70 beautifully restored 1960s Fords

Описание: The 1960 Ford looked all-new with twin headlights riding in a scalloped-square front clip. The Fairlane was now the base model in the full-sized lineup, along with the Fairlane 500, Galaxie and range-topping Starliner.The Station Wagon Series continued with Ranch Wagon, Country Sedan and Country Squire models. The elegant Starliner 2-door hardtop was Ford's choice for NASCAR racing. The 1960 fullsize Fords abandoned the ostentatious ornamentation of the 1950s for a futuristic, sleek look. Round taillights were replaced by half-moon shaped taillights for 1960 only. There were tailfins still, but smaller ones – the focus of Ford's stylists abandoning, as did the rest of the industry, the aviation influences of the previous decade and instead capturing the new obsession – the Space Race. The Galaxie name was particularly appealing to this trend, it seems. Windshield wipers were extended to cover more of the windshield. Ford also introduced the center rear fuel door lid. Engines offered for 1960 were the 223 cubic inch six and 292 & 352 V8s. With the change in dimensions from 1959, the New York Times described the 1960 full-size Ford as the "longest, lowest, and widest in the fifty-six year history of the Ford Motor Company. The car ran afoul of regulations in many states, where vehicles wider than eighty inches were typically trucks, which had lighting requirements not mandated for passenger cars.

Another famous car from 1960 is the Ford Thunderbird. Previous models of the Thunderbird failed in the late 1950s due to the price and being marketed as a sports car. This car did not live up to the hype of being marketed on performance which turned off many potential buyers. However, the 1960 Thunderbird incorporated different features that previous versions did not have. This version had four seats instead of two, making it marketable to families who needed to get around. Ford’s chief body engineer Henry Grebe created a new layout for the car, making it low profile and light,making it attractive to both performance enthusiasts and people with families.

The scalloped hood was gone for 1961, as the sheetmetal was revised for a cleaner look. This time, the tailfins were almost gone; replacing them, two giant circular taillights at each rear corner, glowing like an afterburner. Ford was definitely going with the space and science-fiction theme, and with successful results; this style of Galaxie is widely regarded as a classic. A new 390 CID (6.4 L) FE V8 was added with a claimed 401 hp (298 kW) gross output in triple-two-barrel carburetor form. A trunk release button was optional.

With the Fairlane and Fairlane 500 names shifted to a new intermediate-sized model range for 1962, the full-size Ford lineup consisted of the Galaxie, new Galaxie 500 and Galaxie 500XL models and the Station Wagon Series.[11] Also new was a 406 CID (6.7 L) version of Ford's FE mid-sized V8 rated at 405 hp (302 kW). Bucket seats were everywhere in 1962 – sold as "The Lively Ones", the XL series added buckets to the Sunliner convertible and hardtop coupe. The slow-selling Starliner semi-hardtop coupe was cancelled, leaving Ford no choice than to compete in stock car racing with the Club Victoria, which had a formal roofline. Their top speed was lower than the 1961s because of the inferior aerodynamics. Trying to come up with a quick solution, Ford attempted to enter the Starlift, which was a Sunliner convertible with a removable roof with a curved roofline similar to the 1960–61 Starliner. NASCAR banned the Starlift from competition, and few if any were actually produced. It is said that the windows could not be rolled up on the Starlift when the top was on, as the windows were the stock Sunliner windows which did not fit the roofline.

Ford rolled into 1963 with a NASCAR-winning Galaxie and a 427 CID (7 L) FE V8 sporting either 410 hp (306 kW) or 425 hp (317 kW). A new hardtop coupe body was added to the Galaxie range, and the base model became known as the 300.The hardtop coupe sported a lower, fastback roofline and was added mid year to improve looks and make the big cars more competitive on the NASCAR tracks. This 63½ model was called the "Sports Roof" hardtop. Ford took the 427 CID (7.0 L) equipped Galaxie to the dragstrip in serious fashion beginning in 1963, building a number of lightweight cars just for that purpose. They featured fiberglass fenders, doors, trunklid and aluminum bumpers. Rated conservatively at 425 hp (317 kW), this engine also featured in Carroll Shelby's final incarnation of the AC Cobra. The Ranch Wagon name was transferred to the Ford Fairlane range for 1963, leaving only the Country Sedan and Country Squire models in the full-size Ford Station Wagon Series.