This classic muscle car recently got my attention lately, and seems that it deserves more love as it eventually became a NASCAR icon.
Ford Galaxie 500 XL Lightweight '63
To be sold in the Hagerty Collection (Legend Cars).
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This special version of the Ford Galaxie was a race-bred monster built to wage war in NASCAR and the NHRA "Stock Eliminator" racing series."
Most of the muscle cars in the 1960s were built around the idea of pure brute force in their design, incorporating large and powerful engines capable of exciting performance, but at the end of the day, they were designed to shine on the racetrack. One such car that fits this very well is the Ford Galaxie, and rumor has it that the car gets its name because it was introduced during the era of the "Space Race", which occurred a few years before the first moon landing. This was also before Ford forged a partnership with Carroll Shelby and went on to dominate Le Mans during the later half of the 60s.
This particular model is in fact the second-generation Galaxie, using the R-code chassis, with its appeal being popular in NASCAR and the NHRA's (National Hot Rod Association) "Stock Eliminator" series, and rightfully so, as it was sold during a time where "win on Sunday, sell on Monday" was a popular marketing stunt for most American sports cars, with Ford putting up with fierce rivalry against Chevrolet, Dodge, Pontiac and other major manufacturers in that respect.
The car was powered by a 427 cubic inch (7.0L) V8 producing the maximum standard of 425 horsepower, linked to a four-speed manual transmission, meeting the maximum threshold for engines of this calibre, but its weight did hamper its performance at times. Because most manufacturers turned to reducing the weight of their cars as the logical solution to increasing performance, Ford did this with the 1963 1/2 model, which eventually led to the birth of the 500 XL Lightweight.
As a result of this, the Galaxie was put on a strict diet; with heavy use of fiberglass in its body panels, and that the bumpers now used aluminum instead of steel. It also featured a completely lightened chassis which was originally meant for its six-cylinder versions and had luxuries such as the heater completely removed, resulting in a curb weight of 3420lb (1551kg), roughly 400lb less than the previous model.
For NHRA's Stock Eliminator homologation, it was required that 200 models of this particular version of the Galaxie were sold, and all featured a single color in Corinthian White with a bespoke red interior.
luzzago.com
That’s crazy you posted that. I was just watching this.
