1956 was a truly great year with Ford producing some of their most beautiful and memorable cars. How can you not love this Fairlane Victoria 2-door hardtop?
The Fairlane is a very attractive car, and to further enhance its appearance the Victoria was designed with a roof line that was two inches lower that other cars in the line-up to give it a much more sporty look.
After a substantial restyle the previous year Ford reused the 1955 bodies but revised the grille, the round parking lamps were gone and replaced with oblong ones, the chrome trim around the headlamps was gone and there was a new jet-style hood ornament.
Painted in factory Raven Black and Colonial White it’s an undeniably striking color combination. This beautiful Ford has covered just 73,000 actual miles in its lifetime and was recently subjected to a four year restoration.
Inside is Ford’s newly styled instrument panel / dash for 1956 and features the new ‘deep dish’ steering wheel designed for greater safety – something that Ford had just started taking a greater interest in.
Inside, the White Vinyl and Black ‘tree’ fabric color scheme complements the exterior perfectly.
Under the hood is an ‘M’ code 292 cubic inch Thunderbird V8 engine that outputs 202 horsepower. It is paired with a Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission – a combination that would have cost the original owner an additional $278.
1956 saw the electrics upgraded to 12 volts (up from the previous 6 volt system). This kept up with the growing demand for accessories and made starting a bit easier too.
SOME FORD OPTIONS FOR 1956
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Master-Guide power steering | $53 |
| Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission | $178 |
| Magic Air heater / defroster | $85 |
| Radio | $100 |
| Electric clock | $15 |
It proved an immensely popular car with Ford producing 177,735 Fairlane Victoria 2-door Hardtops for the 1956 model year. They had a base price of $2,194 for the base six cylinder version with a $100 premium for the 292 cubic inch V8. This Victoria was built in the Atlanta, Georgia assembly plant.
This ’56 Ford Fairlane Victoria is currently for sale on eBay. (follow the link for even more photos)