Ford Galaxie

Ford Galaxie at a glance

Production by year

The "Galaxie" column counts Galaxie, Galaxie 500, 500XL, XL and, until 1965, the 500 LTD. Classic Industries notes that full-size Fords and Mercurys sold about 7.85 million cars between 1968 and 1978, second only to the Model T among Ford platforms.

The first Galaxie (1959)

The 1959 Ford range went on sale in late 1958, and the Galaxie joined it in the middle of the model year as the new top trim above the Fairlane 500. The first cars carried both Fairlane 500 and Galaxie badges. They rode on a 118-inch (2,997 mm) wheelbase and were 208 inches (5,283 mm) long.

Four body types were offered: sedans, hardtops, the Sunliner convertible and the Skyliner, a retractable steel hardtop that folded into the boot and left very little luggage space. The biggest engine was the 352 V8 with 224 kW (300 hp). Buyers could choose a three-speed manual or the two-speed Cruise-O-Matic automatic.

Starliner, XL and big engines (1960–1964)

The second generation grew to a 119-inch wheelbase. The Starliner of 1960–61 was a pillarless hardtop with a large curved rear window, and the square-roofed Club Victoria took most sales from 1961. That year brought the 390 FE V8; with three two-barrel carburettors it was rated at 299 kW (401 hp).

In 1962 the Fairlane name moved to a new intermediate, and Galaxie became the name of the whole full-size range. The 406 V8 arrived, along with the Galaxie 500/XL with bucket seats and a console, Ford's reply to the Impala Super Sport. For 1963 the base V8 changed from the 292 to the 260 and then the 289, and a sloping "sports hardtop" roof appeared in the middle of the year to help on the NASCAR superspeedways. A base Ford 300 cost $2,324 and an XL fastback $3,268 in 1963. The 1964 cars, last of the second body, used fastback roofs on all models except wagons.

Racing: 427 lightweights and Jack Sears

In 1962 Ford's Experimental Garage built 11 lightweight Galaxies with fibreglass and aluminium panels, getting them under 1,542 kg (3,400 lb). For 1963 Ford built a production run of Galaxie 500 Sport Special fastbacks for drag racing, with the 427 V8 (two four-barrel Holley carburettors, solid lifters, 317 kW / 425 hp). Their bonnet, boot lid and front wings were fibreglass, and the bumpers aluminium. The sources disagree on the number: English Wikipedia gives 212 or about 190, German Wikipedia about 200. Each listed at about $4,200 in 1963.

At the 1963 Winternationals, the Tasca Galaxie with Bill Lawton ran the quarter mile in 12.50 seconds at 187.6 km/h (116.60 mph), still not enough against Chevrolet's Z-11 Impalas. Ford judged the car too heavy, built 50 more lightweight 427 cars for 1964 and then moved to the smaller Fairlane Thunderbolt. Classic Industries counts 2,450 factory R-code 427 Galaxie 500s for 1964.

Road racing went better. Holman and Moody prepared Galaxies with disc brakes for Britain, Australia and South Africa, and Jack Sears won the 1963 British Saloon Car Championship driving Galaxies and Lotus Cortinas. Jack Brabham and Graham Hill also raced them. Brake failures led to crashes until the cars received 12-inch discs from the GT40 programme. Before the Galaxie, the top full-size Ford was the Fairlane, described on our Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria page.

LTD and the 7 Litre (1965–1968)

The all-new 1965 Galaxie was taller and bulkier, with vertically stacked headlamps and a three-link coil-spring rear axle in place of leaf springs. The Galaxie 500 LTD and Galaxie 500 XL became the top trims, the 240 cu in six replaced the 223, and the 352 V8 gained a four-barrel carburettor and dual exhausts. The Galaxie 500 convertible sold 27,454 cars in one year, third among American convertibles behind the Mustang and Impala; English Wikipedia dates this to 1966, German Wikipedia to 1965.

For 1966 the styling took on a "Coke-bottle" waist, and the Galaxie 500 7 Litre arrived with the 428 cu in V8 of 257 kW (345 hp); a Police Interceptor 428 gave 268 kW (360 hp). The LTD dropped the Galaxie name that year. In 1967 the 7 Litre became an option on the separate Ford XL, and for 1968 horizontal headlamps replaced the stacked ones and the base V8 grew from 289 to 302 cu in.

The last Galaxies (1969–1974)

The fourth generation used a new 121-inch (3,073 mm) wheelbase. The 429 Thunder Jet V8 replaced the 427 and 428, rated at 268 kW (360 hp) with a four-barrel carburettor and dual exhausts and 239 kW (320 hp) with a two-barrel. The XL and the four-speed manual ended after 1970. A complete redesign for 1971 brought squarer lines, a wraparound bumper, the 351 V8 as standard and a 400 V8 in place of the 390.

The six-cylinder engine and the three-speed manual disappeared after 1972, and 1973 added towing packages and a pillared hardtop. After the 1974 model year Ford dropped the Galaxie name, and the LTD became its full-size car.

Galaxie in Brazil and Australia

Ford do Brasil built the Galaxie from 1967 to 1983 as Galaxie, Galaxie 500, LTD and Landau, always as a four-door sedan based on the 1966 American body. The first cars used the 272 cu in Y-block V8; from 1976 the 302 Windsor V8 was the only engine, and a facelift that year brought horizontal headlamps. Two Brazilian Galaxies served as presidential cars until 1990.

In Australia, Ford assembled the Galaxie at Homebush West, Sydney, from 1965 to 1968, with the 289 or 390 V8 and power steering, power brakes and an automatic gearbox as standard. English Wikipedia counts 3,124 kits; from 1969 the cars came from the United States and were converted to right-hand drive at Broadmeadows.

Values today

Hagerty's analysis of 1960–64 Galaxies found an average value of about $21,800 for cars listed in 2023, roughly €20,200 at 2023 exchange rates. The 427-powered cars lead the market and gained more than 65% in value after the start of the pandemic, while convertibles and coupés sit at the top among body styles. In Hagerty's data only 6.7% of these Galaxies are modified, against 12.7% of comparable Impalas, and modified Galaxies are worth about 37% more than stock ones.

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