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By rgrove - 12 Years Ago
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Guys, As mentioned in another post, we have been invited to show our car in a pretty high-end show. Im assuming they needed "filler" cars, as the other cars mentioned as participating include Duesenbergs, old Bentleys, A Bugatti, and the Indy Turbine car, among others. We are WAY out of our league for sure. I know that Joe Bortz (concept car collector) is one of the show directors.... As part of the show, they are putting together a catalog with a photo and description of each of the cars. While they have asked for things that make our car unique (i.e. restoration history, etc), since it isnt a "1 of none, made from unobtanium by aliens in 1938 and hidden in a barn in the dutch countryside until a year ago" kind of story, Id like to pepper in some facts about 55 and 56 fords; any interesting trivia? Sales vs chevy for those years? I know the 56 sunliner was the winningest car in nascar history (I think?) but anything else? I know about the engine options, thunderbird inspired design, reflective of the jet age, etc. Also, anybody have any guess as to how many sunliners are surviving? A few thousand? More? I would welcome any and all thoughts or comments. THANKS PS - here is a link to a flyer for the event: http://www.highlandparkhistory.com/
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By DryLakesRacer - 12 Years Ago
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When we take our '56 Victoria to local shows I have a framed 8-1/2 x 11" fact sheet with it's standard features and options listed proped up above the grille when hood is open. It ends with "1 of 177,735" and "Your Grandpa and Grandma's Favorite Car". That always gets them commenting and asking more....Good Luck
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By Daniel Jessup - 12 Years Ago
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Ron, One of items that may be of interest to a car show like that where the caviar and wine is being passed around is maybe mentioning Ford's innovation for safety in 1956? The seat belts, padded dash introduction, the way the door latches/locks were made, the steering wheel design, etc... just a thought. I like the idea of mentioning Ford's winning in Nascar in 56! And the convertible race car history is in a class all its own. 
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By pegleg - 12 Years Ago
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Ron, Get Tom Drummond to add to the racing history, he's restored (built) two versions and knows a lot about those years.
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By jhtdon - 12 Years Ago
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The 56 Sunliner won about 56 races, I like the number I think it was 55, I witnessed one of the races, in 56 at the Memphis track. Our family car was a 56 ford. After so long I believe a Pontiac won. However the interesting thing about Tanner's 56 Sunliner is that they welded a Vicky top on the Convert. and won about 15 of the races as a Sedan? I presently own a 56 Sunliner, and I have been helped by the forum.
Cheers, jhtdon
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By carl - 12 Years Ago
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Ron
What makes the 56 Ford unique is that is the best looking car Ford ever built,period. Carl
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By speedpro56 - 12 Years Ago
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Guess I'll have to go along with that.
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By Cactus - 12 Years Ago
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I have to agree.
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By jonnireb - 12 Years Ago
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Can't argue with that.
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By lyonroad - 12 Years Ago
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I agree totally and the reason is this. When I was 9 years old in 1956, living on a farm in the Okanagan Valley near Kelowna B.C. a fellow from down the road drove into our yard in a brand new turquoise and white '56 Crown Victoria. I thought that it was the nicest looking car I had ever seen and I still do. The fellow was building a house and his wife and he lived in the garage. My Mum said that if he hadn't bought that car he would have finished his house(which he never did). I didn't care I liked the car. This past June I went to my 2 room elementary school's 100 year anniversary and the owner of that car was there. He said he sold the car a few years later because he couldn't keep tires on it. He bought a 4 door ford because he had kids, a familiar story.
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By rgrove - 12 Years Ago
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Well, geez, of course everyone knows that these are among the best looking cars ever! That is self evident! Does anyone have ANY guess as to how many sunliners are still road worthy? Restored? A few thousand? More? Less? Thanks!
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By PF Arcand - 12 Years Ago
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Ron: I doubt that an accurate survival figure for 1956 Sunliners exists. However, the CVA may be able to supply an estimate or the number of members that have Sunliners. Anyway, here's a figure that you could use in a write up. 1956 Ford Sunliners outsold their nearest competition by an estimated 16,879 units. And just for the record, 1957 Sunliners outsold those "Smellairs" by 30,164 units..
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By aussiebill - 12 Years Ago
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rgrove (6/29/2012)
Well, geez, of course everyone knows that these are among the best looking cars ever! That is self evident! Does anyone have ANY guess as to how many sunliners are still road worthy? Restored? A few thousand? More? Less? Thanks! Who knows, but apart from mine and lons, there would be about another 8? here in Australia..
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By Rono - 12 Years Ago
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For what it's worth, the information I found several years ago indicated that there were about 33,100 (can't remember the exact number) Customline Victoria's produced in the 1956 model year and that the Customline Victoria was the bottom priced model of the hardtop line in 1956. Rono
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By rgrove - 12 Years Ago
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Didnt ford outsell chevy in 56? How about 57?
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By Ted - 12 Years Ago
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rgrove (6/30/2012)
Didnt ford outsell chevy in 56? How about 57?Ford outsold ‘scrubs’ in 1957 which was a first for Ford for a good number of years. For ’56, scrub production was 1,563,729. The ’56 Ford car production was 1,392,847. For ’57, scrub production was 1,499,658. The ’57 Ford car production was 1,655,069.
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By Ketterbros - 12 Years Ago
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I believe the reason for the high sale of scrubs was the need for land fill, lots of construction going on back in the 50's.. I believe they are now using the new Ka-maro as land fill the the bridge from Keywest to Kuba..?? Mesquite, TX.
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By PF Arcand - 12 Years Ago
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Ron: Further 1956 Ford facts; In NASCAR'S then Convertible Division, Curtis Turner won 22 main events, out of 40 some races. No other driver was even close. Ironically, the driver that won the points championship, won 3 races!. Only in Nascar could that happen!. Also, Turner won the then major race of the Grand National season, the "Southern 500", held at Darlington. Driving a Customline Victoria, he finished 2 laps ahead of the 2nd place car, a Chrysler 300-B...
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By Y block Billy - 12 Years Ago
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1. My vote is for the 55 being the prettiest, the crome eyebrows, strip on rear quarters and dash, coarse i own a couple 55"s 2, How many 56 fords are still on the road compared to scrubs? we know who built the better car. 3. Curtis Turner was reconcognised to be elected to the hall of fame a few years ago but didn't make it and was never mentioned again, Nascar does not want to recognize him as being the best driver ever and one who drove a Y block! bunch of political BS.
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By Missouri Mike - 12 Years Ago
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According to some info I got, Curtis Turner went head to head with NASCAR honcho France when he tried to organize the drivers. They weren't particulary close after that and NASCAR (unofficially of course) did everything the could to screw Turner. I'll have more when I finish reading his book. Mike
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By Missouri Mike - 12 Years Ago
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rgrove- I forgot to mention I may have a 2 page color magazine advertisement showing all of the 1956 Ford cars. I know I have one of these for the '55 Fords and I think I also have the '56 version. If you're interested let know and I'll hunt it up and let you have it for the price of postage. Mike
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By ejstith - 12 Years Ago
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Ron, I also heard there were 30,000+ Customline Victorias. I wonder where they all went because they are scarce as hen's teeth. It's funny, I was at the Henry Ford museum last year & in the gift shop was a history of Fords book. It had a black & white picture of a '56 Customline Victoria & the text went on to say how Ford conceived of making that car but it never went into production.
Re: Curtis Turner not being in the Nascar Hall of Fame when Darrell Waltrip & Rusty Wallace is shows the politics of Nascar. And what about the Flock brothers? It's a friggin' joke..
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By ejstith - 11 Years Ago
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PF Arcand (7/18/2012)
Ron: Further 1956 Ford facts; In NASCAR'S then Convertible Division, Curtis Turner won 22 main events, out of 40 some races. No other driver was even close. Ironically, the driver that won the points championship, won 3 races!. Only in Nascar could that happen!. Also, Turner won the then major race of the Grand National season, the "Southern 500", held at Darlington. Driving a Customline Victoria, he finished 2 laps ahead of the 2nd place car, a Chrysler 300-B...
And that was in a "REAL" Ford & not a Nascar designed Fusion.
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By stlroken - 11 Years Ago
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Missouri Mike
You mentioned "reading his book" ..Whats the name of the book? Sounds like interesting reading.
Thanks
Jim
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By 56_Fairlane - 11 Years Ago
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carl (6/26/2012)
Ron What makes the 56 Ford unique is that is the best looking car Ford ever built,period. Carl
May I improve on that sentence?
What makes the 55 and 56 Fords unique is that they are the best looking cars ever built, period.
They were so good looking that they were built until 1958 in Australia.
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By slumlord444 - 11 Years Ago
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A friend of mine from high school had a '56 Customline Victoria in the summer of 1963. It was a 292 stick as I recall. Lost tract of him and the car after that. That is the only one I have ever seen.
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By ecode ragtop - 11 Years Ago
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Mike, The first Curtis Turner book was called Timber on the Moon by D.L. Morris, very hard to find! Another book about Curtis is Full Throttle by Robert Edelstein. Both books are very good and will give you an idea how earily Nascar was like. A third short book by Curtis's first wife ( Ann Ross Turner) is called My life with Curtis Turner. This book is super hard to find. I have been a fan of " Pops" for a long time and have a large collection of 56 and 57 Nascar junk! Thanks Tom
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By Y block Billy - 11 Years Ago
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I thought the Curtis Turner book I read was called "The Life and fast times of Curtis Turner" Can't remember the writer, I lent the book to my Nephew. Or was the mickey Thomson book called the life and fast times of Mickey Thomson? cant remember, I'll have to get the books back.
Anyway, Bothe Great reading!
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By Hoosier Hurricane - 11 Years Ago
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Bill:
As I remember, that is the sub-title of the Full Throttle titled book. I can't look at it, I borrowed it from the local public library about a year ago.
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By PF Arcand - 11 Years Ago
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Further, Curtis Turner's driver organization attempt, resulted in Bill France unilaterally banning him from NASCAR.. Some time later France was pressured to relent, & Turner was reinstated. However, due to that situation, I very much doubt that Curtis will ever be in the Hall of Fame.. Also, because he has I believe been deceased since 1970, he is not well known by current fans. Turner often flew his own plane to races. He and another person were killed in a plane crash.
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By Jim Rowe - 11 Years Ago
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How many 55-56 Fords still exist??
All I see are a very few 55-56 Crowns, several 55-56 Vicky's,one Sunliner and a couple of posts.
Not a real number but...I live in the Omaha, Ne area, 500,000 population.
The Fords ALWAYS draw a crowd.. As we don't see that many, even at the all Ford Show.
That being said 99% of the time the scrubs win the trophies.
I sure don't see myself coming like the scrub guys do.
I didn't build my post for anyone but me. I wouldn't trade it for all the scrubs in Nebraska.
Jim
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By DryLakesRacer - 11 Years Ago
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In my experience with shows, at Knott's Berry Farm ALL Ford in So Cal show many 55-56 Fords show up from perfect restorations, daily drivers, customs, etc: many "viewing folks" have positive things to say about all of them. Too bad the "show" has become a late model Mustang event sso I probably won't go back again.
At local get togethers there are never very many and they ones that do come are always smiled upon. One of the best "show" I ever took mine to was at a 40 Ford meet which accepts others makes but mostly Fords....I will being going back to that one as long as they have it......................
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