1961 Ford Galaxie (390 high performance)

The full-size 1961 Ford offered three performance-tuned 390s within the Galaxie line: code Z at 300 hp with a single four-barrel, code Q at 375 hp with a single four-barrel and 11.0:1 compression, and code M at 401 hp fed by three two-barrel carburetors, also at 11.0:1. A four-speed manual, geared 2.36/1.78/1.41/1.00, was available only with those high-performance engines rather than across the line generally. No count of Q or M installations was found in either source consulted, a gap this record's own production notes state explicitly rather than leaving implied.¹

Six Galaxie body styles are broken out by production: 29,669 Starliner two-door hardtops, 75,437 Club Victoria two-door hardtops, 44,614 Sunliner convertibles, 30,342 Town Victoria four-door hardtops, 141,823 Town Sedans, and 27,780 Club Sedans, summing to a reported Galaxie series total of 305,051. Context from the same production table puts all 1961 full-size Ford production, spanning Fairlane, Fairlane 500, Galaxie, and wagons together, at 747,187, with the table itself noting that Ford did not split that combined figure by six-cylinder versus V8.^1,2

Factory list prices varied by body and engine rather than a single Galaxie price: the Town Sedan ran $2,590 with the six and $2,706 with a V8, the Club Sedan $2,536 and $2,652, the Town Victoria hardtop $2,662 and $2,778, the Club Victoria hardtop $2,597 and $2,713, the Starliner hardtop the same $2,597 and $2,713, and the Sunliner convertible $2,847 and $2,963 (the compiled table's own note flags the lower Sunliner figure as labeled V-8 but probably meaning the six). The four-speed manual itself added $188 and was required to get either the 375 hp or 401 hp engine, while a Cruise-O-Matic automatic ran $212, a Fordomatic with V8 ran $190, and a three-speed manual with overdrive ran $108.^2,1

Beyond the drivetrain, options ran from an Equa-Lock differential at $39 and a heavy-duty 70-amp battery at $8, through Polar Aire ($271) or Select Aire ($361) air conditioning, power brakes ($43), power steering ($82), a power seat ($64), and power front-and-rear windows ($102), down to smaller items like a push-button radio with antenna ($59), tinted glass ($40), two-tone paint ($22), and an electric clock ($15). A standard three-speed manual and its own set of Significant Options rounded things out, including a chrome luggage rack ($39), a four-way manual seat ($17), backup lights ($11), and a $28 credit for deleting the heater and defroster entirely. Thirteen exterior colors were listed, including Raven Black, Monte Carlo Red, Corinthian White, Starlight Blue, Chesapeake Blue, and Garden Turquoise, alongside Aquamarine, Laurel Green, Desert Gold, Algiers Bronze, Silver Gray, Cambridge Blue, and Mint Green.¹

On a 119-inch wheelbase, the Galaxie measured 209.9 inches long and 79.9 inches wide, with a 61.0-inch front and 60.0-inch rear track. Shipping weight with the V8 ran from 3,586 lb for the Club Sedan up to 3,792 lb for the Sunliner convertible, with the Starliner at 3,615 lb and the Club Victoria at 3,643 lb. Police and high-performance cars specified 6.70x15 tires, with 7.10x15 optional, and the 390 High Performance's rear axle ran 3.56:1 behind the three-speed or four-speed manual, or 4.11:1 with overdrive or the optional four-speed.^1,2