The third generation of Ford Fairlane debuted for the 1960 model year. With the introduction of the Ford Galaxie, the Fairlane was no longer Ford's top full-size offering. Now part of the intermediate segment, the Fairlane was only offered as a two or four door sedan, with the base 'Fairlane' trim seeing primary use as a fleet vehicle, while the 'Fairlane 500' was the more common civilan variant. A 3.7L inline six engine was offered as standard alongside three V8 engine options (4.8L, 5.4L, 6.4L). Production of the third generation lasted until 1961, when the Fourth Generation Fairlane was introduced.