Photo Feature: 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Sunliner Convertible

摘要

Riding the competitive advantage of an all-new and attractive design, Ford was able to produce America's best-selling 1957 automobile. The push to deliver 1.67 million copies of its expanded lineup included significant contributions from two body styles that had historically been segment-leading sellers for Ford: station wagons and convertibles. The five wagon offerings in the '57 Ford catalog tallied a brand-record 321,170 assemblies, or 19.4 percent of all that year's full-sized Fords. Convertibles, too, reached a new peak. The 77,726 traditional fabric-topped Fairlane 500 Sunliners added up to the clear favorite in the field. However, 1957 was the year that Ford added the Skyliner with a metal top that could be retracted under the car's uniquely shaped decklid. Another 20,766 Ford owners signed up for this mechanized marvel. With more than 98,000 droptops in circulation, Ford outsold the next three largest '57 convertible producers-Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Buick-combined!