1962 FORD GALAXIE 500 SUNLINER

TRI-POWER 406 CI, 4-SPEED

If you liked Fords and wanted a big, dressy car that wasn’t a Lincoln, you were probably going to buy a Galaxie 500. For 1962, styling had a little bit of Thunderbird in the front and rear contours and was very uptown and classy. With the top down in a Sunliner convertible, it also had a lot of Lincoln in the long, slab-sided design. More than a gorgeous body, Galaxie was beautiful under the hood, too.

There was still a Mileage Maker six-cylinder engine, but few were sold without at least a 292/170 HP V-8. That was not much power in an almost 3,800-pound car; fortunately buyers now had the option of choosing one of Ford’s brand-new FE-block V-8 engines. The B-code here shows that someone sprang for the four-barrel, 11.4:1 compression, 385 HP version of the legendary Thunderbird 406.

Data from the 1962 Galaxie Registry makes this car, built in Wayne, Michigan, in mid-November 1961, the earliest known B-code Galaxie 500. Currently, it is equipped today with triple two-barrel Holley carburetors. This racy Sunliner was also sports the rare 4-speed transmission, found almost exclusively with 406s.

The Borg-Warner T-10 was new for 1962, the first proper floor shifter available for the Galaxie 500. Hi-Po Galaxies came with other heavy-duty components, including the driveshaft and differential, making the 406s one of the most reliable drivetrains of the era. Sinister in Raven Black with Red stripes over a Red Crush bench-seat vinyl interior, with painted wheels and dog-dish hubcaps, it sports a White top, radio and the extensive trim and brightwork for which the Galaxie 500 was known. Unrestored and showing only 12,333 miles, it’s a great example of one of the coolest and best-looking early ’60s Fords. It’s easy to imagine the heads that turned around town back in 1962.

Highlights

Part of the Danny Hill Collection for 25 years
Unrestored condition
12,333 original miles
B-Code 406/385 HP high performance engine
Three Holley 2-barrel carburetors
Factory 4-speed transmission
Bench seat, AM radio
Color keyed wheels
Dog dish hubcaps
Whitewall radial tires
Great patina
Raven Black with Red Crush Vinyl interior
White soft top
Built at the Wayne, Michigan assembly plant