1959 Ford Fairlane 500

Description

We don't really know why, but the survival rate of late-50s Fords like this 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 2-door sedan is far, far lower than for its bowtie competition down the road. It's puzzling because these are handsome, comfortable, road-worthy cars with a distinctive look that captures the spirit of the 1950s without going to wretched excess like some other makes.

Ford didn't go tailfin crazy, not even in 1959 when they reached their peak, and so this Fairlane has a rather conservative look. And for many of us, conservative works just fine. Of course, anything painted Colonial White and Torch Red will stand out, and the two-door sedan has a clean look and lots of interesting details that echoed throughout the Ford lineup. The little emblems atop the headlights are similar to those found on the Thunderbird, the roofline echoes the shape of the Skyliner "retractable" convertibles, and out back, jet-age styling arrived in the form of round taillights with wonderfully ornate trim bezels. Finish quality is quite nice, with a repaint just a few months ago in a period combination (this one was originally Gunsmoke Gray with Colonial White, by the way) and the sheetmetal underneath looks to have always been in good shape. And yes, even though there's not as much chrome as some other makes, there's still plenty of jewelry, most of which is in excellent shape, with only some light signs of age out back. This car has a great look.

You'll smile when you see the beautifully preserved original interior, which currently wears period plastic seat covers, just like at grandma's house. You can credit those seat covers for doing such a beautiful job of keeping the tri-tone interior in such great shape, and anything that wasn't protected under plastic was nevertheless well maintained. We have to believe the carpets have been replaced simply because they're not faded or notably worn, but things like the door panels and headliner appear to be 1959-issue. The dash was refinished to match the bodywork and the beautiful white and red steering wheel was likely redone at the same time and still looks great. Original gauges are in excellent condition, and modern updates like the subtle under-dash A/C unit and AM/FM/cassette stereo are a great way to make the car more enjoyable without being too obvious about it. And with this Fairlane, you also get a giant trunk that comes complete with a full-sized spare with brand-new whitewall radial tire.

A strong 332 FE block is under the hood of this Fairlane and it was fully rebuilt to factory specs. That means smooth performance and plenty of torque to move the big coupe without working very hard. The big air cleaner up top matches the FORD logo valve covers, so it has a period look and the entire engine was bathed in corporate turquoise engine enamel some years ago, so it could almost pass for original. The A/C system is neatly integrated and the car offers both power steering and power brakes, which have also been upgraded with a dual reservoir master cylinder. The 3-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission shifts very smoothly and there are 3.00 gears out back to make it a very pleasant cruiser. A recent dual exhaust system with Flowmaster mufflers gives it a surprisingly mean exhaust note. Original wheels and hubcaps look correct, especially with those 225/70/14 BFGoodrich Silvertown wide whitewall radials.

Relatively rare and nicely sorted, this big Ford is the Blue Oval alternative that still delivers a flashy '50s look. Call today!