Ford Galaxie 500XL 390, 1968

[henk4]

The name Galaxie first appeared in the Ford in late 1958 and was used for the top line model of the Fairlane, which had for years played the role of the big Ford. The poor Fairlane got a similar treat in 1968 when the Torino option became available, resulting in the name Fairlane to disappear totally in 1971.

The Galaxie became a separate model range in 1960 and from then on it was the top of the range, while the Fairline became mid range again. The Galaxie, especially the 7 litre version became one of the most prolific big cars to enter Touring Car races and several were (and still are) employed with great success on the European Tour. Later on emphasis shifted towards luxury and the later versions are less well known. The designation LTD was introduced in 1965 for the top trim level Galaxie, and by 1975 the name Galaxie had disappeared, and only LTD remained.

Shown here is a 1968 XL390 Fastback, with the 6.4 litre 335 SAE HP GT390 engine.
Just over 50,000 of these fastback coupes were produced in 1968. The car attended the American Classic Concours, supporting the 2006 Concours d’Elegance at Palace Het Loo.