Introduced in 1959 as a top-of-the-line trim for the Fairlane, the Ford Galaxie was mainly created to compete with the Chevrolet Impala. It was one of the company’s best-selling nameplates for more than a decade. Discontinued in 1974, the Galaxie did not make a comeback.
Sold in about 6.5 million units over 16 model years, the Galaxie is anything but rare. It was also viewed as a throwaway vehicle back in the day, so many of these rigs were dropped at junkyards or locked up in barns. And that’s pretty much why we don’t see many Galaxies on the road or at car shows today.
But that’s not to say some enthusiasts aren’t trying to save them. YouTube’s “Mustie1” just got his hands on a 1966 two-door hardtop and got it running again. And that’s a big deal because this Galaxie has been sitting for nearly five decades.
Discovered in South Dakota, this full-size coupe hasn’t seen the light of day in 48 years. Yup, this means it was parked in 1976 after only 10 years on the road. It’s quite surprising this Galaxie isn’t a rust bucket, but I guess it was stored in decent conditions with a roof over its head and a concrete floor.
Granted, the Ford is far from being road-worthy. The paint has seen better days, and the chassis has quite a few issues to complain about, but the car appears to be complete. The interior is in better shape than everything else. The red upholstery looks surprisingly good, and I bet it will come back to life after proper cleaning. And I can’t help but think how gorgeous this red-on-red rig must have been when new.
Another cool thing about this Galaxie is that it left the factory with a big FE-series powerplant. An XL version of the full-size, the hardtop was ordered with the iconic 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8. The lump was available with 275 and 315 horsepower that year. This one features the two-barrel carburetor version.
In 1966, the Galaxie was available with quite a few V8 engines. The 390 slotted above the 289-cubic-inch (4.7-liter) small block and the 352-cubic-inch (5.8-liter) “Interceptor.” These were rated 200 and 250 horsepower. Ford also offered a 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) good for 345 horses, and the 427 Cobra with 410 or 425 horsepower. The 1966 Galaxie was a fully-fledged muscle car when fitted with the right engine.
This two-door hardtop did not run when it came out of storage, but that wasn’t much of an issue for our host, who got the 390 V8 to fire up and idle. The engine has too many issues to take the Galaxie on public roads right now, but the fact that it runs without a rebuild after nearly 50 years is a big win.
Will this Galaxie be restored? Well, it would be an expensive mission relative to its market value. But perhaps it will be returned to the road as an unrestored survivor. Check it out in the video below.