1964 would be the last year for the big round jet exhausts taillights on the the big Fords. They had become a trademark fixture since 1959, spreading to the Falcon, Thunderbird and Fairlane. The only exception was the new big 1960 Ford, at its peril. The ’60 didn’t sell well, so they quickly reappeared on the ’61. And here they are on this ’64, ready to blast off one last time.
As to what’s motivating this XL hardtop coupe, we’ll just have to speculate. It’s wearing a period-correct engine callout badge on one of its front fenders, but the numbers are off, as the 429 didn’t appear until 1969. Did a 429 get swapped in, or is it wishful thinking?
As to what was under the hood when it left the factory is also pure speculation. The XL package, analogous to Chevy’s SS package, included bucket seats, console and a some badges.
But unlike the Chevy SS, the six cylinder was not available, which given the Ford’s porkiness (it weighed several hundred pounds more than a Chevy), performance with the last-year 223 inch six would have been severely lacking. The 195 hp 289 V8 was standard; optional were the 250hp 352, the 300hp 390 and both 410 and 425 hp versions of the 427, depending on whether one or two four barrel carbs crowned it. The 427 was an expensive racing-oriented engine, and the numbers sold were quite small. It even came with “power pipes” (exhaust bypass) among other things.
One thing we can be quite sure of; this XL didn’t come with the 427, as it was not available with the automatic. And no one in their right mind would have torn out the 427 to implant anything else, even a 429. That upholstery is not original, as it came with pleated vinyl on the seats and doors.
Given the dual exhausts, it might well have a 390 or possibly they really did drop in a 429. Nice tunes from the pipes, either way.
This XL was shot by hyperpak
The thin wall 429 was a “better” engine but the FE 390 could be had with amazing power in a truck (called a 391)
Back in the late ’70’s, I had a neighbor who somehow acquired a nice Ford like this one, only it was a V/8, 3 on the tree. He couldn’t drive it, and after my attempts to teach him failed, he offered to sell it to me for $200. I didn’t have the space to keep it, so I didn’t take him up on the offer. One of those “coulda, woulda, shoulda’s” that got away!! 🙂
Beautiful piece.
For me the best years of the Galaxie are from ’62 to ’68.
Minor correction, the 429/460 came out in 1968
I’m happy to see another older big Ford still on the road—and I guess I’ll have to deal with not knowing which engine is actually under the hood.
Paul, the business about the Ford being notably heavier than the Chevy was an eye-opener. I know the 1960 Ford was the super-wide one, and so I suppose that width continued all the way into 1964 (Wiki lists it as about 4″ wider than the Chevy on the outside). Thanks for drawing my attention to this!
But those jet burners were vastly over-applied, I venture.
For who amongst us could maintain the Faith in The Ford, when, instead of Fairs and Lanes and Galaxies far, far away, the exotic lights ahead might also mean that one’s night drive one was impeded – at a very pokish speed – by a 144 Falcon six automatic on what might be mistaken for its last ride to the emphysema ward?
Sometimes, the halo-effect works against itself.
As I’ve commented here many times, Curbside Classic has often given me a new appreciation for cars I didn’t particularly like in the past. Sometimes that may just be nostalgia, but often it comes from reading the author’s and other commenters’s perspectives. But sorry, the 1964 Ford still feels like the low point of 1960’s Ford styling, especially following the cleaner and crisper ‘63. Fortunately that was rectified with the ‘65 styling, whose only failing was having to compete with the ‘65 Chevy which was even better. I do like the dark color scheme on this one though, and the wheels and tires look just right for a time capsule out of the ‘70’s.
I grew up in the 1970’s and early ’80’s, and never really felt most of the ’50’s and ’60’s efforts to convey jet-inspired auto design, worked. They looked gimmicky, with these jet-themed appendages, on otherwise non-aerodynamic hulking Detroit Iron. First car from that era, that genuinely evoked jet-like looks to me, was the Volvo p1800. And to a lesser degree, the Citroën DS.
As the Volvo conveyed a more jet-like shape in their overall design. With its simple front air intake, and swept-back ‘cockpit’.
Oh, you’re thinking fighter jet. I’m thinking more along the lines of a Boeing 707. 🙂
Yes, F-86-like. These big Fords, or most large car efforts from that era, represented neither jet aircraft style for me. 🙂
I am happy that someone has kept this one on the road, even if much of it has been modified with non-original stuff. That last shot shows the paint as dark gray, which is just as unoriginal as that upholstery fabric. I wonder if the vinyl (appearing) roof is original or if that was added too at some point.
I really liked the 64 XL, but do not remember seeing very many of them back when they were old beater cars out on the streets. My favorite was the one-year (I think) 4 door hardtop XL with the buckets and console. I am not sure I have ever seen one, but recall one from a magazine test eons ago.
I too felt the 1964 Ford a step back from the clean looking 1963, with its busy, creased sides and overly ornamented grill running counter to the trend emerging at the 1960s style leader, Pontiac. So what did Ford do for 1965…a Pontiac copy, but also cluttered up with creased sides. For 1966? A copy of Pontiac’s coke-bottle look, more aptly but seldom described as “venturi.”
Terrific find. That roofline is the automotive equivalent of a crew cut.
Best looking and handling big Ford of the ’60s. Dad had both a ’63 and a ’64. The ’63’s tailights were cartoon-ish, way too big, and the car looked positively fat compared to the ’64. The ’63 became mine and I drove the ’64 quite a lot as well. Both handled waaay much better than the ’68, 69 and ’72 Fords that Dad had later, you could slide pre-65s around corners when the rear broke loose..but the later Fords, fuggedaboudit!!
So were the older cars more neutral handlers or was it more like, “hang on for dear life?”
Either way is fine with me.
Ford didnt market that model here we only got the 4 door version with the little V8 but I keep seeing them now in all kinds of condition externally from shiny to patina,
Given the problems encountered getting older used cars complied here anything imported has to be solid underneath or it has to be rebuilt there must be/have been some good survivors out there, love the big pieplate lights they should have left them off Falcons
Big round tail lights marked a Ford for many years – but 1964 wasn’t quite the last year. While most of the 1965 Fords moved away from the round lights (bottom photo), the round lights did make one final curtain call on the low line 1965 Ford Custom series (top photo).
Great find. I could have walked out of my high school era 1974 and seen several just like this in the parking lot – sitting beside my ’64 Fairlane 4-door with the “Baby Moon” hubcaps.
Big single taillights were a Ford signature look, like four or six small ones on a Chevy. Plymouth did not have such a signature look, source of its substantially lower sales? Just saying.
Had a 1964 XL500 352 auto all the bells and whistles, burgundy with a white vinyl top interior design was great and white. Returned from the NAM in 1967 and traded for 1967 GTX, this was one of my famous mistakes.
61-64 Galaxies are my all-time favorite cars. I love each of them for different reasons, but the ’64 definitely sits higher in the rankings for me. It’s a little tubby, but the the detailing is perfect and the grille is just classic.
This year epitomizes why I love these old full-size Fords. They’re just honest. Handsome, but not flashy. Hefty and solid without being clunky. I also just love the sound of an FE.
I would sell several organs to have one of these. So far, the closest I’ve gotten is my current ’95 Crown Vic.
Around 1980 in Toronto a friend had one of these, but a convertible. I don’t remember what his daily driver was, hut he also had a Healey 3000. The only ride I had in the Ford was a hot summer evening driving up Yonge Street with the top down. It was perfect.
When the 1964 Ford Galaxies were new , I thought they were the best looking cars on the road ! They were comfortable to ride in with plenty of room . Today , I truly miss those old cars of yesteryear !
I owned a ’64 Galaxie 2dr HT with the 289 from ’65 to ’67 when it was totaled by a lady who ran a red light. I used the insurance money to purchase a ’65 Galaxie 2 dr HT with a 352 — what a difference! The ’65 rode much better, was quieter, had much more power and, imho, was a much, much better car.I even liked the styling better. I kept driving that ’65 until 1973 when I bought a new Vette. That ’65 remains one of my favorite cars of a lifetime.
Engle was gone, but this ’64 Galaxie maintains his style. It’s peak era for the big Fords. Great looking cars.
My father had a ’73–which isn’t a bad looking car, either.
I had one of these with a 390 in high school in the early seventies. It was my hot rod, and I really enjoyed that car. But I did not keep anything very long back then so it was gone within about six months. The featured car does have the XL interior and rear panel nameplate, but it is missing the quarter panel badges towards the end of the side molding. And the exhaust is aftermarket, as the tailpipes are too far inward. The original dual exhaust was routed outward behind the rear wheels where the resonators were mounted and the tailpipes came out underneath the taillights. That resulted in the resonators catching wheel spray and they rusted out very quickly.
I love the 1962-3-4 Ford “Lively” era big cars, especially the ’63 1/2 with the NASCAR roof.
Wow. Where to start with this?
The driver’s side front fender has Galaxie 500, not 500XL badging and no Thunderbird engine badge. This suggests the car was a regular 500, but with buckets and console and a 352 V8.
The passenger side front fender has Galaxie 500 badging and a T-bird 429 badge from 1968. Definitely wishful thinking.
There are no rear quarter XL badges, pointing to the car being a straight 500.
The rear 500XL badge could’ve been wishful thinking like the 429 badge.
61-64 Galaxies were always a favorite for me.
I have driven a 66 Galaxie (289), and owned 69 Falcons (2) IL6s (the 200 ci 3 on-da-tree peppy in its day), 67 Fairlane club coupe, and 70 Galaxie 500 351W. Now restoring a 65 Galaxie convertible FE352. The 70 was, far and away, the best of them all (stock) in so many ways (yes; handling too). Routinely got 20 mpg on freeway , car still running very well when I gave it to my sister with 114k miles on it. The 351W wasn’t a tire burner but the 2bbl provided just the right torque to move the swept roof coupe down the road with aplomb. Current 65 vertical handles surprisingly well (thanks to Jon Hotchkiss a la Jay Leno’s 66 rebuild). AND is more than capable given the engine restroke to 434 ci with undersquare design … LOTS of torque. And a 3 on tree to boot (a la 390 street order). It will now run, handle, and stop (disc brakes) VERY well. Outrun little fox bodies? No. But I won’t disappear in the rear view. Make em nervous.
Here’s my original with 427
To : R&D MAN , YOU ARE CORRECT ,USUALLY CAME IN THE LATE 60s THUNDERBIRDS , I HAD A 69 BIRD WITH WHAT WAS CALLED THE THUNDERJET 429
There was a ’64 Custom 2 door sedan (352 cruisomatic) for sale at Goldenrod Garage in Conneticutt about ten or so years ago that really took my fancy, had the necessary available but the website disappeared, it turned out Mr Goldenrod had sold his last car, a pity I always enjoyed his laconic descriptions of the cars.
To comment about 391 truck. Not really passenger car engine heavy block small vales loow compression. Different mounts nightmare engine swap no gain
My 65 Galaxie, 390, 4 in the floor won me over. Back in the late 60s and early 70s I didn’t like them, but by around 79 when I bought mine I was in love. Black with red interior it was all original and stunning!
Here’s a bit of 1950s advertising doublespeak concerning Ford’s traditional jet afterburner taillights: In “The Status Seekers” by Vance Packard, on page 313 Packard writes: “Ford depicted an actress pointing to the Ford’s enormous taillights, and explained that they ‘let the people behind you know you are ahead of them!’”
Jet Afterburners are such a cool description.
Rear directional indicators had to be amber in Australia, so when I was a kid we nicknamed those Ford tail lights ‘Breast and Nipple’.
(’66 Falcon shown)
Try again..