The Ford Galaxie 500 7 Litre is not a muscle car that many, other than true classic car lovers, have any idea of what it brings to the table. The baseline Galaxy was a large, full-size car named and marketed to appeal to all the citizens of the country watching the race into space. Because of the size of the vehicle, it has been known by many as a land yacht, a car so large that it is hard to control, drive, back up, and even park. Thankfully, even though the 1966 model was still large by today's standards, it was produced to be more nimble than the previous generation. The one trim level of the Ford Galaxy that stands out above the rest, and makes the competition take notice, was the mighty Galaxie 500 7 Litre. Here's why this car is a true muscle car that deserves a little more respect.
10 Twin Headlights Stacked On The 1966 Galaxie 500
Most of the cars and trucks in the '60s had dual headlights in the front aligned next to each other. Ford wanted to shake things up a bit by creating a new design for the headlights, which is why they are stacked on top of each other. In theory, this is a good design because it would be easier to keep the dim and the bright lights aligned to the road. This design also allowed the carmaker to extend the grille past the headlights, giving the car a more aggressive look.
9 The 1966 Redesigned Galaxie Was Bigger And Bulkier
The Ford Galaxie sales had been dropping off over the three years before the redesign in 1966. Ford called to the designers to figure out a way to attract customers once more to their full-size car options. For '66, the Ford Galaxie became bigger and bulkier, but since new technology had come out, it was designed with a better suspension system to improve the car's maneuverability. Off the production lines, the car was 55.6 inches tall (4.6 feet), 77.3 inches wide (6.4 feet), and 210 inches long (17.5 feet).
8 The Galaxie 500 For '66 Featured Redesigned Suspension
Redesigning the suspension system for the new generation of Ford Galaxie 500 was vital in making it handle and perform better on the roads and tracks around the globe. The main problem that owners of the car complained about was the roughness of the ride, which engineers decided was due to the leaf springs in the back. For that reason, in 1966, the Galaxy 500 7 Litre offered a suspension system with the leaf springs removed. A three-link system was designed and installed to control the position of the axle, giving the car a more stable ride for the occupants.
7 The 1966 Galaxie Came With The Two-Way Vehicle Access
With cars today, drivers have gotten used to the idea of keyless entry and security alarms to prevent any criminal activities. When thinking about it, however, it soon becomes apparent that when handing over the keys at a valet parking lot, the people that slide behind the wheel have access to everything in the car. Back in the '60s, there was no such thing as keyless entry. When owners found items missing inside their locked cars, it all pointed to valets taking whatever they wanted. That is why the Ford Galaxy 500 7 Litre was introduced with two keys. The two-way vehicle access system gave the owner one key for the ignition and one for the locks. This allowed the owner to lock things in the trunk and keep the round key in their pocket, handing over the ignition key to the valet and nothing else.
6 The Galaxie 500 7 Litre Featured The 428 Thunderbird V-8
Just by the name, it is pretty apparent that the engine under the hood is a 7.0-liter big-block V-8, but it is so much more than that. The 428 installed in the 1966 Galaxie 500 7 Litre was the one-and-only Thunderbird V-8 that could push out 345 horsepower and had a torque rating of about 462 pound-feet. The surprising thing about the 7 Litre was how fast it is when the car's weight is considered. The car could accelerate from a standstill to 60 in a mere 5.8 seconds, and it could achieve a top speed of 150 miles per hour. Not bad for a car that weighs almost 3500 pounds.
5 Some 500s Received A 428 Police Interceptor Engine
Throughout the history of Ford cars, the one thing that can be counted on is that a special edition engine will be engineered to perform as a police vehicle. The police interceptor, as it is always called, was available in the 1966 Galaxie 500 7 Litre in limited numbers, but the ones that did receive a sizeable bump up in power. But that is to be expected because police vehicles must be able to catch up to any other car on the road. The police interceptor 428 could push out up to 360 horsepower, giving it just the boost it would need in a police chase or, in most cases, a race because the Galaxie 500 police interceptor was a true sleeper car.
4 Vibration Absorbing Body To Frame On The '66 Galaxie
The designers at Ford knew they had to make some serious changes to how the car rode. Because of the Galaxie 500 7 Litre size, upgrading the suspension would not be all it would take. Ford Motor Company introduced a new way to improve the ride quality of the 7 Litre by adding vibration-absorbing materials everywhere the body joined to the frame. These rubber body mounts were placed to decrease the feel of the road that the occupants had to endure, making it cruise down the road with less vibration and noise.
3 Ford Galaxie 500 7 Litre Had Some Luxurious Undertones
Ford had never truly been known as a luxurious car. That distinction was left to the Lincoln and Mercury model lines, but every now and then, a vehicle was produced that would surprise and delight. The 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 was such a car, offering a wood-grained steering wheel, a redesigned instrument panel for easier vision, a lockable glove box, bucket seats with a lockable center console, and 7 Litre badges embedded into the dash. It was not a high-luxury model by any means, but it definitely had some luxurious undertones that would not typically be seen in a '60s model Ford.
2 500 7 Litre Marketing Mantra Was "Quietest Quick Car"
All brands of '60s muscle cars have one common problem: they were not designed to offer a comfortable, quiet ride. The marketing gurus at Ford knew that it was missing in most performance cars of the day, so the improvements they had made should make a huge difference in the ride quality of the vehicle. Advertisements screamed out at consumers that the 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 7 Litre was the "Quietest Quick Car" and "Quickest Quiet Car," creating a car that gave buyers comfort and good looks on the outside and a beast of a muscle car motor underneath.
1 Galaxie 500 7 Litre Is An Affordable Muscle Car
Most classic muscle cars from the past go at auction for 6 figures or more, but there are still a few diamonds in the rough that are affordable. The Galaxie 500 7 Litre is one such car, as seen in some of the most recent auctions. Bring a Trailer recently sold one through their auctions for a mere $35,000. That may not seem like a great deal to some, but classic muscle car buyers will surely start rushing to buy them up before the prices go through the roof, like many other classic muscle cars on the market today.
FAQ
Q: What engine was in the 1966 Ford Galaxie 500?
The base level '66 Galaxie 500 could come with any engine available at the time, such as the 3.9-liter six-cylinder all the way up to the mighty 7.0-liter engine. The Galaxy 500 7 Litre was a powerful monster in the '60s, producing up to 360 horsepower.
Q: How much is the 1966 7 Litre worth today?
The best way to judge the value of a car is to go through some of the most recent online auctions. In this case, the 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 7 Litre sold for a mere $35k, making it one of the most affordable classic muscle cars today.
Q: How fast was the 1966 Galaxie 500 7 Litre?
The 1966 Ford Galaxie 7 Litre was a fast car for the weight that it had to drag down the track. From a complete stop, the car could sprint to 60 in around 5.8 seconds, achieving a top-end speed of 150 miles per hour.
Q: How was the mid to late '60s Galaxies so smooth riding?
It may seem like a hard concept to grasp, considering when the '60s models were made, but it was simple. The first thing that the Ford engineers did was to stiffen the suspension, remove the leaf springs and add in a three-link suspension system. Plus, every point where the body meets the frame is secured with vibration and shock rubber mounts to reduce the interior noise and bounce.