The Ford Starliner was the fastback version of the flagship

Galaxie Stingray Music is a Canada-based international multi-platform audio service that broadcasts continuous Streaming media, streaming music and other forms of audio on multiple channel feeds. The service is owned by Stingray Digital. While a song i ...

line of full-size

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

s in 1960 and 1961. In 1960, the Starliner hardtop, along with the Sunliner

convertible A convertible or cabriolet () is a passenger car that can be driven with or without a roof in place. The methods of retracting and storing the roof vary among eras and manufacturers. A convertible car's design allows an open-air driving expe ...

, made up the Galaxie Special Series.John Gunnell, Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1946-1975, Revised 4th Edition, 2002, page 404 It utilized the high-level Galaxie trim, however the Galaxie name on the trunklid was replaced by Starliner script. In 1961 the Starliner hardtop and Sunliner convertible were part of the Galaxie Series.John Gunnell, Standard Catalogue of American Cars 1946-1975, Revised 4th Edition, 2002, page 406 The Ford Starliner shares its name with the 1952–1954 Studebaker Starliner and the Lockheed L-1649A airplane. Characterized by their thin roof pillars, fastback styling and slippery

aerodynamics Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dy ...

, they symbolized 1960s

Jet Age The Jet Age is a period in the history of aviation defined by the advent of aircraft powered by jet turbine engines, and by the social change this brought about. Jet airliners were able to fly much higher, faster, and farther than older pisto ...

design. While the '60 and '61 body styles share only their roof lines and chassis, they did share the same overall styling concept. The base

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

in the 1960 and 1961 models was the aging 292 CID Y-block V-8, with the optional 352

motor An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power g ...

that was originally introduced in 1958. In 1961 Ford offered the new Thunderbird 390 cubic-inch motor in three versions with the top line offering in 375

horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are t ...

. There was also a dealer option for a 6V-401 HP that came with a three-2 barrel manifold and carb setup in the trunk to be installed by the dealer or the buyer. In 1962 the Galaxie 500 (and 500 XL) replaced the Starliner as the top offering. Ford built 68,641 Starliners in 1960 and 29,669 in 1961.

Motorsport

The Starliner offered a suitable platform for

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

teams to build their race cars. They were produced in limited numbers and due to their

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific go ...

applications few survivors exist today. For 1962, Ford initially proposed a "Starlift" removable slant back, but the car was dropped after one race. Finally in 1963, Ford introduced a fastback version of the Galaxie called the "1963 1/2 Sports Hardtop," which featured a NASCAR-inspired 1-inch lowered roofline.

References

External links

{{Ford Starliner Rear-wheel-drive vehicles Cars introduced in 1960