Ford Galaxie
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- See also the Ford Galaxy minivan of the 2000s
Some Galaxies were high-performance, racing specification machines, a larger forebear to the muscle car era. Others were plain, family sedans.
The Galaxie should not be mistaken for the Ford Galaxy, a modern-era minivan or people-mover.
’50s glamour
1959 saw the introduction of the Galaxie name in Ford's model lineup at mid-year. That year, the Galaxie range of six models were simply upscale versions of Ford's long-running Ford Fairlane with a revised rear roofline that mimicked the concurrent Thunderbird. In keeping with the era, the '59 Galaxie was a chrome- and stainless-bedecked, two-tone glitzy beauty of a vehicle, the very image of late-50s American automobile excess.
Among the models was the Skyliner Retractable, featuring a retractable hardtop that folded down into the trunk space; this feature, impressive but complicated, expensive and leaving very little trunk room when folded down, did not last long, being produced for only for '57, '58, & '59. Power retractable hardtops have since been used by luxury manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Cadillac, but in all these cases the vehicle was a two-seater, allowing a much smaller top mechanism than the Skyliner's. Not until 2006, when the Pontiac G6 retractable appeared, did another mass-market model with a rear seat appear in this category.
’60s sleek
1960's model was all-new in style, abandoning the ostentatious ornamentation of the 1950s for a futuristic, sleek look. There were tailfins still, but smaller ones -- the focus of Ford's stylists abandoning, as did the rest of the industry, the aviation influences of the previous decade and instead capturing the new obsession -- the Space Race. The Galaxie name was particularly appealing to this trend, it seems.
Hot body style this year was the Starliner, featuring a huge, curving rear observation window on a pillarless, hardtop bodyshell.
For 1961 the bodywork was redone again, although the underpinnings were the same as the 1960. This time, the tailfins were almost gone; replacing them, two giant circular taillights at each rear corner, glowing like a starship's engines. Ford was definitely going with the space and science-fiction theme, and with successful results; this style of Galaxie is widely regarded as a classic.
Performance was beginning to be a selling point, and the '61 Galaxie offered a new 390 cubic inch (6.4 litre) version of Ford's FE series pushrod V8, available with either a four-barrel carburetor or, for serious performance, three twin-barrel units. The latter was rated at 400 brake horsepower (300 kW), making even such a heavy car quite fast indeed.
For 1962, the Galaxie name was applied to all of Ford's full size models, supplanting the Custom and Fairlane names. New top-line Galaxie 500 and Galaxie 500XL models were also introduced. Performance wasn't ignored either, with an even larger 406 cubic inch (6.7 litre) engine being available, again in triple-carburetted 'six-barrel' form. At the other end of the spectrum, of course, a 'Mileage Maker' 6 cylinder engine was available for the more budget-minded driver.
For 1963 Ford saw no reason to radically change a good thing, and the 63 model was essentially unchanged save for some freshening and added trim. A lower, fastback roofline was added mid year to improve looks and make the big cars more competitive on the NASCAR tracks. This 63 1/2 model was called the "Sports Roof" hardtop. While not much changed for the everyday buyer, for the performance oriented things were a little different - for partway through this year and in limited quantities there became available Ford's new racing secret weapon, the 427, replacing the 406. This new 7 litre powerplant, designed for performance rather than refinement, was offered to the public simply because racing rules required the use of only engines sold in sufficient numbers in production vehicles. Ford took the 427 cubic inch (7 L) equipped Galaxie to the dragstrip in serious fashion beginning in 1963, building a number of lightweight cars just for that purpose. They featured fiberglass fenders, doors, trunklid and aluminum bumpers. Rated conservatively at 425 horsepower (320 kW), this engine also featured in Carroll Shelby's final incarnation of the AC Cobra.
The base Galaxie was joined in 1963 by the barebones Ford 300 sedan.
1964 was the fourth and final year of this body style. Interior trim was much altered, but externally things stayed much the same. Under the hood,the 427 cubic inch (7 L) engine carried on the high performance duties. Ford again took the 427 cubic inch (7 L) equipped Galaxie to the racetracks in serious fashion in 1964, building a number of lightweight, fiberglass equipped cars just for that purpose. These competed with success not only in North America but also in the United Kingdom. Initial doubts as to their competitiveness in Britain were short-lived; despite their great size and weight compared to the opposition, the Ford 427 cubic inch (7 L) engine gave them a competitive power-to-weight ratio and the handling was better than might have been supposed. They were raced in Europe reasonably successfully.
Late in the year Ford introduced their new engine challenger, the SOHC 427 Cammer, Though it's not documented it's believed a few may have found their way onto the street. (This engine was only available to racers through the dealer network or from the manufacturer, none were ever factory installed) Rated at over 600 horsepower (450 kW), this is possibly the most powerful engine ever fitted to a production car by an American manufacturer. NASCAR changed the rules, however, requiring (instead of hundreds) thousands of production examples in service to qualify for the next season, and Ford decided against producing the Cammer in that quantity. Fears of liability concerns and the bad publicity possibilities in giving the public a car that dangerously powerful are often cited as reasons, but it might simply have been that Ford doubted that an engine so unsuited to street use could sell in such numbers. The base Ford 300 model was dropped for 1964, replaced by a line of Custom and Custom 500 models.
Mid-’60s
The 1965 Galaxie was an all-new car, featuring vertically stacked dual headlights in what was becoming the fashionable style in a car somewhat taller and bulkier than the previous year's. Aggression was replacing starship-sleek in stylists' minds across all the Detroit Big Three that year.
The new top-of-the-line designation this year was the Galaxie 500LTD. Engine choices were the same as 1964.
1966 saw a new model, the Galaxie 500 7 Litre, fitted with a new engine, the 428 cubic inch (7.01 L) Thunderbird V8. As the name suggests, this engine was also available on the Ford Thunderbird and was a response to a demand for a more docile, tractable 7-litre engine than the racing-built 427. 1966's LTD dropped the Galaxie name, a harbinger of changes to come.
The 1966 bodystyle was introduced in Brazil as a 1967 model; it had the same external dimensions throughout its lifetime until Brazilian production ceased in 1983.
In 1967, the 7 Litre model no longer carried the Galaxie name; it was to be the last year of its being separately identified. Little else changed except for trim and the styling; the same engine range, from 240 cubic inch (3.9 L) six to 428 (7.01 L) to racing 427 (7 L). Modifications to the styling included adding a major bend in the center of the grille, and making the model less "boxy" than the 1966 model. The XL model no longer carried the "Galaxie 500" designation.
Late-’60s to the end
The 1968 model was all-new, with distinctively different styling, reflecting the new trends. A muscle-car look was in, with a humped, 'coke-bottle' look over the rear wheels. The 'long hood, short deck' style was followed too, as was the new trend for concealed headlights, though the latter appeared only on the XL.
The Ford LTD stayed on as the top full-size model. This was the model produced in Brazil with minor modifications until 1982, including an alcohol engine version, typical of that country.
1969 saw the end for the 427 and 428 engines. Replacing it was the new 429 ThunderJet taken from the Ford Thunderbird, part of a new Ford engine family. Power was higher than the 428 and lower than the racing-bred 427. The Galaxie 500 was now the base-model full-size Ford.
1974 was the last year for the Galaxie 500; the name was dropped for 1975. The Galaxie 500 was slightly more lavish than the low-end Custom 500, but below the middle-range LTD; a new LTD Brougham was the top-of-the-line version. Increased pollution controls were beginning to be felt, too, marking the end of the high-performance full-size car in the United States. Interestingly, 1974 was also the last year for the pillarless hardtop body style on big Fords.
Today
The 1961-64 Ford Galaxies are nowadays considered fairly desirable classic cars, though prices are still in 2003 affordable except for the 427-engined cars which command premium prices. The earlier vehicles have a following, as do the 1965-67 vehicles, the 7 Litre in particular. Later Galaxies see little demand, but remain a great bargain for a fullsize vehicle with a lot of potential. The 60's full size Fords are also a known for allowing an inexpensive way into a 'big block' powered classic as many were equipped with Ford's venerable FE series of engines and the 385 series engines later in the line.
Nameplate Resurrection?
The Galaxie nameplate may be making a comeback at Ford. There are rumors that when the Ford Crown Victoria is finally retired, Ford may replace the Crown Vic with a RWD sedan that would once again use the Galaxie nameplate. This rumor has been combated by another rumor that Ford will bring the Australian Ford Falcon to US shores to replace the Crown Victoria, with it going with Ford's new naming scheme to make all their cars names begin with the letter F. A deriative of the Galaxie name is already being used. In 2005, Ford launched the Volvo-based Ford Five Hundred premium mid-size sedan. One of three replacements to the Ford Taurus, Ford derived the name from the Galaxie 500.
See also
External links
- [Ford Galaxie @ Muscle Car Facts] — A year-by-year account of Ford Galaxie history.
References
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