It really wasn’t until 1965 that Ford’s styling of its full sized cars left behind their disagreeable lines and evolved into something with a contemporary feel. The later, second generation Galaxies were starting to have some appreciable style – driven by NASCAR aerodynamics – but 1964 was the last year for that generation.

That NASCAR heritage also brought to the Galaxie one of the most enjoyable aspects of all – the 427 V8 under the hood. The 1964 hardtop coupe proved enormously popular and made  for a formidable presence on the road.

Capable of carrying lots of cargo at speed, it also enjoyed a degree of favoritism by moonshiners in its day. The car in this video was retired from that business when the current owner bought it.

Originally built with a 390 cui FE engine, the hood now hides the R-code 427 monster from casual viewing. The car itself has not had a pampered life and the exterior appearance shows it, so much so that one might be tempted to dismiss it out of hand.

Well, that is until the engine is started up. With that, all preconceptions are obliterated. Aside from the monster V8, the car sports a four-speed top loader transmission and 3.91 Traction-Lok rear axle. This thing was designed from the beginning to get up and go. It takes little in the way of imagination to see this particular Galaxie flying along the dirt roads of North Carolina or Tennessee, delivering its cargo of Hillbilly Pop along the way.

Check out the video for a little journey back in time.

Some Old Ford from Ben Pender-Cudlip on Vimeo.