The Story

This 1963.5 Ford Galaxie 500XL Fastback rolled off of the Mahwah New Jersey plant on May 9, 1963 wearing its handsome color combination of Raven Black paint over White Crush and Black interior. Under the hood was a 352ci 2BBL V8, which was backed up by a Cruise-O-Matic transmission and 9 inch real axle with 3:00:1 gearing. The rear bumper sports a vintage “Keystone AAA” decal, which was the region serving the Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Southern New Jersey region, which aligns with the Philadelphia DSO on the data plate. The front bumper still proudly displays the Long Beach Naval Shipyard decal, which references the Terminal Island repair center in Long Beach, California. The sticker functioned as a security pass and registration confirmation for vehicles entering and operating within the secure naval base.

The 1963.5 Ford Galaxie 500 XL fastback represents a pivotal moment in American automotive history. Introduced mid-year as the industry's first official "½ year" model, the fastback roofline was born from Ford's ambitious Total Performance campaign and NASCAR necessity. The squared-off "boxtop" roof of early 1963 models created too much aerodynamic drag on the superspeedways, so Ford engineers unveiled the Sports Hardtop with its dramatically sloped rear roofline. Buyers immediately embraced the new look with the fastback outselling the boxtop two-to-one, and by 1964, the formal roof was discontinued entirely. The XL designation meant bucket seats, console, and additional brightwork, positioning it as Ford's answer to the Chevrolet Impala SS and other sporty big coupes of the era. Just 33,870 Galaxie 500 XL two-door Sports Hardtops were built in 1963½ across all engine configurations.

The seller purchased this Galaxie in late 2022 from a family that restored many of these early/mid 60’s Galaxies, who are located in Moreno Valley, CA. It was being driven several times per year by the family, so it was in good condition mechanically. The seller started restoration right away by repairing the interior floors and trunk rust. He was able to patch a couple areas of the floors, but did not complete the repairs. He did not have time to complete the restoration that he had planned on and he decided to sell it to help fund his new automotive shop business, Moonshot Performance in Moorpark, CA.

This Galaxie holds a clean California title in the seller’s name and is currently registered with Non-Operational status. There is a reserve that will need to be met in order for it to sell.