Ford built hundreds of thousands of full-size cars in 1966. But only 102 of them were Galaxie 500s with the R-Code racing motor that put out nearly one horsepower per cubic inch. They were built for speed and not much else. The VIN provided by the seller identifies this ’66 Ford as one of those cars, but it has fallen on extremely tough times. The engine is partially disassembled and the rear third of the car has major rust and other body damage. That hasn’t stopped the bidding here on eBay from being brisk, as the once-fast automobile now located in Shipman, Illinois is currently going for $7,100.
The dual-quad 427 cubic inch Ford V8 began to surface in 1963, back in the days when the carmakers were into auto racing, officially or unofficially. The number of these fitted into Galaxie 500 fastbacks was never large, and Mecum estimates that only 102 copies were produced in 1966. Today, the ones that are left in either restored or excellent condition easily sell for six figures at the major auction houses. Unfortunately, this one was left in a storage building, sharing space with a nicer-looking RV. No story comes with this forlorn car, and we suspect it’s been decades since it was out on the road.
The photos show the car both inside the structure and out in a field with a variety of parts surrounding it. There is no indication if the automobile is complete, especially the all-important engine to verify its rarity. Pictures provided only show parts of the Ford and don’t zero in on where the biggest problem lies, the body back of the rear window. Rust has practically consumed it and the sheet metal may be hanging on by a thread.
This is certainly a rare car and examples like it are famous inside Ford culture. Restoring this machine will be an arduous and expensive undertaking, but the inventory of similar cars needing less work is practically nil. Would you buy the car for the motor and VIN or attempt to bring it back to 1966 condition? With enough money, anything is possible. For not much more information on this find, check out another article about it.
I think only the paint and the dust are keeping this lost cause from being eternally earthbound. That said, the VIN plate and the misc engine parts might make a donor body and chassis happy.
The ruts caused by running water coming out from under the car will give a clue why the car is so rusty. Putting this one on the rust week list.
Someone will restore it, and that’s a good thing
It would take someone with patience, time, resources, money, and a huge Rolodex to do anything with this sad example.
What does the size of one’s watch have to do with it?
You have confused Rolex (an expensive watch) with Rolodex (a device which holds hundreds of reference cards for listing contact names and phone numbers, very popular before the invention of laptops and smart phones).
Rolodex, Rolleiflex, Rolex, …all the same thing.
That is TOO Funny. I can’t Stop Laughing.
Sometimes, it’s better to just say goodbye. Pull what’s left of the engine, and punt.
The exhaust manifolds alone are worth a small fortune. Unique to the 65 up full sized fords. Similar to the 63-64, but will clear the 65 up steering gear. I saw a pair sell for $3000 awhile back.
Really sad that this car was allowed to deteriorate.
My Gawd…….
Salvage what you can and stick a fork in the rest, it’s done.
I see some usable parts but rest is just scrap metal
So sad to see such an awesome car end up this way..
R stands for rust?
An overly optimistic response could say R stands for Rebuildable.
VIN and motor in another car is what will more than likely happen.
Not condoning it, but, it’s no big deal to me if they change the sheet metal.
I have to say, back in time someone got a wild hair and wanted to do a rebuild on the motor. Taken apart, they could not drive it or fix it,,,,so out it went into the Illinois air. I am from Illinois, and all I got every Christmas were a set of floor mats to pile on the other floor mats to keep from seeing the ground. I think if all useable parts removed (motor) (stainless) they could come out ahead. Someone is going to get it….
High price for scrap metal, and not much of that. Succer born every minute.
Seller will celebrate when this one is hauled off.
I think “R” code Galaxies in 65/66 had special plexi-glass headlight covers which seem to be missing here. Very hard to find and very expensive.
Big Schwag: Only the ’65 Gals had the Pyrex headlight covers. They were put in place to qualify them for the Michigan State Police requirement that pursuit vehicles top 120 or 130 mph. The biggest in ’65 390 P.I. couldn’t do it with the stacked headlights; covers smoothed the airflow so it could. The ’66 428 P.I. didn’t need the help, although there were engineering numbers assigned. Let me know who needs a set.
Besides the 427 cast iron headers (check the casting number on driver’s side), this car has the rare transistor ignition. The Kelsy-Hayes MagStars are attractive, if not too corroded. The big in, big out toploader is another plus!
Thanks for your wealth of knowledge on this matter. Learn something each day.
Did they turn cloudy and yellow like their distant successors did in the 1980s and 1990s?
You’re essentially buying a vin tag and some engine parts. That car is toast.
Must have been a lot of fun when it was new.
I am very surprised the bidding reached this hi wow I better pull out some rusters to sell I could profit greatly at this rate I figured the starting price of 1,000 was high and never thought it could reach that even
Shame the schmoe that had this, didn’t realize how rare a car it is/was.
Bick Banter: Some of the guys with ’65 427 cars say they came from the factory with the covers, have never seen any yellowing on those. My set was pieced together from swap meet finds. Don’t know if you can see any detail in this photo of the ’66 Magic Cruiser. Believe it was an Alexander Brother’s custom for Ford. Wagon utility with fastback style. You can maybe see the headlight covers. The earliest ’66 parts books showed ’66 covers, but I don’t believe any were ever made. I think the fenders were modified to accept the ’65 covers.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/47661552@N00/4989057512/
Emel: The e-Bay ad says the owner has owned the car for 5 years; imagine most of the rust damage occurred well before that. I had a ’66 7Litre convertible from Ohio that barely made the trip to the scrap yard in one piece.
Only thing missing after R is IP