Ford

The Ford Galaxie is a full-sized car that was built for model years 1959 through 1974. The name was used for the top models in Ford's full-size range from 1958 until 1961, in a marketing attempt to appeal to the excitement surrounding the Space Race. In 1961, all full-size Fords wore the Galaxie badge, with "500" and "500/XL" denoting the higher series. The Galaxie 500/LTD was introduced in 1964, followed by the Galaxie 500 7-Litre in 1965. Among the models was the Skyliner, featuring a retractable hardtop that folded down into the trunk space. This feature was complicated and expensive and left very little trunk room when folded down. Although a top seller and high-end model for many years, the Galaxie was slowly phased out in the early seventies. Ford elected to consolidate most of its full-size models under the popular LTD name for the model year 1975.