1965 Ford Galaxie: A Classic Car Icon

I’m now one week post-EAA’s AirVenture 26, and the withdrawal has pretty much passed. Saw some great aircraft and also some automobiles you don’t see every day, like this 1965 Galaxie I spotted parked near the maintenance facility in Oshkosh.

1965 will best be known for Ford enthusiasts as the previous spring had witnessed the introduction of the new subcompact Mustang. Ford had a hit and could not make enough to satisfy demand. Ford’s ‘Total Performance Program global campaign was hitting on all eight, with victories at the 24 Hours of LeMans in 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969, along with numerous victories in other endurance venues such as the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Daytona.

But the bread and butter car for Ford, at least before the Mustang, was the Galaxie. Newly designed in 1965, it had the most angular styling of any Ford ever built, emphasized by stacked headlights in hooded rectangular bezels. The new design was underpinned by a new, sturdier chassis developed through Ford’s NASCAR racing experience.
For 1965, the Galaxie 500 was Ford’s intermediate trim level and sold as a sedan, hardtop, and convertible. Pricing ranged from $2,600 – $3,000. The Galaxie 500 included all the Custom trim plus a chrome hood ornament, chrome window frames, ‘Galaxie 500’ in block letters, chrome rocker panel trim, hexagonal taillights, and the Ford crest on the roof ‘C’ pillar.

Engines included a six-cylinder for the stripped models, but the Galaxies generally started with the 289-cu.in. V-8 and went up to 352s, 390s and, occasionally, the R-code 427. This car has the 352 V8 big-block, producing between 250 and 300 hp depending on the model year and carburetor setup. Introduced in 1958, it served as a core standard- and performance-V8 option for full-size Ford models like the Galaxie and Galaxie 500 through 1965/1966. There were also a variety of transmission options. This one sported a rare 4-speed manual. Type: Floor-shifted heavy-duty Borg-Warner / Toploader manual. Total production of the 1965 Ford Galaxie exceeded 564,000 units and accounted for over a quarter of Ford’s total automobile production.

I like what the owner did with this car. Sort of kept in a patina state but hopped it up with the engine and floor shifter. These are pretty cheap to pick up, starting at anywhere from $8,500 to over $54,000, with an average market value of around $24,900 depending on the body style, engine, and condition. Rare factory high-performance models like the 427 cu in V8 can command well over $100,000.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this week’s find. Make sure to Comment, Like, Subscribe and come back next Sunday for another one of my finds. If you’re a James Bond fan, you will love it. Have a great week.