Vintage Ford Cars

Ford is one of the great names of motor manufacturing. And during the 1950s the motor giant created some great vintage Ford cars.

It is hard to believe but Ford were struggling at the start of the 50s. They needed a product to save them. That product proved to be the Ford Crestliner of 1950 and 1951. The Crestliner had a beautiful two-tone exterior, something of a rarity at the time.

The 1951 version saw a redesign of the dashboard with controls set asymmetrically. An option was the Ford-.O-Matic automatic transmission system.

Rolled out early in the decade was arguably one of Ford’s most attractive looking cars, the Custom Victoria. Advertised as the “newest dream car of the year” and “years ahead in brilliant beauty” the Custom Victoria easily beat off the sales challenge from the Chevrolet Bel Air. An optional extra for owners was a Ford-O-Matic manual gear box.

One model which continued to be produced throughout the 1950s was the Country Squire.

The Ford Country Squire looked quite different from the steel monsters rolling off the production lines at the time. This station wagon had a simulated wood trim and could hold eight people. With the seats folded down, the Country Squire had a spacious interior.

By 1957 the entire Ford Range, including the Country Squire, underwent a radical restyling. Vision was improved by a wraparound windscreen with a reverse canted A-pillar, and large side windows.

One of the most exciting vintage Ford cars produced during the 50s was the Ford Fairline 500 Skyliner. Produced between 1957 and 1959 the Fairline 500 Skyliner was a two-door vehicle with a retractable hardtop roof. Indeed, it was only hardtop convertible of the time.

The 1958 line included quad headlights, a Thunderbird bumper and grille, four oval tail lights, and a 332/352 big block engine. The Fairline 500 Skyliner is now difficult to find, but is a prize acquisition for the vintage car collector lucky enough to acquire one.

Another rarity from the 1950s Ford range is the Ford Del Rio produced in 1958. The Del Rio was produced to counter the challenge posed by Chevrolet. However, the market for two-door station wagons proved to be fickle and sales were sluggish.

Completing the list of vintage Ford cars is the Galaxie. The Galaxie was actually the Fairline revisited, albeit with a redesigned roofline. Just as with the Fairline there was a Skyline version of the Galaxie. The first generation saw five versions produced; two-door sedans, hardtops and convertibles, and the four-door sedan and hardtop.

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