1956 Ford Club Sedan
2024.0032.0001, Savoy Collection
Engine: 292 cu. in. (4.8L) Cast-iron block, OHV, V-8
Output: 202 HP @ 4,600 RPM
Transmission: Ford–O–Matic
Wheelbase: 116 in.
Overall Length: 199 in.
Weight: 3,250 lbs.
No. Produced: 142,629
Original Price: $2,147
Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
The big news for the 1956 Ford was not styling and design. The 1955 bodies were reused, and the only major change was the top configuration of the two-door hardtops. Chrome trim was moderately revised from the previous year, and reconfigured parking and rear taillights constituted the bulk of the design changes. What was new for 1956 was an emphasis on safety, led by Lee Iacoaas. Seat belts were offered for the first time and the steering wheel was redesigned to reduce injuries in accidents.
Padded sun visors and an optional padded instrument panel were also available. The latter provided Iacocca with “egg on his face” in a regional sales meeting, and his ultimate claim that “Safety doesn’t sell!” Named for the street that Henry and Clara lived on, the 1956 Ford Fairlane to the Savoy Collection directly from the personal collection of American Automobile Designer and Artist Chip Foose.