We’ve kind of got used to the idea now, but go back several decades and the whole idea of a retractable hardtop, instead of a ‘ragtop’, was attractive and technically difficult to get right. Almost impossible.
By far the best-known pioneer in this area is Ford’s Fairlane-based Skyliner of 1957-59 (which covers a couple of significant facelifts), a behemoth of a car and in many ways a typical 1950s American cruiser.
However Ford had been beaten to the retractable hardtop punch by Peugeot, with its 402 B of 1938. Nevertheless, the Skyliner became something of a style icon, particularly in 1959 form.
That was the year Ford’s entire range won a