First Year LTD: 1965 Ford Galaxie 500
What a year 1965 was for the domestic automobile business! GM seemed to suck all of the air out of the room with their Fisher Body designed B and C-Body full-size cars. Chevrolet, in particular, stole the GM show with 2.3 M big cars across all trim levels. But over in Dearborn, Ford was hardly sitting on its hands as it too performed a major redo on its full-sizers such as this ’65 Ford Galaxie 500 LTD two-door hardtop. This is also the first year for Ford’s top-shelf LTD trim and the Blue Oval was hardly a shrinking violet in the ’65 sales department. With that thought in mind, let’s review this Larkspur, California resident. It’s far from perfect but appears to be very original and is available, here on craigslist for $5,500. Thanks are due to Todd K for this tip!
From the bottom up, Ford’s big car line-up started with the Custom, stepped up to the Custom 500, moved on to the best-selling Galaxie 500, added the XL model as the sporty/performance variant, and topped out with the Galaxie 500 LTD occupying the catbird seat. LTD-themed Galaxies came in both two and four-door body styles with the two-door version kicking out about 37K copies.
Where Chevrolet’s Impala went with a fluid Coke bottle persona, Ford opted for a more formal squared-off design utilizing over-under or “stacked” headlights. Our subject car appears to be pretty straight and absent any serious corrosion though the area around the driver’s side of the rear window, bottom edge, is going to need some attention. The chrome and stainless trim still present as they should with the only detractions being a body panel crease or two, missing wheel covers, and saggy rear springs. The white finish is suitably dull but may benefit from compounding/buffing. The seller notes, “It comes upside down D on the trunk which is limited make and makes this more of a collector’s item” True enough, it is, but is that actually a Ford faux pas or did someone just haphazardly attach it upside down?
Inside we find a two-tone blue and white fabric upholstered environment that seems to be in pretty fair shape. The upholstery is not overly worn and appears to be clean. The dash pad has an issue or two, the carpet under the over-the-hump floor mat is showing the effects of age and wear, though the mileage is claimed to be just 73K miles, and the steering wheel horn cap has gone missing. The instrument panel is mid-sixties simple but shows no indication of a dust or fogging problem.
Power comes about thanks to an unphotographed 250-gross HP, 352 CI V8 engine attached to a Cruise-O-Matic automatic transmission. The seller adds, “Frequent driving to maintain the gas, engine, and motor. Drives great“.
So this one is likely a flip as the seller states, “Purchased from original owner” but it’s not an overly expensive flip. These were nice looking cars and I know in my youth it seemed that everybody (well almost everybody) had one of these or the Chevrolet competitor. So now, it’s what to do with it time. I can’t see a stock restore but I wouldn’t consider any heavy modifications either – you know, just enough juice to make a cool cruiser. That’s my suggestion, what’s yours?
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Comments
The seller doesn’t seem overly bright, the odometer says 07340.4, as in rolled over, not 73,000. Pop the D off and flip it over. I’d give it a nice paint job, some new interior, and a set of period custom wheels. Plenty of parts available to poop up an FE. Sharp looking cars
This was my very first car…blue convertible with a 289 V8
Loved it!
A nice original ’65 Ford Galaxie ! That was a big year for the big three automakers , as record sales abounded . Ford especially , with the new Mustang and Chevrolet with the Impala ! Millions of those were sold and still exist today . Happy Motoring !
We had one when I was a kid. Very quiet running car with the 352.
Still not as good lookin’ as the 64’s!
I like the 65s best
Nice ride 14.5 hours away wonder if it would make that drive .
“Upside-down D”..and rare? It’s rare that someone would install it incorrectly. Someone’s been smoking in the shower..lol
Upside down “D.” If I was the original owner I wouldn’t sit still for that. Maybe he got a discount from the dealer?! In any event, whoever made the mistake, I would want it fixed. I have had to fix factory issues 50 yrs later. It happens.
I had two, 1967 Galaxies, 390, auto. Both identical in every way except the second one I bought for $62.50. I followed a friend’s grandma to a new car dealer when she traded it in. We haggled over price. He said, “I could get $50 – $75 at auction. I offered $62.50. He said, “Hey, kid. You’re pretty sharp.” Sold.
This one jumped into reverse when starting. I had to use left hand to hold the steering column shifter, foot on brake and turn key with right hand. Ford’s solution? They sent a sticker warning car could “slip” into reverse when starting. Yeah, no s*+t. First time it happened I just about hit a car behind me at a red light when it died(idle needed adjusting). After driving it for a few years I gave it to a single mom with 3 kids. It ran fine but had poor gas mileage. She drove it a few years too.
That so-called jumping out of park thing was long after 1967, and for $62.50, you bought a beater to begin with, the linkage was probably wore out
Ford avoided a multi-million dollar recall regarding that “Pop out of park” disaster by sending out that little sticker. The Feds were all over Ford about this one–it was a serious thing.
Had a mammoth 1968 Olds 98.
Hood badge was upside down,
read “86.”
The Tigers won the World Series that year. Maybe a little too much celebration on the assembly line?
(I should have demanded a premium at the scrap yard)
Good old Ford. Always a little more conservative than GM. Even with the radical and finney 1959s GM were dishing out, Ford stuck with more boxy styling and came out smelling like roses.
I do believe the “upsized down”/backward “D” on the trunk is a tell tale sign of special option cars, such as how GM had COPO cars the “D” cars, as insiders at Ford called them, were specially optioned cars, some with upgrades to big blocks, some being 427 side oilers or some with factory appearing engines but internally modified either by Shelby or Holman-Moody.
Either way, this “D” car is a steal at that price.
PS: Totally just joking!!!!!
Lol, I have a rare 73 pinto with the F up-side down (sleeper car that looks stock when it rolls over). I hope my 4 cylinder is 213.5 cubes, 1/2 of a hot 427…
My first car was one of these with a couple of extra doors. Green on green, lots of “patina”. Only had an am radio and a heater, no power anything. I drove it for a couple of years and gave it to a friend that needed a car. He drove it a couple of more till the frame rusted out.
I am currently finishing up on a 1965 Galaxie 500 convertible. 390 with a bench seat. White top, custom green interior with a green pearl exterior. Always loved stacked headlights, (I own several 1965 Rambler Ambassadors). I also own a 1966 Chevy 2dr coupe. It seems that any make for 1965-6 were beautiful and elegant, whether it was a coke bottle design or sharp and angular. The car presented is a bonafide deal. The two door coupe roofline angles very sleekly back much like Dodge and Plymouth did that year (two other beautiful cars), and this car deserves to be returned to active duty in any way the future owner may desire.
I’m building a ’65 427 clone right now. I love the look of the ’65s. Even more so than the 66s. As a first year LTD that is a great car for someone to grab. The 4v 352 are great combos