Six-Passenger Starship

You sit somewhat low in a 1961 Ford Galaxie Starliner. The seats are a touch shallow and your legs stretch out before you. The driving position seems to suit the car’s rakish lines, however, which puts you in the role of potential astronaut rather than mundane commuter. From the broad grille to the ribbed stone guards and the afterburner taillamps, the big Ford seems eager to gobble up miles on the brand-new and growing interstate system of its youth — or potentially to ferry First Class passengers on interstellar vacations.

Ford styling in 1961 said spaceship, but Ford’s marketing said sports cars — which is the phrase most used for performance-oriented vehicles before the muscle car era. One brochure illustrated a Starliner parked at the power boat races. The big rooster tails implied speed, and the car’s fashionably dressed owners were clearly people who appreciated power and handling. That same brochure says the 300-hp V-8 and Cruise-O-Matic