If you were a Ford fan in 1964, it didn’t get much racier than a Rangoon Red Galaxie 500 Convertible such as this one (at least until the Mustang was introduced in April). While the bucket-seated XL might have stirred a few more hearts, at least you could ride with your sweetie sitting next to you on this Galaxie’s bench seat. The seller of this big Ford has owned it for 26 years, and it’s apparently time to find someone new to enjoy some wind in the hair. It’s for sale here on Marketplace in Waconia, Minnesota, with an asking price of $22,500.
It’s probably no coincidence that Ford Motor Company itself used a red-on-red ragtop to show off their new Galaxie 500 in the 1964 sales brochure. What a looker!
Most likely, that star of the photo shoot was powered by the same 300-horsepower “Thunderbird” 390 as this car, which is matched to the optional Cruise-O-Matic. Although the mileage is listed as 129,000, the seller says that the big FE “does not use oil” and that the drivetrain is “original and [has] never been worked on.” It has power steering and power brakes, but no air conditioning, as you might expect from a car from the northern tier of our lower 48. The engine compartment is about what you’d expect from a driver in terms of detailing, which is fine with me. I do like Ford’s early-1960s engine paint schemes, gold valve covers and air cleaner atop a black engine in this case.
The ad mentions that the car has mint original upholstery, but it almost looks too good to be 62 years old, so perhaps it was reupholstered in original fabric. Regardless, the interior is stunning, with just the right amount of brightwork on the dashboard to balance what could be an overwhelming amount of red. The convertible top is also apparently original to the car; however, the pictures show a plastic rear window, which seems to be too clear to not have been replaced at some point in the past six decades.
We don’t have any undercarriage pictures, which isn’t too uncommon in a Marketplace ad, but the seller says that the Galaxie has “no rust.” It was repainted back in 2002 and has “never been driven in winter.”
Being a Marketplace ad with limited pictures, this is obviously a Ford that demands in-person viewing, but if it checks out and is everything it appears to be, you could be cruising this summer in one of the raciest ragtops of 1964.
These cars were a vision in ’64-and they still are….Ya gotta give it to The Deuce (and Shelby/Iaccoca)-they knew how to sell cars.
This is one of the very few times that a convertible doesn’t look quite as good as its hardtop counterpart. Nevertheless they are both beautiful. Ford outdid itself in the styling of the XL..
64 and 66, IMHO the best looking Galaxies of the decade!
Would be interesting to see Ford’s actual accounting for 64 and 65 as the Mustang took off like a rocket in sales, but at what expense to their other offerings. Did Ford dealers find themselves sitting on unsold Galaxies and other models?
Apparently, the sportier Falcons and Fairlanes tanked, as you might expect. It certainly stole a lot of Corvair sales across town, too.
Love these. ’64 was a great styling year at Ford and GM.
Beautiful looking car. This has always been my favourite year for the Ford Galaxie with the 1968 Galaxie coming in second.
Nice ride and price. T-Bird 390 will move it with authority. Seats have definitely been recovered. Original Galaxie 500 seats had little metal emblems in the seat backs (look closely at the ad photo) but the style of the recovering is close enough for horseshoes. Top is way too nice to be original. Back in the day our ’64 Custom 500 had two color-coordinated front seat belts so the six blackies here are likely an add, too. I’d feel a lot more comfortable driving this one around today with all the improvements made. Well done.
The difference is between a Galaxy 500 and a Galaxy 500 XL
This is a great automobile and one of my favorites, how ever this a Galaxy 500 but not a Galaxy 500 XL
“Galaxie” 500
Nice Cars & Coffee Cruiser. The 390 is a nice smooth, torquey engine, but they are thirsty.
Part of that thirst comes from the Motorcraft 4 bbl. carburetor. I would bet that 2 to 5 more miles per gallon could be had with a Sniper throttle body fuel injection unit with proper tuning. (No more leaky power valves, or stuck power valve plungers. Not to mention non-precise choke and float operation.)
Nice