Ford Fairlane 1955

There was an attack on Professor Topolino’s house. A bomb had exploded turning the building into a mass of rubble. A Willys Jeep Station wagon and a Peugeot Q3A fire engine of Nyon Fire brigade were rushed to the spot. However, luckily all three people inside, Professor Topolino, Captain Haddock and Tintin survived. Once discharged from the hospital, Captain and Tintin are shown discussing their conclusions while walking to the Hotel. A car shown in the background is the Ford Fairlane 1955.

The Fairlane was produced in the USA and Australia from 1955 to 1970. It was named after Henry Ford’s estate, “Fair Lane” in Dearborn. It was manufactured as a full sized American car from 1955 till 1962, wherein after it was classified as a mid-size car in American market. Though for most other markets it was a large car. It was offered in a number of body styles to the customers like:-

2-door sedan.
4-door sedan.
2-door hardtop.
4-door hardtop.
2-door convertible.
2-door coupe.
2-door station wagon.
4-door station wagon.
2-door sedan delivery.
2-door coupe utility in Australia only.

One of the distinctive styling cues of the car was the stainless steel “Fairlane” stripe on the sides which curved down from the front fender till the front door center, rose up from the dip and connected the taillights with a straight line.

These cars were Ford’s flagship model in USA and thus were offered with the best ford had. They were powered by either a 3,653 cc (222.9 cu-inch) inline six cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine. These engines breathed through two valves per cylinder producing 120 BHP at 4,000 rpm and a twisting moment of 264 N-m (195 lb-ft) at 1,200 rpm ensuring good acceleration and a very driveable car. All this power and torque was transmitted to the rear wheels through a 3-speed manual transmission. These engines could push the 1,520 Kg (3,350 lb) cars from 0 to 100 km/h in 18.4 seconds and continue accelerating till they reached their top speed of 139 km/h (86 mph). These cars could cover a quarter mile rom standing start in 20.9 attaining a speed of 106 km/h (66mph).

The second engine option available was 4,453 cc (271.7 Cu-inch) naturally aspirated V-8 engine burning petrol in the cylinders. This engine used one valve to suck in air to burn the petrol in the cylinder and another to push out the burnt gases. In bargain it produced 162 BHP at 4,400 rpm and 350 N-m (258 Ft-lb) of twist at 2,200 rpm. They were transmitted to the rear wheels through a 3-speed manual gearbox, pushing these cars from 0 to 100 km/h in 13.5 seconds. These cars could achieve a top speed of 155 km/h (96 mph). They could cover a quarter mile from a standing start in 18.9 seconds achieving a speed of 117 km/h (73mph) when the brakes were applied at the end of the strip. This 4.5 litre engine could also be ordered with double carburetor to bump up the power to 182 BHP. For the more discerning customers, there was an option to order the 4.8 litre unit from the “Thunderbird” offering a 193 BHP.

Stopping power was provided by hydraulically operated 279 mm (11″) drum brakes on all four wheels. The front suspension was independent with an angle-Poised ball-joint system. It had transverse-links with coil springs and tubular shock absorbers. The rear suspension was a semi-floating type solid axle, located with 5-leaf semi-elliptic leaf springs and tubular hydraulic shock absorbers.

These cars were huge, 5,042 mm (198.5″) long, 1,928 mm (75.9″) wide and 1,527 mm (60.1″) tall. Luxury and safety were added in the form of factory installed air- conditioner and dealer installed seat belt options.The skyliner was offered with a tinted transparent plastic roof to give a panoramic view of the surroundings while protecting the occupants from the vagaries of the weather.