STORY LINE:  ‘60s Ford Cars … What the Family Man Bought-vs. …What He Really Wanted To Buy

  During the ‘60s a lot of performance testosterone American vehicles were floating around, and if you applied that to how you bought a new car in that part of the last century, a big powerful motored car is what you drove. Most of us could not buy what was touted as “Race on Sunday buy on Monday” automobiles, where folks saw a car on the racetrack or on a televised race and actually bought that vehicle. That advertising worked though, to sell new cars that looked like the racing counterpart.

  This months story is about two life long Ford automobile lovers who actually bought Ford cars of the ‘60s - one who still owns his family style 1966 Ford Galaxie and, another who today owns what the family man really wanted to buy.

  Joseph Cola of Warren, Mi., is our family man who bought his 1966 Ford Galaxie 2dr Fastback model brand new and, has all the original documents, point-of-purchase materials, buyers digest, letters from Ford, manuals, build sheets, brochures, original factory touch-up paint bottles, every license plate and registration to the car since the day he bought it brand new from Eli Kole and, are you ready for this … the original factory grease fitting plugs from the chassis lube points! Ford cars did not come from the factory with grease fittings, you had to remove the plugs and install the fittings. Cola ordered his Ford with the 4-barrel carbureted, dual exhaust 250HP/352CID ‘FE’ series V8, Cruise-O-Matic transmission, AM radio, padded dash, clock, white walls and wheel covers. The family mans car. And it’s still on the original ‘A’ title.

  Joe ‘Rudy’ Ruggeri of Clinton Twp., is our family man who now owns what the family man would have really liked to … have bought. This ’65 Ford Galaxie 500 Fastback is full of the most potent ‘FE’ series motor that Ford ever ‘stuphed’ into wheelized sheetmetal. 425HP of cross-bolted 427 HI-RISER with twin Holley 4-barrel carburetors, a four speed toploader and a 4.11 Detroit locker round out the power source. The only other option on this bench seat-and 15,000 actual miles Vintage Burgundy zoomer Ford- is the AM pushbutton radio.

  The scourge of NASCAR, this once California lived drag race derivative, came with 15-inch wheels/tires, the familiar ‘Thunderbolt’ teardrop  fiberglass hood to clear the 2x4 aluminum hi-rise and, those oft’ time disposed of  or displaced for fancy aluminum replacements … ‘dog dish’ hubcaps. Ruggeri hunted this very car down and brought it back from Southern California - it has never been in rain or snow.

TOP HAT JOHN can be contacted for story leads, vehicle appraisals, or questions at: P.O. Box 46024, Mt. Clemens, MI., 48046-6024; or call 586-465-1933