Ford's 1964 Galaxie 500 XL: A Classic Car Review

The year was 1964. The U.S. Surgeon General declared that cigarette smoking was hazardous for your health, the Beatles were all the rage in America and Ford renovated its Galaxie 500 XL to attract the customer who desired both luxury and power in one automobile.

The Ford Galaxie 500 originally debuted in 1959. The car was redesigned in 1964 to challenge the Chevrolet Impala in sales. It was streamlined with a slanted roof design that gave the car an aerodynamically pleasing yet sporty appearance. The Galaxie 500 XL came in three body types: a four-door hardtop, a two-door convertible, and the very popular two-door hardtop coupe. Over 58,000 two-door hardtops alone were produced. The base price for the convertible was $3495.

Ford's Galaxie 500 XL came with either manual or automatic transmission. Although a 3-speed Cruise-O-Matic would set you back $212, it was more common than the 2-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission.

A customer could choose from six V-8 engine types. He could get the common Thunderbird 390 cubic inch 300 horsepower engine with four speed for $137.60. Or, he could have a little more power under the hood with the 427 cubic inch engine that was capable of 425 horsepower. The 352 cubic inch engine was also fairly common but the 289 cubic inch at 195 horsepower was standard.

Standard features for the 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL included vinyl front bucket seats with a full console and shifter mounted between, full stainless steel wheel covers, circular backup lights, and a clock. The Galaxie 500 XL boasted an enormous amount of trunk space. Also standard were the dazzling chrome highlights on both the exterior and the interior. The aluminum finishing accents added to the edges of the front seats and the chrome back seat panel insert gleamed as did the semi-circular horn ring, the dashboard display, and even the chrome glove compartment. On the exterior, two chrome strips extended the length of the body on both sides. The front end shone with three distinctive bends to its chrome grill.

Exterior paint colors included tropical turquoise, phoenician yellow, raven black, Wimbledon white, guardsman blue, and the very striking Rangoon red. Inside, the upholstery could come in solid or two-tone colors.

For a little extra money, the buyer could opt for power lift windows ($102.10), power steering ($86.30), power brakes, a power driver seat, factory air conditioning, skirts for the rear wheels, a remote control mirror, an AM/FM radio, a tachometer, and a remote trunk release.

The Galaxie 500 XL did not handle well on corners and it was a true gas guzzler. But then gasoline was a quarter a gallon in the year 1964. Who cared?

The 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL was a gleaming sporty full size car, the pinnacle of Ford's product line. When Ford found success on the North American and European race circuit with the 427 engine dropped into a Galaxie body with fiberglass components, the Galaxie 500 XL became even more popular. As the Ford Motor Company itself proudly proclaimed, their Galaxie 500 XL was "Bred in Open Competition, Built for Total Performance". This car remains to this day a true classic beauty.

Resources:
Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. John A. Gunnell, Editor. Krause Publications, Iola, WI, 1987.