Back in 1963, Ford was about to become the performance king, both on the track and in the showroom, with its legendary 425 horsepower, 427 cubic inch big-block V-8 with dual four-barrel carburetors available in its Thunderbirds, Galaxies, and Fairlanes. Of the cars fitted with the new powerplant, it was Ford’s full-size Galaxie 500 that stole the show. The 500 was based on Ford’s newest NASCAR efforts and proved to be an instant sales success.

It was advertised that there was “Thunderbird velvet” in the 1963 Galaxie’s all-new ride; it was considered the nearest thing to flight itself. The new-for-1963 Ford Galaxie 500 Sports Hardtop sported an entirely new look in hardtop design, even among 1963 Fords. Its swift, slip-stream lines say “go!” with gusto. It was simply described as the convertible look, sculpted in metal.

It featured road-taming improvements topped by its new front and rear suspensions. The Galaxie provided handling and ride that were so smooth and effortless; Ford encouraged all to experience the lavish ride and elegance from the inside. Nineteen power teams were available on the 1963 Galaxie that included six engines and five transmissions.

This particular Galaxie 500 wasn’t necessarily set-up for elegance and luxury, but it still carries those touches throughout, even though it is clearly a car for action. The new lower roofline and more rakish windshield also helped to provide a hint of what may be in store. This included being behind the wheel and confirming the surge of Ford power that could go right up to 425 horsepower with this car, if ordered with the potent R-Code 427-cid, 425-hp V-8 as seen in this particular car. Ford called certain offerings their “Command Performance cars,” and this car would have certainly filled that billing. They also utilized the term “Total Performance” in the same timeframe.

This exemplary Rangoon Red with black Galaxie is reported to have ownership history that indicates that it is a little-used car from new and remainsa very low mileage example.. It has been featured as a cover car and in an extensive article in Muscle Car Enthusiast magazine and has been signed on the air cleaner by drag racing legends of the era. These include Dick Brannan, Gas Ronda, Butch Leal, Phil Bonner and Al Joniec.

The Galaxie’s paint appears original , and it has a bench seat with a floor-shift four-speed manual transmission. There was specific R-code equipment in 1963 that included larger brakes, 15-inch steel wheels, a special exhaust, and heavy-duty springs. There are two sets of wheels with this car, the painted steel wheels in the accompanying photos and the street wheels which according to reports of the era were trimmed with the unique spinner wheel covers that only came with the big-block high-output packages.

The Sports Hardtop offered a richly pleated interior that was designed to be high, wide and posture-perfect. This car is reported as having its original interior and among the other features are an AM/FM radio, a Moon steering column-mounted tachometer and Holman Moody Competition Proven stickers on the rear windows. This provides an excellent opportunity to acquire a very desirable package in a platform that many claim was an instant classic upon introduction.