This 1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Skyliner was called a "hardtop convertible." Its entire, one-piece, metal roof retracted into the back under a reverse-hinged trunk (boot). Quite a process to watch and not to be undertaken while driving. This car when ordered with a conventional soft convertible top was called the Ford Fairlane 500 Galaxie Sunliner.

Back in those days, 30-character product names were considered OK, I guess. Ford later trimmed their monikers, with Galaxie and Fairlane separating into different model lines. Fairlane became a smaller car, what we would call mid-sized today. Galaxie remained a name for some full-sized Fords until 1974, along with a higher-trim LTD. Various sizes of Fords were later called LTD or names that included LTD, including LTD Crown Victoria. Crown Victoria survived as the name for big Ford sedans until 2011.

None of these was a great car in terms of performance or handling. Only police interceptor versions had decent performance. Crown Vics became the standard for police and taxi cab fleets across the US. Some are still used, but fuel-efficient and cleaner cars are rapidly causing them to disappear.