Manufacturer Ford | Production 1955–1956 | |
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Also called Mercury Montclair Sun Valley Predecessor Ford Crestline Skyliner
Mercury Monterey Sun Valley Successor Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner | ||
Ford's 1954 Crestline Skyliner was replaced in 1955 by the Fairlane Crown Victoria Skyliner, based on the new 1955 Ford design. It shared the flashy chrome "basket handle" which stretched the B-pillar across the roof of the 1955 Crown Victoria model but added a smoked acrylic glass window over the front seat area. It was a interpretation of a horse-drawn carriage bodystyle, called a "victoria". The model, commonly referred to as the "Glasstop Vicky" lasted just two years, with sales slipping sharply as customers realized the trouble of keeping the car cool. An optional snap-in sunshade or air conditioning system were desirable. The Skyliner name was later applied to the Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner hardtop convertible based on the 1957 Ford.
Similar roof panels were used on General Motors products of the time. The concept of a single, fixed window over the front seat reappeared in the late 1970s on Lincoln's full-size Continental models (through 1979), and later, over the rear seat of General Motors' 1991 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser and Buick Roadmaster wagons. Currently, the 2004-2009 Opel Astra offers a "panoramic windshield", which is similar in concept.
Mercury's similar Montclair Sun Valley was produced in 1954 and 1955.