Lucy & Desi Arnaz were celebrity spokespeople for the 1957 Ford Skyliner, which came with a hardtop retractable roof. 

In my humble opinion, a person buying this car was just asking for mechanical problems. More than likely, it wouldn't take long before the retractable roof would experience mechanical problems.

They only sold the car for 3 years. It was discontinued because the brass at Ford thought it was only a gimmick. Of course it was a gimmick. Gimmicks are what sells cars. People don't get excited over a bigger windshield or pretty carpeting. It was a very cool car, which was beautifully styled. Nowadays, the designers are the last person to be consulted to help design the latest box on wheels. The 1950's were glory days in the design of beautiful classic looking automobiles.

For your enjoyment, I have posted a video of Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz "playing" with the electric roof. Desi, in a typical condescending 1950's manner, is trying to tell Lucy that she doesn't know anything about cars, and she should let him handle the chore of pushing the button.











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