BATMOBILE
This is a serious car. I stumbled upon this black beauty near the Williamsburg/Greenpoint border recently and was struck at just how wide and long a 2 door can be. I was also struck by how evil a car can look, just by having a shiny black paint job and a very red interior. If you owe this car money I strongly suggest you find a way to pay it back.
What we have here is a 1961 Ford Galaxie (Club Sedan I believe). The Galaxie was a higher trim version of the base Fairlane. Above the Galaxie was the Galaxie 500 and Galaxie 500 Victoria editions, with appropriate increase in luxury doodads and glitz for each step up in price. The owner of this beast is taking it down a notch with the removal of some of the original chrome trim pieces.
You want trunk? We got trunk. I mean look at that back end just hanging out over the road for several feet! The brochure for this car bragged about the 4 foot wide trunk opening being able to handle all your storage needs, and they're not kidding; Ford claims 30.5 cubic feet of space in the trunk, which is the equivalent of those huge reach-in freezers you buy 5lb bags of ice from at a store.
Overall this is a very handsome car due to the many details sprinkled about. The roofline where it curves downward after the rear side windows is formal yet classy. The subtle concave shape of the rear window with the gently rounded top also helps what would otherwise be a perfectly rectangular brick.
With most of the side trim and all of the emblems removed from this mild rat rod it's hard to discern whether this is a Fairlane or Galaxie. This mottled metal panel running between the taillights is the clue as it was only on the Galaxie.
The small fins at the angle of cats ears is definitely of this era as the Big Three domestic automakers were transitioning from huge-finned excess to clean, sharp lines. The 1962 Cadillac had almost identical fins to these, but they were replicated along the lower quarter panel too.
The small fins at the angle of cats ears is definitely of this era as the Big Three domestic automakers were transitioning from huge-finned excess to clean, sharp lines. The 1962 Cadillac had almost identical fins to these, but they were replicated along the lower quarter panel too.
In the brochure for 1961 Ford calls these the Big Circle taillights, and they pay homage to the more ostentatious versions of the top-of-the-heap Thunderbird. I just love how much is going on in this little corner of the car; faux rivets on that back panel which curves up to meet the round taillight housing, which itself is fluted inside while the red lens has its own lines radiating out from the revers light center. With the fin and the rumpled bumper this looks more like a close up of a grinning troll than a full size Ford.
Here we come to the bummer portion of this ride; big rust hole on the gutted wheel arch and a flat tire. Poor Galaxie hasn't been out for a cruise in a little while it seems.
This is one of my favorite moments on this ride; the door handle chrome becomes the chrome trim on the blade of the fin! Good job indeed.
The red interior is boss, as is that glitzy steering wheel. Factory radio is still representing!
Well it's time to say goodbye to these sleek black cruiser. That flat tire has earned it a parking ticket already so let's hope this gets some new shoes and starts rolling around town asap!
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