1959 Ford Galaxie

During the close of the 1950s, in the midst of the space race, the Ford Motor Company introduced the Galaxie as its top-of-the-line offering.

The 1959 Brussels World's Fair awarded the new Fords with the Gold Medal for Exceptional Styling, described as being 'big, brash, and officially beautiful.' The Custom was the entry-level Ford, and the Fairlane was the full-size model. The Fairlane 500 featured a higher trim level while the Galaxie was the top-of-the-line offering, available with both straight-six and V-8 engines. The Fairlane 500 range was accessorized with the top trim options of the Fairlane series, including extensive chrome, brightwork on the C-pillars, and a double runner chrome strip with a gold anodized insert as side trim underneath the Fairlane 500 scripting. The Galaxie used all of the attributes of the Fairlane 500, but with the Thunderbird styled roof. Six body styles were offered on the Galaxie V-8, with the most expensive version being the Skyliner retractable hardtop and the convertible Sunliner.

The Galaxie was part of the Fairlane 500 series at the beginning of the model year, but made into a 'Galaxie' - and gained a new script in the process - halfway through the year.

Gil Spear, head of Frod's Advanced Concepts Studio, envisions a simple retractable hardtop initially intended for the Lincoln Continental. A scale model of the device was built, and management quickly adopted it for the upcoming Continental Mark II. The mechanism ultimately proved to be too complex and the development arduous. The lid needed to cover the whole car top was large, and the cantilevers to lower and raise it had to be operated by screw jacks. It ultimately proved to be too expensive and the cost could never be recovered on a limited-production car such as the Continental.

The retractable hardtop project was nearly scrapped, but Robert McNamara championed it to be built as a Ford. The new cars for 1957 were longer than the car's they replaced and had enough room to store the top. When the 1957 Ford made their debut, the Fairlane 500 Skyliner retractable convertible coupe was part of the catalog. At $2,942, it was the most expensive Ford, sans Thunderbird, in the lineup. The Skyliner Retractable followed a carefully orchestrated choreography of solenoids, motors, and sensors to automatically raise and lower the top with one press of a button. The system used 600 feet of wiring, ten power relays, eight circuit breakers, ten limiter switches, three drive motors, and four lock motors.

The Skyliner retractable hardtop was sold alongside the less expensive alternative, the Sunliner soft-top convertible. Every option was available on the Sunliner as was on the Skyliner, except that it had a folding cloth top retaining more usable trunk space. The Skyliner was expensive but affordable, and - as described by Henry Ford - 'could be had by just about anyone earning a decent salary.' Sales of the Skyliner were initially strong, with 20,766 in 1957 followed by 14,713 in 1958. During its final year of production, just 12,915 examples were sold. Production of the Skyliner ceased at the end of the 1959 model year, as Ford was introducing a whole new design for 1960. The 1959 Skyliner demanded a $400 premium over the conventional Sunliner ragtop, making it, at $3,346, the most expensive full-size Ford.

The base six-cylinder engine had overhead valves, a Holley one-barrel carburetor, four main bearings, a 223 cubic-inch displacement, and delivered 145 horsepower at 4,000 RPM. The overhead-valve Y-Block V8 had a 292 cubic-inch displacement, five main bearings, a Holley two-barrel carburetor, and delivered 200 horsepower. The 'Thunderbird 332 Special' FE-Series V8 had a 332 cubic-inch displacement and produced 225 horsepower. The 'Thunderbird 352 Special' FE-Series OHV V8 displaced 352 cubic-inches and offered 300 horsepower. Ford's catalog also had a 430 CID V* with 350 horsepower but was available only in the Thunderbird with the Cruise-O-Matic. Transmission options included a two-speed and three-speed automatic, and a standard three-speed manual.

The 1959 Galaxie had plenty of chrome, optional two-tone paint, and equipped with Ford advertised 'Safety anchorage' for the front seats. The parking brake was now a pedal, and a padded dashboard, child-proof rear door locks, and seat belts were optional equipment. The double-door locks and deep-dished steering were standard.

The six-cylinder town sedan was priced at $2,580, the club sedan at $2,530, and the town victoria at $2,650. The six-cylinder club victoria had a factory base price of $2,580 and the sunliner convertible at $2,840. The eight-cylinder Sunliner convertible sold for $2,960 and the Skyliner at $3,350. The eight-cylinder options added approximately $120 to the price.

The town sedan was the most popular with 183,108 examples built. 121,869 were club victorias, 52,848 were club sedans, and 47,726 were town victorias. 45,868 were the sunliner convertible.

Ford's Galaxie was a model that would anchor Ford's big-car lineup for years to come.

by Daniel Vaughan | Jul 2009