Ford debuted its Galaxie Model in 1959, named after “galaxy” to capitalize on the increasing popularity of the Space Race. It successfully implemented the retractable hardtop mechanism and came in a few different variants. Production on the Ford Galaxie lasted from 1959 until its retirement in 1974. These days, it can be resold for various amounts, depending on seller, mileage, and condition.
Read on to find out more about the Ford Galaxie and its worth in 2021.
What's It Worth?
The price range of a Ford Galaxie tends to range from $1,000 to $253,000, largely at the seller's discretion. From data collected on 97 auction sales, a price range for the Ford Galaxie was established. For a two-door hardtop, the average MSRP is $17,600, while the average MSRP drops to $10,450 for its four-door counterpart. The convertible option, however, is even cheaper at $9,425.
The range has gone from $1,000 for a model in fair condition to $253,000 for a model in excellent condition, though it should be noted those are both extremes and not what you'd find in usual sales.
In fact, the cheapest perfect-condition Ford Galaxie is only $20,000, which is a significant departure from asking $253,000. Excellent-condition Galaxie vehicles have a range of $11,550 - $20,000, while good condition vehicles range from $8,500 - $11,550. Finally, fair condition vehicles range from $1,000 - $8,500.
A lot of the asking price also depends on mileage. One Ford Galaxie in Morgantown, Pennsylvania had 120,000 miles and was in excellent condition, and another even managed to function properly at 250,000 miles.
All this said, the data is rather fluid and can be altered both by the prices of the Ford Galaxie changing over time as well as the presence of greater or fewer quantities being resold at any given time.
Thanks To The Space Race
The Space Race of the mid-to-late-20th Century was a major inspiration for the inception of the Ford Galaxie. Built from 1959-1974, the Ford Galaxie took center stage as the name Ford opted to use for its line of full-size vehicles in its first three years.
Originally named the “Fairlane” upon its debut in 1959, the name “Galaxie” was used instead halfway through 1959. The name “Ford Galaxie,” derives from “galaxy,” a nod to the ongoing space race at the time. Ford hoped they could seize a prime marketing attempt by associating their new vehicle with the rising popularity of the ongoing space race.
All full-size Ford Models were Galaxie by 1962, and they had two series. The “500” series was standard and "500/XL" was a higher-end series. Ford also debuted a “ 500/LTD” series in 1965. This nomenclature was ultimately retired by 1966-1967, though Ford still had a naming hierarchy in place.
The Galaxie ended up being a counterpart of sorts to Chevy's Impala, most notably in volume. The standard Galaxie lasted as Ford’s mid-level full-size model until its discontinuation in 1974.
Retractable Hardtop Was An Issue
One feature Ford struggled with was the retractable hardtop, as it was a nice thought in theory, but impractical in practice. It began with an idea of a simple retractable hardtop that Gil Spear, head of Ford's Advanced Concepts Studio, originally opted to implement on the Lincoln Continental, then on its Mark II counterpart. Sadly, despite the scale model production to attempt this feat, the project was scrapped when it was determined to be too difficult, complicated, and elaborate.
After all, the lid for the top was large, and the necessary screw jacks put in place for lowering and raising were not an ideal or reliable method. However, the project was given new life when Robert McNamara adapted the concept to work on a Ford vehicle. Newer Ford vehicles would be long enough to have room to store the retractable top, ending that particular roadblock for the project.
This ended up becoming one of the more classic features for the Ford Galaxie, thanks in part to its elaborate but functional mechanism for raising and lowering the top at a press of a button. Three drive motors, 10 power relays, eight circuit breakers, 10 limiter switches, sensors, 600 feet of wiring, solenoids, and four lock motors all had their parts to play in the mechanism, but when all was said and done, it made for a highly-desirable feature. That said, there was also a less expensive version of Galaxie sold that did not feature the retractable hardtop.
Features & Specs
The Ford Galaxie had some notable features and specs for its time. It was able to put out 145 horsepower at 4,000 RPM from its six-cylinder engine. This engine also featured four main bearings, a Holley one-barrel carburetor, and overhead valves.
Other, more expensive variants had larger engines with more horsepower. The Ford Galaxie had a few transmission options available, including a standard three-speed manual, as well as a two-speed and three-speed automatic.
Chrome was also very abundant with this model, and the front seats had 'Safety anchorage' that Ford specially advertised. On top of that, the brake pedal was introduced, no longer a parking brake. The rear door locks were now child-proof, and seatbelts were an available option.
Sources: conceptcarz.com, hemmings.com, classiccars.fandom.com,