SWEDEN. If the 1959 Ford Galaxie was mighty an ever more powerful Galaxie came around in 1960. A whole 220 pound heavier and six inches longer it lived up to the expression “bigger is better” or like the Varmland chick Annika Lindquist put it: “To sit and drive those dog houses just doesn’t do it for me.” by Lars-Åke Krantz. Translation Ellen Kay Krantz.
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Bengt-Olov Jonasson and Annika Lindquist from Varmland are road tripping in the Ford. Living next to the Norwegian border in Likenas they are pretty far from home, on the other side of the country, listening to the ripple from the Gulf of Bothnia.
The top is down and the sun is up this weekend when the Ford Club has their annual meet in the pearl of the High Coast, Norrfallsviken. The Ford has been in their possession for two years and they have only good things to say about it, but first we have to dig into the driving style of Bengt-Olov.
It’s something rare about it. Something you can’t really put your finger on. He brings it forward like it had a Bambino between its wheels. So easily, in control, so naturally. He backs it down on the sand, smoothly rolls over the esker, levels between pines and soccer ball sized rocks like he took the Galaxie on a stroll.
The wheelbase is 118 inches. This year Ford built 1,4 million cars. 44.762 of them were Sunliners.
Barely turns his head. Pulls the shifter carefully and lets the 5202 pound vehicle silently dance. Easy, breezy, beautiful.
– Are you a professional chauffeur, I ask?
– Naawv Plummer, why?
– Nothing, I reply.
– I don’t know.. Could you cram it down on the beach, is it too low, or is it just too crammed of a space to get there, your photographer asked. – It’s got steering, where do you want it, Bengt-Olov Jonasson answered.
– We had a 59 coupé before but we felt we wanted a convertible, he says.
The 59 Ford coupé was advertised and sold immediately, nearly leaving them carless for the summer. The scanning of ads started and eventually their eyes landed on this Galaxie Sunliner from 1960.
The upholstery was newly replaced at the time for the deal to go down. Three colored interiors were standard. The single colored interiors were only used in Taxis- and Police cars according to Bengt-Olov but its possible the car had one of those delete options were the first owner ordered the convertible with one color. In that case, it’s very unique.
The 1959 Sunliner was no small piece and its sibling, the respect demanding convertible with tin roof that emerge into the trunk Sunliner Retractable, was a jewel on the runway. How do you match that the coming year?
Well, you build an even bigger car. The Galaxie entered the stage with new alignment, a whole six inches longer, wider and 220 lbs heavier. Still slim. Ford had worked magic with the proportions. The sloping hood, calmer grill and resting wings hid the heaviness, size and made the car look elegant.
Ford Galaxie Sunliner 1960 is a rare car on the road. This ex in Monroe Red with red interior is a really fine representative for the entire model.
To the one who gets as far as the front seat a surprise awaits. Space! This one is for sure a full-size. When 1961 came the cars became somewhat lighter and shorter. The engine options however remained the same as earlier years.
The costumers could choose between the mileage maker (223 cubic in., V6), the 292 V8 with 185 hp, 332 with 235 hp, the 352 with 300 hp and finally a 352 with 360 powerful hp. Transmission wise they had everything from three geared with- or without overdrive over to Fordomatic two stage box that also was available on overdrive to a three stage Cruiseomatic.
Another version of a bomb sight. The Galaxie had a straight lined body and the long doors were perfectly hung.
The car that caught their eye was in USA and they found the ad in GBG Performance. Bengt-Olov wondered if they had more pictures of the car and received a hundred of them!
– The whole thing felt serious, he says and tells me how he simply sent about 30.000 of his hard earned pluming dollars to a foreign account.
Annika Lundquist totally shares the interest but this photo is totally lying. The 352 in the couple’s Galaxie is the grandest of this year but in its coolest version with a 2-barrel carburetor.
The car arrived and was just as pretty as in the pictures but it ran pretty rough. Turned out the ignition lagged behind. In 1991 it probably ran good but in 2012 the stroboscope showed 16 degrees after the upper dead angle.
– With all of that in mind it actually run pretty perfectly, Bengt-Olov says.
You can mistreat old iron eights any which way, they will start and run all the same. With Ignitor in the cup and the ignition reversed to 13 degrees they now have a new machine under the hood.
Ignitor is good stuff, Bengt-Olov says.
The 1960 layout is a mash between fifties wild waves and sixties cleaner lines.
A SMV was purchased but as Bengt-Olov says: “The floor fell out”, so a correction is on the to-do and instead he and Annika looks after a Combi-Camp to attach to the tow bar. One of those with a tent that magically emerge.
This is how Annika and Bengt-Olov enjoy the Swedish summer. Two free birds on a generous front seat. (Your fat reporter sits on the same seat and takes the photo.) No tiny Prius for Annika, never.
Furthermore is, in writing moment, a Mustang on its way to the farm. A newer kind of beauty, a convertible year rounder. Once you go convertible, you never go back seems to be the motto for this Ford Family from Likenas.
- Wider than ever in 1960. Ford stated a width of 81,5 inch, that’s 1,5 inch wider than the allowed federal highway standard.
Bengt-Olov praises the Internet. The hood ornament was initially missing. Then he found one for 29 $. It arrived from USA within a couple of days with air freight. Altogether it ended up with a total of 66 $.
snygg bil har haft en sån 14.900 betalade jag för den år 73 en 390 motor i den har nägra bilder på den