Model year 1959 was the unmitigated height of rococo styling for American automakers, who produced imaginative creations with towering tailfins and loads of chrome details. Over at Ford, the full-size Fairlane and upscale Galaxie 500 adhered to the trend in their own square-rigged fashion.
One grand recipient of all this ebullience was the once-humble Ranchero pickup, which for 1959 emerged with the full-bodied style of the Fairlane/Galaxie models, complete with their complex grille design, chrome accents and Ford’s unique interpretation of tailfins.
The Pick of the Day is a 1959 Ford Ranchero that has just emerged from a three-year restoration, according to the private seller in Fairport, New York. The gentleman’s pickup truck looks splendid in the photos, with a new interior, refinished chrome and a vibrant blue-and-white paint job in the original factory colors, according to the advertisement on ClassicCars.com.
The pickup is an “absolutely beautiful vehicle” after what the seller says was a $46,000 restoration, which is totally believable considering the complexity of the bodywork and interior.
The truck was in solid condition before restoration, the seller notes, then it was totally disassembled, all the old paint stripped off and redone, the interior completely removed and replaced, and the chrome restored “bumper to bumper.” The Galaxie-type full hubcaps are also brand new, the ad says, as are the whitewall radial tires.
“All the bulbs are new and all items work correctly and completely,” the seller adds. The Ranchero’s interior looks all original, and the radio is “a modern old-looking AM/FM stereo.”
The original engine has been replaced by a 351cid Windsor V8 hooked up with a rebuilt C6 automatic transmission, the ad notes. “The engine is powerful and the vehicle cruises easily at highway speeds.”
The price for what appears to be an as-new ’59 Ranchero seems reasonable at $29,900.
“This vehicle is fantastic and just needs a new owner,” the seller concludes. “Vehicle is probably the nicest Ranchero out there.”
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day
This read well until “The original engine has been replaced by a 351cid Windsor V8 hooked up with a rebuilt C6 automatic transmission,”After that, who cares? Couldn’t find a nice 390 to put in there? Really?