total run of 113,792 LeSabres. Overall, in 1974, Buick produced 495,063 cars including LeSabre, Apollo, Century, Luxus Convertible, Regal, Estate Wagon, Electra 225, and Riviera.
As for the Hagerty Price Tool, top-notch models like yours can bring up to $27,800.
Corvair Monza memories
Q: Greg, I enjoyed your column on Corvairs recently in Auto Round-Up magazine. My dad bought a Corvair Monza Spyder that I then drove 100 miles per day back and forth to work (when he gave it to me). It was a fun car with a 4-speed manual transmission, and it could also run with all but the most powerful cars back then on an equal basis. Our Monza Spyder handled great, whether it was a hot summer day or a typical New England winter.
Anyway, our Corvair Monza was great regardless of Ralph Nader’s opinion. Richard W., Norwich, Conn.
A: Richard, as I mentioned in previous columns, the Corvairs I’ve driven during my days have all been very roadworthy and handled well. I liked Corvair because of its unique rear-engine and rear-drive technology, regardless of what Ralph Nader said about the car in his book.
Specifically, Corvairs received a “bad rap” from Ralph Nader when he wrote the book “Unsafe At Any Speed,” which knocked the car as one of the most dangerous ever built. This wasn’t really true, for as long as you followed the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressures, 15 pounds in front, 26 pounds in the rear, the car wouldn’t “sway” in the rear much at all.
However, in Ralph’s defense, how many people check their tire pressure every day? In the end, it took a Congressional investigation and report to clear GM and the 1960-63 Corvairs of any wrongdoing, although the absolution came three years after the car’s 10-year production run ended in 1969.
Notable is the fact that Corvairs did well in sanctioned road racing competition, as there were some high-performance Don Yenko Corvairs available in the sixties called Yenko Stingers. Based on the Corsa and Monza lines, Yenko Stinger Corvairs were very popular in SCCA racing and won the D/Production central region title in 1966. Available in four stages of dress, Yenko Stingers came in 160, 190, 220 and 240 horsepower versions, all derived from Corvair’s base 164 cubic inch flat-six cylinder. A total of 185 Stingers were built in 1966 and 1967.
Yenko hailed from Pennsylvania, and also built the awesome 427 Yenko Camaros with COPO (Central Office Production Order) nomenclature. To define COPO, it means Yenko took delivery of the 427 engines from GM and then installed them at his dealership in those 1967-1969 Camaros with GM’s blessing.
(Greg Zyla is a syndicated automotive columnist who welcomes reader input on collector cars, auto nostalgia and motorsports at greg@gregzyla.com or at Roosevelt Street, Sayre, Pa. 18840)
Be the first to comment on "Collector Car Corner/Cars We Remember; Flip top Fords, a ’74 Buick and a look back at Chevy Corvair"