Ford Starliner: The Forgotten Muscle Car That Predated the GTO
Long before the muscle car had a name, Ford was already building something that fit the description perfectly. While history books credit the 1964 Pontiac GTO with kicking off the genre, a sleek, rocket-inspired Ford hardtop had already been terrorizing drag strips and NASCAR ovals for years — packing up to 401 horsepower in an era when that number was almost unthinkable. It was called the Starliner, and it deserves far better than the footnote it’s been given. muscle car But walk into any car show today and you’ll find something strange: four years before DeLorean’s famous coffee-shop brainstorm, Ford was already building fastbacks with 401 horsepower that could outrun almost anything on the street. It’s just a shame so many people have forgotten it.
The Muscle Car Was Born With The Pontiac GTO
The story goes that the muscle car was born on a Saturday morning over coffee. Young hotshot engineers John DeLorean, Russ Gee, and Bill Collins would meet on weekends at the Milford Proving Grounds to chat and brainstorm ideas. During one of these sessions, the group put a 1964 LeMans coupe on a lift to look at the mechanicals. At that point, Collins turned to DeLorean and said: “You know, John, it would take about 20 minutes to stick a 389 in here.” DeLorean’s answer was “let’s try it,” and with those three words the Pontiac GTO was born.
Ford’s story also seemed to start in ’64. The Mustang launched that same model year, albeit a few months after the GTO. The Mustang trailblazed the pony car segment — a slightly smaller class that (in the beginning at least) did without humongous big-block engines. But while the Mustang was a runaway success — Ford shifted almost half a million in the first year — Dearborn wasn’t new to performance. While the origin of the muscle car genre is always somewhat open to debate, it could be argued that Ford had a car fitting the description pretty well, going on sale a full four years before the GTO came and changed the world. It was called the Starliner.
The Starliner Was A Muscle Car Before Muscle Cars Existed
In the late ’50s, everyone was going space mad. The October 1957 launch of Sputnik I had given the world a taste of travel beyond our planet, and shops and TVs were filled with space-themed everything. But there was another place that couldn’t resist the pull of the celestial world: the boardroom. Marketing departments were falling over themselves to bring rocket-ship glamour to the everyday. Ford had the full-size Galaxie but wanted a fastback flagship version to give the lineup a bit of lift-off.
The Starliner arrived for 1960 with the kind of styling (dubbed “Quicksilver”) that suggested it was headed for the moon, even if you were only going to pick up a loaf of bread. The Starliner hardtop, along with the Sunliner convertible, formed the Galaxie Special Series with high-end trim and out-of-this-world styling. While these were big, heavy cars — the larger-engined Starliners tipped the scales at 3,667 pounds — they could be had with serious power. While the fast Fairlane 500s and Mustangs are often cited as Ford’s first steps into the muscle car world, the Starliner had a hand in it too.
The Starliner’s Performance Was As Quick As It Looks
|
Engine |
4.8 liter V8 |
5.8-liter V8 |
6.4-liter V8 |
|
Power |
185 hp |
360 hp |
375-401 hp |
|
Torque |
279 lb-ft |
380 lb-ft |
427 lb-ft |
|
Quarter Mile |
N/A |
14.81 seconds |
13.24 seconds |
Source: Ford/ Independent test
While Starliners could be bought with a thrifty 145-horsepower, 223-cubic-inch six-cylinder, the car deserved a V8. The eight-cylinder options were a 185-horsepower, 292-cubic-inch Y-block V8 (4.8 liters) or a 352-cubic-inch V8 (5.8 liters) producing 235 or 300 horsepower. There was also a new 360-horsepower 352-cubic-inch FE-series big-block V8. Transmission choices included a Borg-Warner three-speed manual, an overdrive version, or Ford’s three-speed automatic. For 1961, Ford introduced a revised Starliner with cleaner styling and some excess weight trimmed away — it now tipped the scales at 3,615 pounds.
The 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) FE V8 was introduced that year, with the High Performance 390 pushing out 375 horsepower. There was even a dealer-installed manifold with triple two-barrel carburetors that took output up to 401 horsepower, aimed squarely at the drag strip. Motor Life tested a 360-horsepower Starliner and recorded a 14.81-second quarter mile, which is impressive for the early ’60s.
It Worked At High Speeds Too
The fastback design was more than an aesthetic pleasure — it worked well at high speeds, too. The more slippery roofline gave the Galaxie a meaningful advantage in NASCAR, with many drivers preferring it over other models.
When Ford canceled the Starliner, there was real outrage as NASCAR teams were forced to adopt the boxy hardtop design of the Galaxie models that replaced it. Holman Moody estimated the change cost the cars at least 3 mph at large tracks. In an effort to correct the problem, a bolt-on aerodynamic fiberglass top known as the “Starlift top” was created for Galaxie Sunliner models.
Unfortunately, it was banned by NASCAR officials shortly after its introduction — but not before proving its worth. The ban came after Starlift-topped cars had already qualified for the Atlanta 500, where they secured a win. The Galaxie would ultimately reclaim its racing stature when the 1963-1/2 Galaxie Sports Top debuted.
Here’s Why People Forget The Starliner
Ford produced an incredible 464,336 examples of the 1959 Galaxie, but by 1960 that figure had dropped to 289,268, according to Hemmings. Of that number, 68,641 were the new Starliner hardtop. To put that in perspective, the Starliner outsold the Mustang in several recent model years — it was a genuinely solid seller, even if few people remember it today. The problem was that this success didn’t last. While Ford managed to move 349,665 Galaxies in 1961 (Hemmings), just 29,669 of those were Starliners.
Interest Waned In The Futuristic Starliner
Perhaps it was the revised, more conservative styling, but interest in the Starliner was fading fast. Ford made the drastic decision to drop the Starliner hardtop altogether after just two model years. And within two years of its cancellation, the Mustang arrived and rewrote the rules so completely that almost everything before it was consigned to the history books. The Galaxie itself soldiered on, evolving into a formidable mid-’60s bruiser. But these days the Starliner has found a new place in collectors’ hearts.
A Starliner Makes A Viable Muscle Car Alternative
This isn’t the part where we claim Starliners are dirt cheap — but they are accessible. Whether or not you consider the Starliner a pre-muscle-car muscle car, the bottom line is that with the right engine it delivers all the style and rumble of the legitimate American coupes that followed later in the decade, wrapped in its own opulent, space-age package. A Starliner with a 185-horsepower 292 under the hood is one of the more affordable entries into this market; according to Hagerty, a good-condition example will set you back around $28,000.
More power won’t cost dramatically more. The 1960 model with a 360-horsepower 352-cubic-inch is valued around $41,100, while a 375-horsepower 1961 version with the 390-cubic-inch is slightly less at around $39,700. When you consider that a 1965 Mustang coupe with a 271-horsepower 289-cubic-inch V8 is valued around $33,600, the Starliner starts to look like a lot of Ford for the money. For anyone looking to buck the muscle car trend in their search for a classic Ford, the Starliner is well worth a look.
Sources: Hagerty.com; Hemmings.com
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