The Ford Galaxie was introduced in 1958 and lasted all the way till 1974 as a full-sized car, pitted against the Chevrolet Impala. When it debuted, it replaced the Ford Fairlane as the highest trim, and the name itself came space-race inspired. This was the time both the US and the USSR were vying to get to the moon, and the Galaxie played on the consumer sentiments.
It was a good car, full-sized and a tad heavy, and came in a plethora of engine options, plus different body styles to suit every kind of consumer need and want. The Galaxie as opposed to the best-selling Mustang of the time was neither flashy and neither a beater. It gave as good as it got, and had enough road presence to match the competition and even create some tough benchmarks. Later, they got in the Galaxie 500, with the biggest engine yet, and the added power pumped up sales even further.
Since it’s a classic and somewhat of a collector’s car, here’s what you need to know about the 1967 Ford Galaxie 500.
8 One Of The Biggest Displacement Engines
Technically speaking, the Ford Galaxie became the Galaxie 500 only when it started carrying a new Ford engine. This mill offered one of the biggest displacements of the time, the 7.0-liter “Thunderbird” V8, and came with a 345 horsepower rating. While the engine was introduced in 1966, it carried on for 1967 as well.
The difference between the ’66 and the ’67 Galaxie 500 lay in the styling, with the ’67 models bearing the more refined Coke-bottle treatment.
7 Seven Engine Options In Total
For 1967, there were plenty of engine options… The 5.7-liter V8 was phased out from the 1966 lineup, so a total of seven engines remained for civilian use. The 7.0-Litre engine was turned into a dual-four-barrel and now came rated at 410 horses.
There was now a new dual-hydraulic braking system and the suspension was deliberately made stiffer. Torque boxes, as well as shocks, were also improved for the 1967 Ford Galaxie 500, although the LTD and the XL were now higher trims and went without the Galaxie name.
6 Two Police Variant Engines Were Part Of The Fray
The Ford Galaxie 500 did not seem to be a cop car contender, but it came in two police-used versions with Interceptor engines. One was a 6.3-liter V8 that jet 275 horses, while another was a 7.0-liter V8 that made 360 horses.
At the time, these cars were not available for civilian use but today, it's easy enough to get an ex-cop-car classic that spent part of its legacy patrolling the neighborhood streets and keeping them safe. De-weaponized, of course.
5 Sales Were Down As Compared To Chevy
The 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 also rode extraordinarily quiet, with a cross-member near the rear axle and a beefed-up suspension. But even so, while 1966 had been a good sale year, 1967 saw Ford trailing 18% behind Chevrolet in sales.
When it came to full-size cars, Chevy managed to move 1.2 million examples while Ford could churn out only 877,000 big-ones from the dealerships. The low sales are why the Galaxie 500 7.0-Litre died after this year and was moved further down the ladder in Ford’s rung of cars.
4 Yet, More Than 400,000 Were Produced
For 1967, there were four body styles. There were two-door convertibles and hardtop coupes, as well as a four-door hardtop sedan and sedan. More than 403,000 of total Galaxie 500 hit the market, taking a 46% market share at the time. Out of these, a little less than 200,000 were hardtop coupes and only 19,000 were convertibles.
Clearly, today, it’s a convertible that could still command more monies in the classic car bazaar, with the widely available hardtop coupes selling at lower prices.
3 Prices Have Not Risen Remarkably
For a classic car, the 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 is a rather cheap buy. According to Hagerty, the average value of a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 stands at $7,300 but this obviously for the lower cylinder, lower-powered variants.
The 7.0-liter engine and the convertible can come pretty expensive and some auctions have listed sales as high as $45,000-50,000 too. It’s the rarity of the model that controls the price, although the Galaxie 500 is still not what you’d call a much-vaunted model.
2 Original Parts Are A Tad Tough To Find
Despite many Ford Galaxie 500s being made and sold, the ’60 and the early ‘70s were ruled by the Ford Mustang. Sales wise, the Galaxie came in third in mass, the most sales being the Mustang and the second place taken by the Chevrolet Impala. While the Impala was mostly the Galaxie’s competitor, it was way lighter and thus, faster.
Some buyers do say that this makes original parts a bit tough to find because the Galaxie 500 was never a very vaunted or well-kept car. The aftermarket stuff is also a bit tough to find.
1 Is It Truly A Collector’s Car?
Many would say no. The car was refined, yes and many of its engines came power-packed enough to make an impression on the owners. But like with all cars of this era, the sheet metal used made the cars heavy and prone to rust. More than that, while the car looked good, it has no redeeming factor, nothing that made it unique.
If you do take it out on the road, it will look like a beautiful land barge of a classic, but it would not be instantly recognizable, and therein lies its non-collector quality. That said; if you do like the car, it’s ultimately an individual’s choice.
Sources: Hemmings, Hagerty