It’s very hard to beat a fifties convertible for the ultimate cruising experience – especially when it is like this 1955 Ford Fairlane Sunliner.
Completely redesigned for 1955, Fords looked fresh and exciting ready to embrace the fins and chrome era. Ford offered three series in 1955: Mainline, Customline and Fairlane with the latter replacing the Crestline as the top trim level.
The Fairlane featured a distinctive side trim that ran from the top of the front fender, dipped down to form a “V” and continued to the taillights. At the rear there was now a tail fin that mimicked what was on the popular Thunderbird and it also shared its taillights.
The Astra-Dial speedometer featured a transparent hood for better visibility during the daytime and was a carry over from 1954. It was a nice idea in principal but wasn’t popular and this was the last year it was to be used. The rest of the instrument panel was brand new for ’55.
Seating and door panels are all-vinyl, two-tone turquoise and white – matching the eye-catching exterior.
Horsepower was up this year on the base V8 engine. The old 239 cubic inch V8 was bored out to 272 cubic inches taking the horsepower from 130 to 162. This came with a 3-speed manual transmission as standard although you could have a Ford-O-Matic Drive automatic transmission for $178.
However, this Sunliner has since been fitted with a more modern 302 V8.
This particular Sunliner was made in the Dearborn, MI assembly plant and completed on February 9th, 1955.
Ford sold a total of 49,966 Fairlane Sunliners during the 1955 model year. Prices started at $2,224 for the six cylinder and $2324 for the base V8.
In total Ford sold 645,250 Fairlanes that year, which compared to the 254,767 Crestlines sold the year before, was proof how well received these new cars were.
This ’55 Ford Sunliner is currently for sale on eBay. (follow the link for even more photos)
My father bought one. He kept the invoice: 1955 Ford 8 Cylinder Sunliner Black $2725; tube radio $90; MA heater and defroster $75; backup lights $15; 2 outside mirrors $11.90; 2 exhaust deflectors $3.20; and a white top $40. Total price $2960.10.