photos and story by Kent Campbell and Carl Norberg  

In 1957, the passenger car division of the Ford Motor Company set out with one goal in mind: beat Chevrolet.  And achieve their goal they did, topping Chevy’s production by almost 140,000 units, resulting in close to ten percent greater total sales.  

Since 1955 Ford had fallen behind Chevrolet in production and decided to launch into fierce competition to regain its number one position.

The production of a new, top of the line passenger car, the Fairlane, began in 1955. Although the first two years of production fell short, they were so close to Chevrolet’s rear bumper Harley Earl could hardly see the headlights in the rearview mirror.

The 1957 production year found the introduction of a new trim model to carry the Fairlane moniker, the Fairlane 500. Slated to face off against the Chevrolet Bel Air, Ford’s new coupe was longer, lower, wider and carried more cubic inches under the hood. Total production of the Fairlane 500 in ’57 trumped the Bel Air by 63 percent.

For the new design, the Fairlane was lowered two full inches in height, achieved with help of longer rear leaf springs with a lower arc. Also offered in the new Fairlane 500 was a larger member of the Y-block family, a 312 cubic inch Thunderbird Special V8 producing 245 horse power. Carrying a 9.7:1 compression ratio, the new V8 achieved its full power at 4600 rpm.

Originally developed in 1954 to propel the Thunderbird, the Y-block V8 began as a 239 cid with a 130 hp, replacing the previous flathead V8 with the same displacement, and 24 fewer horses.

Engine offerings for the Fairlane 500 also included two smaller Y-block plants carrying 292 cubes and 212 hp, with a lower compression of 8.1:1, as well as the standard 272 cid option.

The Texas Classic Auto featured Fairlane 500 was ordered with the largest of all engine options, the “D” code 312 4-barrel V8 and is backed up by a Ford-O-Matic, three-speed automatic transmission. In later years, the Ford-O-Matic nomenclature referred to a two-speed automatic after 1959.

Notably discovered by the owner’s son, the Ford-O-Matic three-speed performs much like a two speed automatic, starting in second gear, unless manually shifted into the lowest (L) range.

Mr. Campbell of Cypress, Texas has owned this Fairlane 500 since 1979 when he bought it from its second owner. The featured vehicle sports several interior options including the Magic Air heater and Town and Country AM radio, as well as tinted windows, full wheel covers, fender skirts and reverse lights in the exterior category.

The car is believed to have been assembled early in the production year due to the canister-style oil filter (some later ’57 cars have the modern spin-on style) as well as the absence of the 312 “Interceptor” that was also found on later models.

The car was very original when purchased, still with less than 90,000 miles on the clock. In 1996 the featured Fairlane underwent a cosmetic restoration, but not by choice of the owner. Late one February evening, the car was hit by a drunk driver while parked in the family garage. The driver of the offending vehicle claimed he was attempting to drive through a beer barn. The Fairlane was pushed completely through the other end of the garage, resulting in over $3,000 worth of damage to the car, and close to $2,000 to the garage.

Although the car was mildly restored, it still retains 100 percent of its original interior, and the original engine appears to have never been removed, simply detailed in place.