Very Pretty Classic Ford! Believed Original 292 V8, Automatic, Runs/Drives Great

The very best cars you can buy are those that were restored for love rather than profit. This 1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan, for instance, probably cost two or three times the asking price to restore, and the labor of love behind the effort didn't care one bit about the staggering cost. The result is an exquisite restoration of an unusual car that's just off-the-charts amazing.

The beautiful shade of color on this lovely Fairlane is Colonial White, a perfectly charming 1950s look that seems to encapsulate the time. Fit and finish are very good and the investment in time and labor is obvious everywhere you look. The doors fit flush, the fenders and quarters are smooth and free of distortions, and the paint has a soft glow that looks exactly right on the 1950s Ford. Dramatic side trim was a Ford look in the mid-50s and it gives this car a very upscale look and also provides the perfect breaking point for the monotone paint, and we've always particularly enjoyed the way the headlight rings wrap around into the hood. There's thousands of dollars worth of chrome on this car, too, with brilliant newer bumpers, shiny stainless with a lot of detail, and correct emblems including the delicate 'Club Sedan' script on the doors.

The Medium Brown interior is equally impressive and the unusual fabrics and color are most definitely correct for 1956. The two-door club sedan is what most folks call a "post coupe" and there's plenty of room front and rear for full-sized adults. Both bench seats wear correct patterns and that funky fabric with beautifully stitched door panels to match. The gauges will probably look familiar to anyone who has driven an early 2-seat Thunderbird and the color-matched steering wheel is beautifully finished. Correct carpets and a taut headliner are details that make it feel fresh inside and there's very little wear since it was completed. A factory AM radio remains in the dash, although like many cars of this era, it works but it sometimes struggles to find a station. There's also a massive trunk in back, making this an ideal road trip car, and it's dressed up with a correct plaid mat and full-sized bias ply spare tire that may very well be the original one.

A Thunderbird-spec 292 cubic inch V8, that is believed to be the original motor, is planted under the hood and it gives the club sedan sparkling road manners. Supremely smooth at idle and energetic enough to make this heavy cruiser feel quick, it's a bit of performance in an otherwise fairly conservative package. Complete with a heavy-duty air cleaner, bright Ford Red paint on the block, and black Thunderbird valve covers, it looks all correct under the hood. Other period bits include reproduction hose clamps, a cast iron master cylinder, and a reproduction battery top that looks right. A 3-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission makes the most of the engine's broad torque curve and there are easy-cruising gears out back. You'll also note that the underside of the car is very original and incredibly solid and with a newer burbling dual exhaust system that featured reproduction chambered mufflers, it makes wonderful sounds going down the road. Period-style wide whitewall bias-ply tires are fitted to the original wheels with shiny hubcaps, finishing the awesome stock look.

Wonderful colors make this a standout car, even though it's also subtle. A true labor of love, this car is impressive in every way and it shows. Club Sedans don't come up for sale all that often in this condition, and they certainly never last long when they do. Call today!