Seven "Fifty-Sevens" Plus One

“I like that red one better,” Rosemary Byrne said to her husband Norman as she pointed away from the car they were there to pick up, toward the vibrant red

‘57 Ford Skyliner.

It was 1993 and the couple of 30 years were on the way back to Michigan from a trip to Branson Missouri, on a stop in Arkansas to pick up a restored copy of Norm’s first “nice car.” This car they planned to pick up was a ‘57 black and white Ford ragtop, exactly like the one Norm had purchased in 1961 when he got his new job at Lear Siegler. He had just turned 20 at the time. “It was a thousand dollars, which was a lot for a car back then.” Norm recalls, “But with a little coaxing from a buddy, and Lear Siegler Credit Union happy to lend the money, I bought it.” Norm reminisces about what a great car it was, and how it turned quite a few heads. One of the heads it turned was Rosemary’s, Norm’s future bride. Married in 1963 the two had fond memories of the car and reluctantly sold it for a more practical pickup truck a few years later. Fast forward fifteen years and the couple was excited to find one in Arkansas restored by Jerry Miller, in the same colors and trim as the one they had owned. That was until they found themselves in Jerry’s shop with other beautifully restored cars from the past. -Cars like the one Rosemary eyed that day.

“She saw the red Skyliner and that was it,” Norm recalls. “And that’s how it started with the red ‘57 Fords. The Skyliner is an extremely rare hardtop convertible Ford loaded with more options, and a higher price tag, than the Lincoln's of the same year.” he explains.

Norm and Rosemary’s full collection of seven “Flame Red” 1957 Fords will be on display in this year’s Bay Harbor Car and Boat Festival. The cars you will be able to see are not only a complete collection of every model of Ford car built that year, but it is likely the only full collection of all seven models of 1957 Fords to exist. It has taken 30 years to build this collection of vehicles, but Norm’s history with automobiles goes back much farther. All the way back to 1952 when Norm obtained a “farmer’s permit” to drive a car at the age of twelve.

Growing up on the family farm in Ada, Michigan, Norm can hardly recall a time when he wasn’t riding or working on a tractor. So when the opportunity came to get a farm permit and drive a car at 12 years old, he jumped at the chance. But having a permit wasn’t enough, Norm wanted his own car. And it turned out someone had one to give him, a 1941 Oldsmobile. The only catch? It didn’t run. It only took a month for 13 year old Norm Byrne to get the old car running on his own. Thus began a lifelong affection for vehicles, from boy to adult. Get Norm talking about cars and you will quickly find that twelve year old’s fascination with vehicles is still alive in him today.

“The Skyliner was the first one, then a red T-Bird came next, -of course you have to have the T-bird.” Norm explains. “And once we had a couple red ones, we just stuck with the theme. It didn't take long before we got a ragtop too, like the one I had, only red. Then came the hardtop, and we got the two-door after that, they call it a 300.” he points out. Jerry Miller helped find and paint each of the cars in the original “Flame Red” Ford color. “A few years later we found the Ranchero, which it turns out was the real find, -in all the years we’ve never seen another one of these anywhere else. Finally a number of years later we got the Del Rio wagon, which was the hardest one to find, and completed the lineup.”

Norm and Rosemary built their collection of red ‘57 Fords over decades, the same way they built their business, Bryne Electrical Specialists. “We started the company in the basement of our house 53 years ago, and we’ve been blessed to grow it into a successful family business over the years.” He calls this car collection “Seven Fifty-Sevens Plus One.” The “Plus One” is a 1957 Ford delivery van, which is painted white and proudly displays Byrne Electric’s name and logo on the side. “They weren’t very useful as delivery vans,” Norm explains, “the way they opened up in the back and only had the two doors. But they used them for police cars and ambulances, they were better as ambulances. We also know they made a few hearses from that model.”

Altogether, with the delivery van, the collection includes eight vehicles. It is difficult to verify, but we believe this may be the only collection in existence, of every Ford model made in 1957. All of the vehicles are in running condition, although any particular one may need a bit of coaxing at any given time. “We drive these cars,” Norm is quick to point out.

One of the best aspects of vintage car collections like this one is seeing how the cars evoke stories and memories in those who see them. Norm says it’s rare to discuss these cars with anyone and not end up on a nostalgic trip back in time. Norm and Rosemary hope sharing these cars with the Bay Harbor brings memories and joy to all who see them, from twelve year old kids dreaming of their first car, to grown adults remembering theirs.