1963 Ford Galaxie

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Collectible & Classic
Collectible & Classic
It’s about the cars !
It’s about the cars !
Yes sir,
that’s
my Gal!
Peter Muscat’s 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 is everything an American car from
the 1960s ought to be. It is low, long, wide and the interior is as big as all
outdoors. It is softly sprung, and rides elegantly along in serene grandeur.
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Power steering eases the task of
negotiating the blue car through
traffic. Power drum brakes attempt
to retard progress. The regulation
V8, a mammoth 6.4 litre unit,
powers the rear wheels through a
CruisOmatic transmission.
Acres of room makes these mid
sixties Galaxies great cruisers.
Peter has owned the Ford for 43
years and it is his daily driver. The
Galaxie’s first few years on the
roads are a bit of a mystery. There
is a legend that someone
attempted to drive the car off the
end of the Frankston pier in
Melbourne.
Whatever the Ford’s early life, it
first came into Peter’s orbit when
the second owner, the son of a
mate, inserted the car under a
truck. The young guy lost interest
in fixing it so Peter obtained the
car, gave it the once over and has
been driving it ever since.
Inside the Galaxie there is easily
room for six adults. Eight can fit
in if they are good friends. The
futuristic dashboard is a glittering
array of bright diecast fittings and
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sharp knobs set against an
emerald blue steel facia. The
steering wheel is deeply dished ,
as was the style in 1963.The horn
rim stretches two thirds of the
way around the inside of the
wheel. You cannot miss it.
Peter’s Galaxie is distinguished by
its continental tyre kit at the rear
of the car. Constructed by Peter’s
son Frank, a decade ago, the
distinctive addition draws
comments where ever the car is
parked. Frank is also in the
process of restoring a ’63 Galaxie
convertible. When it is finished it
will be black with a red interior.
The 1963 Galaxie is a rare
automobile in Australia. Very few
were imported and converted
right hand drive by Ford. Peter
and Frank believe that their
Galaxie is only one of seven or
eight sold by Ford in 1963.
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Ford in the USA used the ‘63 Galaxie (and
Lotus Cortina) to spearhead its return to
global motorsport under the evocative
banner of ‘Total Performance’. They
created a fast back coupe, gave it a 7 litre
V8 , had Holman and Moody work their
magic on the motor and suspension and
started winning on road and oval tracks.
Drivers such as Sir Jack Brabham, Dan
Gurney, Jim Clark, Tiny Lund, Marvin
Panch ,Fred Lorenzen, Jack Sears and Sir
Gawaine Baillie all spent time in a Galaxie.
Here is Jack
Sears giving
his Galaxie a
real work out
in the UK. The
cars surprised
everyone by
beating the
then dominant
Jaguar 3.8s.
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Above: Jack Sears and Jim Clark in Galaxies with Graham Hill in a Jag 3.8 at
Brands Hatch, 1963. Below: Tiny Lund in the Woods Brothers Galaxie.
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Above: Dan Gurney at the 1963 Daytona 500.
A couple of ‘63s Galaxies found their way out to Australia. Len
Lukey, Lex Davison (in the Baillie 7 litre version) and Norm
Beechey manhandled them around our tracks. Rod MacKenzie’s
great image of Marc Ducquet coming to grips with his Gal
demonstrates how awesome they were at full speed.
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Galaxies in the USA ranged from the six cylinder, three speed manual,
drum braked poverty pack two door sedan right up to the Country
Squire station wagon. Two and four door hardtops are the most sought
after these days by collectors, with the Squire wagon not far behind.
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