Featured is the rare 1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner. By 1960, the Ford Skyliner retractable hardtop’s were gone but the Sunliner Convertible model remained. The 1960 Galaxie Special series included the two door Starliner hardtop and the Sunliner convertible.
The New 1960 Design
The 1960 Ford models looked quite different from the previous year’s offerings. They really were designed quite differently than any Fords before.
Immediately you might notice that the Fords had a less squared off look and had a lot less chrome ornamentation. You might also notice that the car looked much more aerodynamic than the 59 models. A look from the side would show you a fin that was full length running along the top of the door line. A big design departure from previous Fords but very similar to what you would see later in the 61-63 Thunderbird models.
What was happening, at least at Ford and General Motors, was that the design departments were returning to a relatively more conservative look as compared to the big fins and chrome ornamentation of the latter 1950’s. As mentioned above, the cars were much more aerodynamic than the 59 models. To be sure, tail fins were not abolished but were much more subtle than prior years. The tail fins on the 1960 Galaxie were blade like.
The 1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner was a big automobile by any measure. It was the widest automobile Ford ever produced. The 60 Galaxie Sunliner was designed a half-inch wider than the very large 1959 Cadillac.
Although the 60 Galaxie Sunliner was a very large automobile but with it’s very good aerodynamics the car was a natural for NASCAR.
The restyle for 1960 didn’t seem to catch on with the car buying public so for the 1961 model year Ford gave their Galaxie an even more conservative look.
1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner Specifications
Engine options for the 1960 Ford Sunliner was a 223 cubic inch inline six with 145 HP. Also available was a Thunderbird 292 cubic inch V-8 with 185 HP, a Thunderbird 352 V-8 with 235 which was introduced in 1958 and a 352 cubic inch Thunderbird Special V8 with 300 HP. This engine used a Ford four-barrel carburetor,
Transmission options were three and four speed gearboxes along with two and three speed automatics.
Brakes were four wheel hydraulic drums.
Dimensions included a 119.0 inch wheelbase, 213.7 inch overall length, 81.3 inch width. This width was the widest to date for any Ford. The only wider automobiles were the Wide Track Pontiacs.
The new car price for the 1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner was about $2,900. The 1960 Galaxie sedans and coupes were priced new in the $2,500-$2,600 area.
44,700 Ford Galaxie Sunliner Coupes were produced for the 1960 model year.
See related Auto Museum Online articles found on the links below…
1958 Ford Fairlane Retractable Hardtop
Reference materials for this article included…Full Size Fords, 1955-1970 by Donald M. Temple…Ford Motor Company Archives..carstylecritic.blogspot.com
1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner Collector Car Popularity
For whatever reasons the 1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner did not become very popular collector car. Perhaps the reason is because the model didn’t become a big seller when it debuted or possibly the styling. The styling however was not a departure of what was considered popular at the time. The prevailing design theme of the era was toward airplanes or rocket ships. It’s difficult to really determine why the model never caught on. It could simply be that competitor’s offerings looked better to car buyers at that time.
On the positive side, we feel that the 1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner is a good looking and sleek automobile with, as mentioned earlier, great aerodynamics. The car’s aerodynamic improvement over 1959 Fords helped increase gas mileage.
As of this writing, the 1960 Ford Galaxie Sunliner is a relatively affordable addition to anyone’s classic car collection. Asking prices for models in good condition can be found in the $20,000 range.
(Article and photos copyright Auto Museum Online)