When I reflect on my childhood and the cars we had as family transport, my unquestioned favorite was our 1964 Galaxie 500. It wasn’t the most powerful car that my father bought, nor was it the most glamorous. However, it had an indefinable aura that has helped it to remain cemented in my memory. This ’64 Galaxie 500 XL Convertible features both glamor and power, and it is a classic that seems to need nothing. The colder weather is approaching, but there are still opportunities left to slip behind the wheel of a classic convertible for a spot of relaxed top-down touring before Winter darkens our doorstep. If that sounds too tempting to resist, you will find the Galaxie located in San Diego, California, and listed for sale here on eBay. The owner has set the auction to open at $1,000, but there have been no bids at the time of writing. There is also a BIN option that he has set at $49,500.
When it came to the question of presence, Ford seemed to get it right with the ’64 Galaxie. It’s worth noting that the company was riding the crest of a wave, with the newly-launched Mustang redefining what it meant to be a sales success. The Galaxie is long, low and features smooth and flowing lines that look unquestionably stylish. This impression is further accentuated in the Convertible version because the beltline and rear deck alignment made it the ideal candidate as a drop-top. This Galaxie is finished in sparkling Rangoon Red, and the paint looks stunning. It holds a beautiful shine, and imperfections are virtually impossible to spot. The panels are remarkably straight, and the alignments and gaps are about as good as you are likely to find on any Ford from this era. The Black power top is as impressive as the rest of the exterior, while there is no evidence of any rust issues. The glass appears to be flawless, as is the chrome and trim. The wide chrome steel wheels add to this car’s positive impressions, and the whitewall tires are the perfect finishing touch to the exterior.
A red-over-black car will always make a positive impact, and this Galaxie is no exception. It features black upholstery and trim, bucket seats, and a console with the shifter poking through for its automatic transmission. The seller mentions that a previous owner performed some restoration work on the Convertible, and I suspect that the interior received some TLC along the way. That would help to explain why the upholstered surfaces look so clean and free from wear, while the dash and pad are perfect. There is no wear on the carpet, and the console appears to be as-new. The factory clock is intact, but the previous owner replaced the factory pushbutton radio with an updated stereo. He didn’t cut the dash to fit this, so slotting in the correct radio should not be difficult if the buyer is striving for a factory-fresh appearance.
The seller doesn’t indicate whether the Galaxie is numbers-matching, but he provides plenty of information on the car’s drivetrain and mechanical health. It comes equipped with a 390ci V8 that should be pumping out at least 300hp. Those horses find their way to the rear wheels via a 3-speed automatic transmission, while power steering takes some of the physical effort out of the driving experience. At more than 4,300lbs, the Galaxie is no lightweight. That makes the 16.1-second ¼-mile ET seem quite acceptable. The seller indicates that the previous owner spent plenty of money on this classic to ensure that it was mechanically perfect. The engine, transmission, and rear end were all treated to a rebuild. I don’t know whether the motor received any internal upgrades, but the addition of electronic ignition is not a bad move. While I generally prefer cars to retain their factory specifications, the owner has performed one upgrade that I fully support. The Galaxie rolled off the line with 4-wheel power drum brakes. The fronts have been swapped for discs, and when combined with wider tires, it should significantly improve the car’s stopping power. The seller says that this Convertible is in sound mechanical health and that it drives perfectly. It is ready to be enjoyed by its new owner, so this has to look pretty tempting for those who like their instant gratification.
Full-size convertibles can sometimes walk a fine styling line. Lopping the top off a sedan or hardtop can potentially leave these cars looking cumbersome and unbalanced. This negative impact can be further exaggerated if those cars wear specific paint colors. That is not the case with the 1964 Galaxie 500 XL. I can’t think of a shade from that year’s color palette that would look bad, but Rangoon Red is probably the pick of the bunch. This is by no means a cheap classic, but it seems that its new owner will be taking part in a pretty memorable motoring experience. We each work hard for our money, and sometimes we need to step back, draw breath, and treat ourselves to something special. That is what this Galaxie seems to offer. If you succumb to the temptation, I will completely understand it. If I had the money, I know that I would.
Get rid of the wide whites and you’ve got a great looking cruiser. These were a nice clean design by Ford. Nice car.
I’m with ya Bob, on the tires. Thin red lines would look better. I really dig the lines on a 500.
One of our church members had a cream yellow ‘64 with a black vinyl roof and a 390 and he kept it sparkling clean. Regarding the crest of 1964, to my recollection this car would have debuted in September of 1963, a bit before the Mustang. Maybe my memory has faded in my old age.
You’re right , the Mustang debut was April of 64 , early for the 65 Model year. The 64 Fords would have made their debut in Sept 1963.
Darn nice car as is, but I’m dreaming of a four speed 390
I’m with you Dave. That would be such a sweet ride with a manual tranny!!!!
Beautiful 64…I wish it was a station wagon though…love them
I had a ’63. Same color combo. Same 390 but 3 on the tree. The girls loved it, and so did I.
Beautiful Galaxie. Have grown to love the FE 390s and have updated one in my 65 Mercury. Petronix ignition module is a good move that deletes the points issues. As someone else said I would like a manual 4 speed. Great find.
Nice car had one identical to it. Not numbers matching though, VIN indicates it was born with a 352.
I know I rip on California, but here’s a clear case of these people living in their own world, and not a clue, or care as to what other people may think. Now here you have a beautiful classic, maybe THE most beautiful,,Car of the Year in ’64, it was,,chrome reverse with baby moons,, nice, and then they mucck it up, with a tire design made for the early 50’s bath tub cars, not on a ’64 Galaxie ragtop,,,sigh, out of touch, “duh, an old car needs old car tires”,,, I know, an easy fix but I get a kick out of how someone would think those tires would look good on this car. Again, hello, seller, anyone that liked wide whites are long gone,, beautiful car but the wide whites, completely changes the cars appearance, I think.
Sorry I spent the whole post on the stupid tires, and not what a nice car this is.
While not my cup of tea, wide whites were (at least) still popular with some people in the 60’s. Now, if you really want to see something out of place, a local guy of questionable taste has wide whites and chromies on an NB Miata.
I agree about the wide Whitehall tires def more appropriate on a 50s model. I was too busy drooling over the engine and interior.The front disc’s were a smart choice. The front disc kit on my Mercury was for a Galaxie and Wilwood was only company at the time that offered calipers for them. Makes a huge difference.
Nice car. How about a picture of it with the top up. What is the condition of the top?
I prefer the Aqua
My dad had an Aqua Galaxie 500 XL, 390, bucket seats, AT … must have been tuned just right – would get rubber in second gear and buried the needle in the quarter mile, beating a buddy with a ’67 GTO 4-speed … …
The great whitewall debate rages on. I would lose them, but then was thinking blackwalls wouldn’t look right on this car either. The suggestion of redlines is the perfect solution! 👍🏻This is a beautiful car! I had a ‘64 Country Sedan (wagon) and and a ‘64 Galaxy 500 2dr. hardtop with buckets- but not an XL. Paid $100 and $50 respectively. Both nice 289 powered drivers. Those were the days.
The tires are easy enough to change, and if this car was mine, that’s what I’d do. They look very odd on this beautiful car. I was a teenager in the ‘early and mid ’60s, and I don’t remember these wide whites on any cars during that period. Back then we called them “gangster walls”…They were quite popular from the ’20s, thru and including the early ’50s, and then they sort of faded from popularity. At least that’s how I remember the wide whitewall era. This car should have standard whitewalls IMO.
Very nice car, but hard pass on those wheels and wide whitewall tires.
Wide whitewalls on a ’64? Owners of cars from this vintage who do this are apparently trying to fool people into thinking their car is older than it is. Problem is the people they are trying to fool don’t know the difference anyway and the ones who DO know the difference aren’t fooled. They know it should have narrow whitewalls.
Am I the only one who has trouble posting a thumbs up on Barn Finds?
It doesn’t take thumbs up signs from the readers You can click on the thumbs up that’s at the end of the comment, and it’s the same as posting a “like”.
Probably the most beautiful car I have seen on BF so far. Very tempting to hit the BIN on this one. Tires or not.
I see he is claiming the car has a 390. And it may well have a 390 now but the X in the VIN indicates it came from the factory with a 352. And it may well still have a 352!
I’d personally rather have a true 390 than a 352, but it says he treated the engine, Trans and rear end to a rebuild. Who knows what he did with rebuild definitely worth asking him questions at this price point. Looks like cast iron heads still on there but surely he did hardened valves when he did his rebuild. At $49k I would have all sorts of questions on how he built it.
And anyone who owns a valuable collector car should always keep receipts and records to verify all the claims he is making. Without those, it is all just talk and worth nothing.
The same goes for sellers claiming low mileage with no proof.
I’m a stickler with keeping all parts receipts and especially build sheets on work for engine, Trans and rear end. That kind of work isn’t cheap and adds to the provenance of the car. At $49,500 I would hope he would have these. Great find on this Galaxie 500XL BF guys!
I read the comments on the tires and had a laugh, people agree with my thoughts on that one. Those things look like they belong on my Grandparents late 40’s Desoto not on this car. One of the sexiest 64’s belonged to a friend of mine (long since gone). Red 2 dr hardtop, he put on 5 spoke Cragar rims with redline tires, and talk about a sexy looking car. On this one, either red lines or comparable white lines and it would complement the cars lines IMO.
This would be a great parade car for the event queen to ride in or take the grandkids down for some ice cream.
Those ‘gangsta’ wide whitewalls are not a positive selling point for this car.
Reserve is not met at $18,322.00 with 7 days remaining.
Nice car. Not going to get near what he is asking unfortunately. Not a rare version of the car. Should have included unbody photos (unless I missed them). NOT SAYING the car is not “worth” 50K….based upon what is invested BUT…. the market is changing. I have been saying it for many months, years now.
Cars that are not the big engine, 4 speed, documented, low production number cars…..that a great deal of people WANT….are not going to fetch the money pre recession.
Post recession, 15 years later, the guys with the great collections are dying, the collections of dozens or hundreds of cars (all in good to excellent condtion) are flooding the markets, being dumped by the families that “crazy dad & his cars” are auctioning off to grab the cash.
The demand is down because those that WERE buying over the past 30 years…. are now unfortunately, old, dead, dying or don’t have the funds. Kids today IF interested don’t have the money thanks to massive college debt and / or inflation, among other impacts = basic economics. Young people today don’t even want to get a drivers license much less drive !! UGH!!
Supply goes up, quality of supply goes up, demand goes down = price goes down. Sorry to say, the old car market that I have studied and been a part of for 35+ years now is going away. Good luck on the 50K. I just bought a car with over $60K invested in it for $17K.
gas door and front grill are missing the 500 XL badges. Side trim and glove box seem to have it. Engine color is wrong for a 390. Should have gold thunderbird valve covers. Air cleaner is wrong and should be gold as well ….