Lot Ended
Description
Ex-Octane fleet; imported from America in 2014 and two
owners since; over £20k spent on full mechanical overhaul; fabulous rat
rod patina; get yourself noticed!
By the late
1950s, America was firmly in the grip of rocket age mania and the
newspapers were full of the latest moves in the Space Race as Uncle Sam
battled the Soviet Bear for supremacy on earth and in
heaven.
No surprise then, that when Ford launched
its new top-of-the-range model in 1959, it was called the Galaxie. Of truly vast
proportions, it abandoned the ostentatious fins and flourishes of the early
Fifties for a more sober, sleek and scientific look. Available as either a
sedan, an estate or a convertible in two- and four-door form, it came with a
range of engines from a 3.7-litre straight-six to a humongous 7-litre
V8.
The Galaxie really hit the UK
headlines in 1963 when Ford brought a few specially tuned ones over to
England where their tyre-smoking, power-sliding antics in the hands of drivers
like Jack Brabham, Graham Hill and Jack Sears not only thrilled the crowds, but
also won Ford the coveted British Touring Car Championship. Piloted
by the likes of Jochen Mass, Tom Kristensen and Bill Shepherd, the
Galaxie continues to set Goodwood ablaze to this day.
Dating from 1963, this particular Galaxie is the 5-litre V8 Country
Sedan version, and while not quite the size of a whole galaxy, you could still
fit a small planet in the back with space left over for a St Bernard or two. You
will not lose it in the supermarket car park.
Imported to the UK from Alabama in 2014 with all duties paid, for the
next three years it was owned by Mark Dixon of Octane, being regularly
featured in that magazine. Although he did a fair bit of work to the car, he
never actually used it on the road, selling it to our vendor in June
2017.
He got it registered as LCL 406A and
promptly sent it to Ashridge Automobiles of Long Marston to go right through the
car and make it safe to drive while leaving the cosmetics untouched for that
essential ‘rat rod’ look.
This ultimately
included a full engine rebuild; overhaul of the brakes, steering and suspension;
much work to the exhaust system; refurbished fuel tank; sorting out the
electrics to get everything working properly and UK-compliant.
The bodywork was sprayed with Owatrol
preservative to keep rust at bay, the wheels were refurbished, painted gloss
black and treated to a new set of chrome wheel nuts and the door locks were
repaired. Many other minor jobs were also attended to, the bill for all this lot
coming to just under £15,000.
The car passed an
MOT in October 2017 with no advisories recorded and it has only covered some 600
miles since so the freshly rebuilt engine is still barely run-in.
There are lots more bills for subsequent
maintenance in 2020/21 including: front suspension rebuilt with new shocks
and bushes etc; new rear shocks; power steering overhaul; new rear diff oil
seals; new starter motor and new front and rear main oil seals (an engine-out
job). All this work was carried out by Auto Classic Repairs of Kent, a quick
tot-up of the bills coming to just under £8,000.
As you can see in the photos, this rat rod station wagon looks
super-cool and has been starting promptly and running well as we have moved it
around on site. Aside from all the bills, it comes with some nice literature
including running reports from Octane, an original 1963 Ford Galaxie
brochure and a 230-page workshop manual. In case you are wondering if it will
fit in your garage, it is 17ft long by 7ft wide (that's 5.6m x 2.1m in new
money).
With well over £20k spent on the
mechanics, this galactic hunk of Americana looks an absolute steal at
the modest guide price suggested – only £295 per foot to be precise, if it
goes for the bottom estimate...
Consigned
by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – [email protected]