1960 Ford Galaxie Starliner

As the song said, "The times, they are a-changing".  Or at least, for 1960...they were.  In 1960, all of Ford's passenger cars were radically redesigned, and the Starliner became Ford's new performance model.  Ford wanted everyone to know the 1960 Starliner was the car "for those who wanted the ultimate in performance."

Totally redesigned from the prior year's model, that you either love or hate, (personally, I LOVE it...one of my all time faves...), it is certainly memorable.  At a staggering 81.5 inches wide, the massive '60 Fords were the widest yet, more than an inch wider than the Lincolns of the same year.  But, even though they were huge, Ford wasn't ready to give up any claims of performance.

The 1960 Ford Galaxie Starliner was the raciest of Ford's bigger-than-ever early-1960’s big cars.  The all-new 1960s Galaxies were also nearly 200 pounds heavier.  (It's graceful styling helped hide the girth.)  The Starliner was a real surprise, a pillarless semi-fastback two-door hardtop.  It looked ready to race, and did so.  It also sold well, but unfortunately, not well enough to suit Ford Motor Company brass.  A conventional hardtop coupe was reinstated for 1961, and Starliner sales nose-dived, causing the model's demise.

Ford began moving toward "Total Performance" in these years with 1960's "Interceptor 360" version of the 352 V-8, then with 1961's enlarged 390 big-block offering up to 401 bhp.

Although Ford managed to sell 68,461 Starliners that year, their total sales numbers were down from the prior year.  Sadly for car fanatics like us, 1960 Fords have a fairly low survival rate, making it pretty hard to find ANY car from that year, let alone a "Thunderbird Special equipped" Starliner.  All the more reason to appreciate their beauty and power should the opportunity arise to see one of these rare pieces of Ford Automotive history, up close and personal today.