There is no denying the popularity of the Ford Mustang. Especially during the first year of sales in 1965, becoming one of Ford’s most successful vehicle launches and defining the “pony car” segment. However, as popular as the Mustang was, the car was actually outsold in 1965. As YouTuber Steve Magnatne tells us, full size Fords outsold the Mustang by as much as almost twice as many. This included some sporty, full size models like the Galaxie 500XL.
During one of his famous junkyard crawls, Magnante has come across a Galaxie 500XL sat rusting away. So the time was right for a YouTube video and to go in-depth on this incredible car. The Galaxie 500XL was part of the top-of-the-line designation for the Galaxie that also included the 500 LTD. The 500XL came in a big year for the Galaxie, with the car getting a total redesign for that model year that made sure the new Galaxie was a bit of a sales sensation. Plus, the Galaxie would become an easier car to sell for dealers than the Mustang, contributing massively to its sales figures.
A Sharp New Shape With Crisp Lines Saw A Big Change For The Ford Galaxie
The total redesign was a big deal for the Galaxie. The car now had a new body with much crisper lines, and stacked headlights too. This was the first time those had appeared on any Ford product. A new frame, and coil springs were more big features. The springs followed the line of General Motors, and replaced the leaf springs previously on the Galaxie. Galaxie 500XL is across the front fenders of this Galaxie which is a two-door, semi-fastback. A formal yet sporty shape for the new Galaxie.
Under the hood of this 500XL is…nothing. As standard though it came with a 289 ci two-barrel engine, although the VIN should tell us what this car had. Power steering features here but no air conditioning and non-power drum brakes are also part of this Galaxie’s makeup. The XL really comes into its own on the inside. That is thanks to its bucket seats and the center console with the shifter on the floor. It makes the Galaxie 500XL a sporty car, yet a practical one. Something that appealed to customer which meant they flew out of the dealerships.
Bucket Seats Were A Revolution For The Ford Galaxie
Mangnate explains part of the appeal of the Galaxie were those bucket seats. They were sporty, European and in a full-size car it was a bit of a “wow” moment. Something else that very much helped the dealerships sell plenty of these cars. In 1965, you could of course get a big 427 ci engine under the hood of the Galaxie, as an example of Hot Rod Magazine tells us. A 1965 option was also a Perspex/glass headlight cover that allowed headlights to become more ergonomic on superspeedways.
Specific taillights also meant the Galaxie 500XL stood out from the rest of the range. Another factor that would help drive sales of this particular model up. We get a look at the VIN from Magnante and that shows us that this particular Galaxie 500XL once had the 352 ci two-barrel engine under the hood. It is an automatic transmission in this one, with the power steering but those unusual manual drum brakes. As far as the sales figures go for this model year of the Galaxie, they do indeed make for interesting reading as Magnante tells us.
The Galaxie Really Trumped The Sales Of The Mustang In 1965
The year of 1965 was the first full year of the Mustang, and some 559,000 were then sold in the 1964.5/’65 model year. Big numbers right? Well not when you realize it is only 27% of Ford Sales whereas full-size sales accounted for 48% of the company’s sales. This meant that some 979,000 full-size Fords right from the Custom 300 to the 500XL were also sold during that period. Truly staggering numbers with the Galaxie full-size cars outselling the Mustang 2 to 1 in 1965. It was a dealerships dream as they simply flew out the doors.
The Galaxie Was A Dream For Dealerships As Well As The Customer
The fact that the Galaxie outsold the Mustang in the year that the Mustang exploded is incredibly impressive. The fact that the Galaxie was easier to sell than the muscle car meant dealerships were absolutely in love with them, as they simply flew out the door. That contributed to the huge numbers Magnante told us about in this video. Of course, the Mustang was very much a sales success in its own right. But the Galaxie range is sometimes overlooked because of that, yet it was the car that did most of the heavy lifting for Ford at the time.
Source: Steve Magnante YouTube Channel