1956 Ford Mainline Utility with Canopy

Description

During the 1950s, Ford competed with Holden in the utility market with its Mainline model, which replaced the Twin Spinner utility when introduced in 1952. The Mainline was a locally designed and built utility version of the four-door Customline sedan, itself sourced from Ford Canada and assembled locally. In 1955 the Australian arm of Ford announced a restyled Mainline featuring a long overdue overhead-valve Y-block V8 engine (12 months after it arrived in America) to give both it and the Customline a much-needed boost in performance. The comparatively rapid Customline soon proved popular with police forces, while the Mainline saw numerous hearse and ambulance conversions, and also gained popularity with tradesman around the country. In 1956 and 1957 Ford altered the trim (but kept the same basic '55 shape) and introduced 12-volt electrics along with the option of automatic transmission. With plenty of support from local clubs, no shortage of spare parts and tough, reliable mechanicals, the Mainline is a great proposition as a classic ute today.