by What’s the first car that comes to mind when you think about the 1957 model year? Yup, it’s the Chevrolet Bel Air. Granted, 1957 was packed with cool cars, including the Chevrolet Corvette and the Ford Thunderbird, but the truth is the Tri-Five series eclipsed almost everything else in the mid-1950s.
Available in an impressive number of body styles and trims, the Tri-Five moved more than 1.5 million cars per year from 1955 to 1957. It also became a design icon of the 1950s, so it’s far from surprising that it still dominates the used car lot when it comes to classics from the era. But as much as I love the Tri-Five, I think that the mid-1950s Ford Fairlane is just as beautiful.
Yup, even the frog-eyed 1957 version that some don’t seem to appreciate nowadays. This variant is particularly important because it helped Ford outsell Chevrolet that year for the first time since 1935. But just like its Tri-Five counterpart, the 1957 Fairlane is now more common in junkyards than on public roads.
This four-door Town Sedan, for instance, spent a few good decades in the woods near the ruins of an abandoned farm. After years and years of exposure to the elements, the factory paint has been replaced by surface corrosion, while the interior has been taken over by plants and field critters.
Surprisingly enough, the car still has a somewhat solid chassis and the body isn’t as rusty as you’d expect it to be, but it’s not worth saving. It would simply be too expensive to restore relative to its value. However, the good folks over at YouTube’s “Mr. Goodpliers” decided to give the old Fairlane a second chance.
Yes, it will become a parts car and that’s not a big deal, but it’s nice to see someone save a mundane classic for a change. Even though it’s not a sought-after Skyliner model with a power-retractable hardtop, this Fairlane doesn’t deserve to meet the crusher just yet.
Especially since it still has an engine under the hood. It’s not clear whether it’s a 292- or a 312-cubic-inch mill, but it’s definitely a Y-block. Will it still run? Well, it remains to be seen. Meanwhile, see the Fairlane finally leave its unfortunate resting place in the video below.
