Before this car, prospective buyers had to make the choice between either a convertible or hard top. In 1957, Ford created a third choice with a revolutionary piece of technology featured on the Fairlane 500: the Hide-Away Hard Top. There was no longer a need to choose between two cars, and for the first time since 1935, Ford's car sales passed up Chevrolet by 28,454 units.

This "miracle of automotive engineering," used seven electric motors connected in series to put the top up or down in about 50 seconds. The use of levers, electric motors, and limit switches needed no more current than a cloth-top convertible, the standard of the day.

Ford branded the Fairlane "a new kind of car," with an exciting host of engineering accomplishments, the fun of an open-top driving experience, and the safety of a hardtop that every head of household was looking for. These features may be after-thoughts today but they certainly weren't then. These kinds of innovations were pushing the limits of 1950s technology and packaging them in eye-catching ways.

The commercial below is 8.56 minutes of genuine nostalgia, so sit back, relax and enjoy the show.