Fans of early-1960s full-size Fords are often divided by evens and odds, with those being in favor of the 1961 and 1963 models being in the completely unscientific majority. As I ritually cruised my favorite car forums this morning, I saw a picture of some lucky guy’s new project: a 1961 Ford Starliner. This isn’t it (this is a picture of a Starliner that I took over 10 years ago), but the gentle reminder nevertheless gave me a shove to appraise this nice-looking but underrepresented breed of Ford.
In their 1961 ads, Ford bragged of the “Classic Ford Look,” apparently in an attempt to put those “wild” 1960 models into the proper perspective. After all, the 1960 Ford had proved to be less well-received than the ’59 models, causing Ford to bring back those styling touches that were considered hallmarks of the brand, such as the round taillights (which had also, by the way, disappeared in 1958). They say you can’t go home again…
There were some not-so-conservative touches carried over from the 1960 Ford, however, such as this sweeping fastback on the short-lived Starliner models.
Cancelled for 1962 (much to the chagrin of the Ford boosters in NASCAR), the Starliner was easily outsold in 1961 by the more conservative “Victoria” hardtop that wore the Thunderbird roofline (a similarly styled sedan is shown here).
With that being said, Ford did sell about 25,000 Starliners in 1961, making them uncommon but extant at car events today. The Starliner is only conservative when compared perhaps to the 1960 models, but they are still representative of the tail end of jet-age styling and can be appreciated as such. Although the 1963 models seem to be the rightful favorite of many Ford fans, the 1961 Galaxie is close behind; there is indeed something about it that says “Ford.”
The 1961 models were the first to use the long-lived 390 cubic inch V8, and the last to use that displacement as the high-performance option. The brochure lists a 375-horsepower solid-lifter version of the 390, but a triple two-barrel variant was also available, offering 401 horsepower. The 406 would supersede the 390 as the performance offering in 1962, as the 390 settled into its role powering a large number of trucks, station wagons, and Thunderbirds, in addition to the Galaxie family car.
Those 1962 models definitely have their fans, but as they lost the distinctive fastback styling of the Starliner for a year, many see them as a retrograde step.
Honestly, I kind of like them all, but I’ll cast my vote with the 1961 model. A black Starliner is a standout at any car event, and although I’d probably take a Club Victoria in my garage, it’s hard to argue with the “Classic Ford Look.”
Related CC reading:
Auto-Biography: 1961 Ford Starliner 390-375 – Yes Pop, You Can Get A V8 Four-Speed 1961 Ford If You Really Must Have One
Funny you should mention “odds and evens” separating the early sixties Ford Fans. Aaron. I’ve often said that about Chevy fans as well.
I’m in the ‘odds’ camp for both makes in the early sixties, preferring the ’61 and ’63 Impala to the ’62 and ’64. For Impalas, I switch to the evens for the most part after ’65.
For the Ford, it’s the same… ’63 Galaxie and ’61 Starliner being my favs. With the Fords, I carry that odds preference all the way thru the mid-seventies. (After ’75, it didn’t matter anymore with the full sized Fords.)
Grew up on a steady, positive diet of Chevys, although have only owned Studebakers in adulthood as collector cars. That said, after a ’56 Victoria, the ’61 Starliner is probably my next-favorite Ford. Any color but the ubiquitous tomato red with matching interior. My only other quibble is the automatic’s two-column look inside. But, it is ‘classic’ Ford styling IMHO, and graceful. I’d take one any day.
Some say the first of a styling generation can be the best, and I feel that’s true with Starliners. A neighbor had a white `60 Starliner when I was a kid and I always liked it. `61s are a very tight second for me, but I’m glad they went back to ‘jet tube’ taillights!
I go with another division on these – early and late. The 60 has kind of always been its own thing, but the 61-62 always seemed to me to be a different animal than the 63-64.
I like the 61 but don’t love it. The rear half is lovely, but the front was always a let-down for me. The 62’s rear half became the car the front half was intended for. Both of them are let down by their interiors (especially the 61).
Also, the 61 is heavily reliant on body color and body style. The wagon, convertible and Starliner are three that look really good. The Galaxie models come next, but the low-trim sedans are just dreary. Also, on the rare occasions I see one of these, it is always with some mods – aftermarket wheels at the least. And I agree – I am happy to not see that orangy red.
The 1961, and to a lesser extent, the 1962 Fords were McNamara’s cars. The 1963 and up Fords were starting to show the influence of Iacocca.
As a certified old man I can tell you the ’62 full size Fords were glorious in a muted sort of way .
All these years later they’re still my favorite .
-Nate
Yes, the Starliner has some genuine appeal that the rest of the line rather lacks.
One of the problems of the whole ’60-’64 generation is that the ’60 was a huge car, so its successors were stuck with it. It was a response to the ’59 Chevy, but of course GM’s ’61 cars were all trimmer and tighter. Ford was stuck with a very wide body that seemed to hang out over its wheels, which made it look fundamentally ponderous and un-dynamic.
The ’63 and ’64’s new front end helped some, but they were stuck being very big cars at a time when the direction was to trimmer cars. And not surprisingly, the ’65 Ford was trimmer, and weighed some 300 lbs less IIRC.
This generation was stuck in late ’50s think, whereas both GM and Chrysler moved into the early ’60s mode with a new approach.
This is my #2 choice for any full size Ford. I would only take a 63 1/2 Ford Fastback over this car. No red here either. A large FE with an overdrive transmission.
I agree the rule of odds works pretty well for Fords from about 57-71, the opposite of Star Trek movies’ rule of evens.
The only exceptions in my opinion are the 64 and 66. I don’t know why I like the 64 so much, it’s not nearly as cleanly styled as 61-63. Somehow the lines just work. The 65 was a nice new design, but I think it all came together on the 66, which is perhaps my favorite big Ford ever. A 66 7-litre 4-speed is one of my fantasy garage cars.
These are my favorite Sixties Fords. Love the sloping fastback and fins, and of course the round tail lamps. Even though I grew up in a GM family, I find that I now prefer Ford models.
I have to say that these 1960 and 1961 Starliners are among my favorites. I love the name, the swooping roofline, and the fins. Peak (i.e, not entirely over the top) “Jet-Age”.
To me, they embody a mature optimism that I associate with those particular years (well, “I” used figuratively since I was born in 1961 and likely wasn’t associating with much of anything right then about cars).
This was what the future-looking present here in the U.S. looked like in 1961; a year that some might say represented peak American optimism. It’s been kind of a rocky road since then.
I think you are predisposed to like anything from 1961!
I know these are stunning to look at but I prefer the more formal looking roof of the Victoria .
Sad that so few remain .
-Nate
My father traded a 58 Chevy for a 60 Ford station wagon, and yes they were big cars. The 58 Chevy fit nicely in our 50s suburban ranch style house’s garage, the 60 Ford? It was a tight squeeze.
Our neighbors traded a 56 Ford Ranch Wagon (with 2 doors) for a 61 Country Squire. Of all our neighborhood cars I thought that 61 was the best looking.
In my mind, a very noticeable difference between the 60 and 61 Ford wagons is that the 60 has quite a bit of rake to it, the back end sits a bit (too) high while the 61 looks sleek.
Not that they are the same size, but the 60 looks like a Space Shuttle compared to the 61 that looks like a Lear jet.
Both Ford and Chevy both had better looking “odds” during the ‘60’s regarding their full size cars. My favorite big Chevy was the ‘61, and for Ford it was the ‘63, with the ‘65 a close second. The ‘61 bubble top Impala was just so right. Trim and athletic, it was a significant departure from the prior generation. As for the ‘63 Ford, those jet turbine taillights alone give it iconic status. The fastback introduced later in the year was terrific. Not a bad line on that car.
The Victoria roofline was certainly to the chagrin of the racers because it didn’t work as well on the ovals. To regain the lost aerodynamic advantage, Ford fabricated a handful of fiberglass detachable hardtops which for airflow purposes transformed a Galaxie convertible back into a Starliner. Not wishing to incur the expense of actually offering them as an option they knew few would buy, Ford gave the plastic roof the name “Starlift”, allocated a part-number and even mocked-up a brochure for the NASCAR authorities to read.
Only three had been built with one race won when NASCAR, not fooled, issued a ban. After Ford took one of the black-balled Starlifts, now fitted with a 483 cubic inch (7.9 liter) FE, to the Bonneville salt flats and set a number of international speed records, NASCAR took the opportunity to impose a 7 liter (usually expressed as 427 cid) limit, one rule that was easy to enforce.
I love that Ford even tried that, because it was clear that the rear windows didn’t come close to lining up with the detachable hardtop – the roof extended past the top well! With that being said, I wonder if any survived.
Call me a contrarian but to me those were a retrograde step from the 1960 models which, with their crisp lines, predicted the future. The 61s are nice when seen in isolation and/or if you’re into NASCAR heritage but if I were living in the US I would make a 1960 mine.
My aunt bought a ’63 new and I always disliked it’s styling because to me it had no style. A nondescript grill and plain sides. Higher level models needed added chrome to achieve definition. I liked the other three years , so the paired sets idea doesn’t work for me.
I’ve always liked the 1961 Starliner (and Sunliner). The more traditional Ford styling somehow worked with the sloping greenhouse. Even the “mini” fins worked – they served as an accent to the tail end, as opposed to the focal point for the entire design.
Interesting that Ford ditched the fastback hardtop for 1962, and then brought back a full-size, semi-fastback roofline as one of the models for the 1963 1/2 “Lively Ones” advertising push.