When car company presidents meddle in styling, the results are usually less than stellar. But Henry Ford II had good reasons to interfere with Gil Spear’s elegant design for a simple retractable hardtop, originally for a Lincoln, with hardly any moving parts: Spear’s roof went up too high, and Ford wanted owners to be able to put their tops up and down in the garage. The result is the Skyliner Retractable’s amazing mechanical dance, a carefully orchestrated choreography of solenoids, motors, and sensors that automates the entire process with one press of a button. No other car can provide such show-stopping action while standing still.

Don Davis’ Skyliner, from the final year of production, is presented in Surf Blue over Wedgewood Blue, with a tri-tone interior featuring blue vinyl seats with white patterned metallic blue cloth inserts. Chrome and brightwork fit and finish is particularly good, and the car has great presence, as the restoration was completed only a short time ago. Though showing some signs of gentle road use, it nevertheless remains quite presentable, and it is a strong car that is fitted with a desirable 352-cubic inch engine, power steering, and rare Sunray wheel covers, all of which would make this example welcome at any regional event.

The 1959 Fords are widely considered to be the most beautiful Fords of all time. While General Motors and Chrysler had fins stretching to the sky, the Ford’s clean, swept-back lines were so beloved that the ’59s won a special Gold Medal for Exceptional Styling at that year’s World Fair in Brussels. There is no question that the “Hide-Away Hardtop” Skyliners are the ultimate expression of the entire line.