Ford Galaxie 500 XL: Background

Ford was taking racing seriously in the early '60s, and not just trying to take down Ferrari at Le Mans.

The record books will go on at great lengths about the 1964 Monte Carlo win by the Mini driven by Paddy Hopkirk and Harry Liddon. I will admit that the win was certainly well deserved, but the reality is that a Ford Falcon Futura Sprint with a Holman & Moody 4.7 litre 289, driven by Bo Ljungfeldt and Fergus Sager, won or tied every single stage, a record which, as far as a quick Google search can ascertain, has not been repeated since. The Mini, which came in 17 seconds behind the Falcon in overall time, won due to handicap rules that favoured smaller engines combined with a win around the Monte Carlo street course where it was better suited than the 300 hp Ford. I wrote up my build of Ljungfeldt's Falcon, based on the Trumpeter kit, here.

In 1963, in a most ungentlemanly move, a Brit named Jack Sears obtained a Ford Galaxie 500 XL to compete in the British Saloon Car Championships against shoals of Minis, Cortinas and Jag sedans. While the Galaxie needed coaxing to get it around corners, and the drum brakes weren't really up to the task of slowing the monster all that quickly, the sheer grunt of the 7 litre 427 motor (also prepped by NASCAR legends Holman & Moody) ensured that Sears handily took the championship that year. 

 

So here are the initial steps in building a replica of Sears' Galaxie, using the reissued AMT kit.. 

My first crack at Bare Metal Foil in a while is only moderately successful. I tried foiling the two badges on the front fenders prior to putting on the white paint but that was only moderately successful; maybe I am missing something. The homemade decals also leave somewhat to be desired and have now been nailed down with a decent coat of clear. 

 

Stay tuned! The kit is pretty simple so it should be quick.