1959 Ford Galaxie Skyliner Retractable (RHD)

Ford's Galaxie was introduced as a top-of-the-line model in 1959, sitting above the Fairlane 500, and featured unique styling, combining the Thunderbird roofline with the standard Fairlane body. The result was one of the best looking full-size Fords ever made and the most exclusive Galaxie of all was the two-door Skyliner, a retractable hardtop that debuted on the 1957 Fairlane. Arguably the world's first ever hardtop convertible, the highly sophisticated retractable roof mechanism was controlled by over 500 feet of wiring, no fewer than ten power relays, eight circuit breakers, ten limit switches, eight drive motors and a safety interlock that prevented anything from happening unless the transmission was in neutral. The whole operation took around 60 seconds and was a real show stopper. All Skyliners were sold with V8 power, using the Thunderbird Special 332-cid unit with a Holley two-barrel carburettor, 8.9:1 compression ratio and 225 hp at 4400 rpm. As the most costly Galaxie variant, the Skyliner was only built in limited numbers, with 12,915 made from a total of 464,336 built in 1959. These rarities have become very collectible in recent years and values on fully restored examples are climbing steadily, making this a solid investment as well as a beautiful classic American Fifties icon.