The Ford Fairlane meant different things to different people, simply because it was a different car through different years. The nameplate survived fifteen years from 1955 to 1970, before the muscle car mania finally made it hang up its boots (or should we say wheels). The 50s and the 60s were the time of audacious and ostentatious vehicles – the style reminiscent of Hollywood meets mafia meets Texas cowboy.

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Cars were big and flashy, and very often feminine trims in pink also came out to appeal to the ladies. The Ford Fairlane was also as flashy and fancy as they came, though it donned different avatars in its lifespan. Here are ten things you may not have known about this classic beauty.

10 The Henry Ford Connection

The Ford Fairlane sounds like a rather mysterious nameplate and brings back literary memories of sun-dappled lanes with the fragrance of romance. Well, we’d hate to disappoint you but the Fairlane was named after Henry Ford’s estate in Dearborn, Michigan, called Fair Lane. So yeah, the apple does not fall far from the tree, does it? Initially launched as a full-size car, by 1962 it was a mid-size one. Through its 15 years, it came as a two-door hardtop, convertible, and sedan as well as four-door hardtops, sedans, and station wagons.

9 The 1955-56 First-Generation Fairlane: The Introduction

The Ford Fairlane debuted in 1955, replacing the Crestline as Ford’s full-size car. There were six different body styles for these models, with all featuring that unforgettable Fairlane stripe on the sides, so done in stainless steel. That stripe gave the car a chance to go dual-tone and the Fairlane looked flashy enough to appease the 50s.

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The convertible models were dubbed the Sunliners, while the ones with the transparent roof were the Skyliners. Engine options ranged from a 3.6-liter inline-six to a 4.4-liter V8. Further options were added in 1956 in the form of 4.8-liter V8s and 5.1-liter V8s – called Thunderbirds.

8 The 1957-59 Second-Generation: Outsold The Competition

In 1957, just two years after the Fairlane came in, Ford restyled it to be bigger and sleeker. The Fairlane now looked ready for the next decade instead of being a 50s preener. Ford was on the right track as in 1957, for the first time since 1935, Ford outsold its rival, Chevrolet. On a roll, Ford also introduced the Fairlane 500 Skyliner that featured a retractable hardtop, at the touch of a button. Quite the star, the Fairlane 500 Skyliner was pricey but appealing. The second-generation also saw the Ford Fairlane Galaxie introduced that carried Fairlane badging but would soon spin off into its line.

7 The 1960-61 Third Generation: Grappling With The Bel-Air

By 1960, the introduction of the Ford Galaxie ended up demoting the Ford Fairlane. The Galaxie was now the top of the line offering, with the Fairlane 500 having been downed to the mid-level offering. From being the car of the elite, it moved to become the mass vehicle of the fleet. The Fairlane was now both a cop car and a taxi cab.

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With the Detroit horsepower wars in full swing, the 6.4-liter V8 was added in 1961 for the Fairlane to remain in top memory of those who wanted a powerful car. It remained a popular car for that time.

6 The 1962-65 Fourth Generation: Firmly Mid-Sized

1962 saw another restyling of the Fairlane, and now it became a mid-size car so fitted into the space created by the full-size Ford Galaxie and the smaller Ford Falcon. It became the competition of GM’s popular A-body cars, the Plymouth Belvedere and the AMC Rambler. The Fairlane had a unibody construction with four torque boxes – an innovation by Ford so designed to absorb road shock better, making the Fairlane a smooth ride. This is the time station wagons (Ford Ranchero) were also added to the Fairlane’s line up – making it even more popular than before).

5 The 1964 Fairlane Thunderbolt: Drag Racing Diva

The Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt was a limited-production drag-racing version of the ordinary Ford Fairlane made for just the 1964 model year. Only a 100 units were made, 49 of these were four-speed manuals while 51 were automatics – and its performance was enough for Ford to win the NHRA Super Stock Championship for the same year.

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The Ford Fairlane was a light car, and fitted with the 7.0-liter V8s with dual four-barrel carburetors that usually went into the Galaxie – it became a powder keg. This worked because while the Galaxie engine was perfect, the car was too heavy to be successfully raced. The intermediate Ford Fairlane had no such compunctions and raced to the end as a winner.

4 The 1966-67 Fifth Generation: Back To Full Size

In 1966, the Ford Fairlane became a full-size model again. By now the muscle car wars had started with the Ford Mustang leading the race. The Fairlane was no longer needed to be sporty or fast – it was more of a full-size coupe/sedan/wagon heading to the luxury end of things. The same year, Ford also made 57 special Fairlane 500s – these were two-door hardtops with a 7.0-liter V8 engine blowing a cool 426 horses and 480 ft-lb torque. The idea was to qualify for the NHRA and IHRA Superstock racing and these looked different as well with fiberglass hoods and an all-white exterior.

3 The 1968-69 Sixth Generation: A Fastback And Torino

Ford was on a redesigning roll with the Fairlane. Yet again in 1968, things changed and the Fairlane again became even bigger, reminiscent of what happened a decade ago. A fastback Sportroof model was also introduced, as was the luxurious top trim of Torino. In 1968, more than 370,000 Fairlanes were sold – an indication of Ford being on the right lane, with the Fairlane. To compete with the ever-growing popularity of the Plymouth Road Runner, Ford introduced the Fairlane Cobra. The standard 7.0-liter V8s these came fitted with made a decent 335 horses and came with bucket seats, hood scoops, tachometers as well as power disc brakes.

2 The 1970 Seventh Generation: End Of The Fairlane

While the Ford Fairlane entered its seventh generation in 1970, it also ended this year – initially a part of the Torino series as a mid-trim, Ford retired the Fairlane as well as the Falcon nameplate. However, elsewhere in the world, the Fairlane continued to roll, especially in Australia where it carried into the next century. Strangely enough, the Ford Fairlane re-emerged in America as a concept car in 2005, this time as a crossover van plus SUV concept. They did make this later as the Ford Flex which was, of course, another story altogether. And not a very good one at that.

1 The Adventures Of Ford Fairlane

While the Fairlane lived a fairly adventurous life, there was a movie revival of sorts in 1990. The movie was dubbed The Adventure of Ford Fairlane, where the titular character, played by Andrew Dice Clay was Ford Fairlane. And fairly enough, he drove a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner in the movie, which because of this being an action-comedy movie, is blown up during the course of things. While the movie was a commercial failure at the time, later it began to get a cult status. Of course, the Ford Fairlane has been quite the movie star even before this, starring in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and even in The Simpsons.

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