I became a Reggie Jackson (and Oakland A’s) fan in the summer of ’69. In a breakout year for Jackson, he belted out 37 home runs by the July All-Star Game break. Reggie led the colorful A’s to three consecutive World Series titles and, after trading the green and gold uniforms of Oakland for pinstripes, helped the New York Yankees win back-to-back titles in 1977 and 1978. His heroics in the post season earned him the fitting nickname of “Mr. October.” The Hall of Famer is a legendary figure for sure, but so is his car collection, which consists of more than 100 vehicles valued at $8 million.
Reggie’s collection, featuring muscle cars, Corvettes, and low-mileage originals, is always evolving. Here’s one that was once in his collection that caught his eye due to its low mileage (22,489), original factory paint, and a V8 with a four-on-the-floor. Reggie seems to have a soft spot for “Plain Janes with some get-up-and-go” as is represented in this ’59 Ford. For a late 50’s-era car, it is very restrained as far as chrome, brightwork, and gadgets. It’s currently located in LaFollette, Tennessee, and is listed here on craigslist for $30,000. Another thank you to our pal, Tony Primo, for spotting this one and sending it our way.
The seller says the Ford is wearing its original factory Code C Wedgewood Blue paint and it looks very presentable and shiny. The body is described as “rust-free and straight as an arrow” and the photos back that up. The chrome bumpers and trim look great as does the glass, trim, and lenses (dig those outrageously huge round taillights that resemble jet afterburners).
Inside, the tasteful two-tone blue interior is a great complement to the Wedgewood Blue paint. Everything looks to be in great shape and I really like the clear blue gear shift knob. The dash, instrument panel, seats, and door panels look exceptional, and I’m also spotting an aftermarket radio under the dash.
Although the base engine in ’59 Fords was the Mileage Maker Inline-Six, this one came from the factory with a 292-cubic-inch Y-block V8 (which generated about 200 horsepower when new). It only has 22,489 miles on the clock and it’s mated to a 4-speed floor-shifting manual transmission. The seller claims that the Ford “runs and drives great.” Although the car is listed as a Galaxie in the ad, it looks more like the entry level Custom 300 Tudor Sedan based on the exterior trim and interior. Overall it’s a nice-looking, low-mileage “Plain Jane” ’59 Ford that once caught the eye – and checkbook – of Reggie Jackson. What do you think of it?
Nice car. Second one recently with ’62 Dodge Lancer wheel covers. They looked real good on my ’54 Chevy too.
I agree it’s a 300. I would prefer an automatic in a car like this. I mean, are you gonna hot-rod a ’59 300 with a 292?
Another “home run” find by Tony Primo!
There’s a lot you can say about these basic beauties. They took you from A to B, and they did it with an odd sense of style. No
chrome laden kitsch the era was
known for, just a dollop of the bright stuff to accent a body style
that would beat Chevy for top spot in sales that year. But sadly
though, these basic beauties were the first to see the scrapyard by the mid to late ’60s
as they had less value than their
more glittery siblings. I’m sure that maybe some of us did their part to send a plain jane car, whatever it was, to the crusher at
some point in our young lives. And yeah Rex, guys did hotrod them. They used to call them
moonshiners here in Florida, Georgia, and most anywhere else
from Ohio southward. And a car like this one stood out less to a
reenuer than a flashier model did.
And since there were very few jobs in this region that paid well
enough to raise a family back then in this part of the country,
running moonshine was the going thing if you wanted to put your kids through college in those days and I’m quite sure that a Ford like this one carried more than it’s share of “shine before meeting it’s end. Face it, there
just aren’t that many of these cars left today and this one is indeed a refreshing sight for this
old man to see!
🎵…Oh let me tell a story.
I can tell it all.
About the mountain boy
that ran illegal alcohol.
Daddy made the whiskey,
Son he drove the load.
Ad when his engine roared
they called the highway
Thunder Road….🎵🎶
A nice, clean `59 but way too many questions without answers on this one. For 22K miles, they felt they had to reupholster the seats already? And the baby blue paint looks a little too shiny & spotless for being ‘original’. Overall very nice, but alot has changed on this `59. (Not positive, but I don’t think a floor-mounted 4-speed was available by FoMoCo then.) If anything, originally it was probably a 3-on-the-tree.
Nice clean old Ford here that was probably converted to a 4 on the floor by maybe Reggie Jackson back in the day. I remember hearing back in the day that some of Reggie Jacksons car collection was destroyed in a fire.
From an article dated March 2025: “With a collection of roughly 100 cars, Jackson’s collection was reduced by some 35 when a fire broke out in storage in 1988. Among the lost cars: the car that started his collection a 1940 Chevy, a 1983 Porsche 911 Targa top he’d received from the California Angles when he won the home run title, a 1932 Ford five-window coupe, and a practically brand new 1987 Buick Grand National with a mere 180 miles on the odometer.”
Ouch!
Something’s quite odd about the vacuum booster side of the fuel pump. There’s a hose connected from one port to the other. There’s no connection to intake manifold vacuum or to the vacuum wiper motor. Maybe they don’t intend for the car to be driven in the rain?
I remember being a broke young man in the mid 1990’s and going to Reggie Jackson’s Hot Rod Shop in San Bruno Ca. and drooling over some of his collection. He had a bad ass Camaro too! He was building a car for Hot Rod Magazine I believe a 1951 Ford Anglia. I think his shop was called ” Hi-Performance”
A family friend was a CHP officer in the Salinas CA area. He stopped a hopped up Fox body Mustang that was “pushing the limit”so to speak. The driver was Reggie. Since our friend was into fast Fords. He and Reggie had a nice long conversation about his car. He let Reggie go with a warning. A few days later my friend is sitting by the entrance to 101 when a Mustang pulls up behind him and starts revving the engine. Reggie gets out and walks up to the CHP car and hands him an autographed baseball and invites him to a party at his house. He was very impressed with the normal car guy attitude. Very down to earth and not aloof at all.
Nice story there Wayne which tells you that he was a normal guy and a car guy!
This car appears to be from Ford’s Custom 300 series and not a Galaxie. The Galaxie and Fairlane models carried a Ford badge on the hood and gunsights on the fenders. The 300 series’ hood had letters which spelled FORD. The 300 Tudor and Fordor models had gunsights as well. The lack of bright work (do-dads) on the quarter panels and no gunsights suggest it’s what Ford called a Custom 300 Business Sedan.
The rub is the interior and transmission. The business sedan only had a single bench seat. According to the paperwork I have, behind the seat was a flat floor for storage. This car has a rear seat. One other thing is the 4 speed transmission. I can’t find any documentation of Ford offering one for 1959 passenger vehicles. Most sources indicate a 4 speed wasn’t available until the 1962 model year. A few say 1961.
It’s a nice looking car except for the shift knob. Obviously the car has been modified. Jackson’s collection featured both stock muscle cars along with customs so there is a possibility of him owning the car at some point. However the seller makes no mention of any documentation. Previous ownership isn’t a selling point to me.
Ford didn’t offer a 4 on the floor in ’59. And I could care less! This thing is straight, clean, and cool. As far as this not being a “performance” car. How many ’57 Chevies had a 4 speed cut into their floors, with the stock engines still under the hood? That’s what you did, when you were young and still had knees.
If you’re going to swap in a 4-speed the ’59s never came with, why not swap in at least a 352 FE — which was a ’59 option — instead of keeping the lo-po 292? No power steering or power brakes, either. Just don’t see $30k worth of desirable car here even if you believe the mileage. Hagerty says top value is $28k and even that seems optimistic. Are people so nostalgic for a ’59 base car that they’ll spend Skyliner money for one?
I think it would have a shifter handle with a reverse lockout to be a Ford. So, assuming it is aftermarket. It would have had a 3 on the tree, but it makes no difference to me either. I like the car. And the paint is shiny, which you might expect from a 22,000-mile car. I do like the idea of a bigger motor. I don’t think it would hurt the value of it very much since it is a base car. In addition, the Custom 300 2 dr without the back seat would have been a 6-cylinder and called a 2 dr Business Coupe, with no passenger armrest and only a driver’s sunvisor. Since this one has a V8 and a passenger armrest (obviously could have been added) that would make it a 2 dr sedan. You would need to see the model number on the data plate to make sure.