Mike Hayes found a ’59 Ford Skyliner lurking in a parking lot. I thought it might make a nice bit of contrast to the Face-Vega posted yesterday. Talk about different approaches to end up with a coupe. Well, a coupe-cabriolet, in this case, as the Skyliner was the US pioneer in retractable hardtops.
But I always thought Ford missed a niche opportunity: turn the slow-selling Skyliner into an extended-cab Ranchero.
Who needs a 7′ bed on a passenger car utility? Imagine an almost 5′ bed behind the cozy cabin of the Skyliner instead. Still plenty of room to haul a few bales of hay or those big milk cans used back then. Or whatever Rancheros did (or didn’t) haul back then.
More like firewood and coolers. This is the first time I’ve stumbled into this ad, and it says a lot. Beautiful young adults having fun on the beach, thanks to the Rancheros, “America’s first work or play truck”. All the more reason to have a 5-6 seater version.
–My CC on the original ’57 Ranchero is here
Note: A rerun of an older post.
In the late 1970’s these tank like Rancheros were often used to haul dirt bikes to the Desert .
Easy enough to stiffen up the suspension they rode well when loaded .
-Nate
Theres a local guy with a blue n white retractable that displays at all the shows with the mechanism displayed partway through the motions – pretty amazing tech for back then.
As it happens, I was reading an old Collectible Auto article on Ranchero vs Camino. When Ford started planning the ’52 Ranch Wagon they planned a ute version in parallel for the Aussie market. But the ’57 to ’59 were not parallel to the Aussie, because Australia continued making ’56 Fords in those years. So the ’57 to ’59 were only US.
This was at Cadillac Jacks about 6 years ago
Skyliner, Sunliner, Starliner. Always understood the openness to the air first part and (eventually) learned the Ford vehicle application, but “liner” implies vessel or ship, as if being on a cruise? Whatever it means, even if slightly confusing for some, the names certainly are catchy, and you have to give Ford credit for some interesting branding in those days.