One of our favorite reasons for ownership is pretty simple: “My dad had one”.
Most car guys can identify with this response because they were likely influenced by their own father when it came to vintage vehicle choices.
Jim Sutherland
Wayne Kautz is the proud owner of a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL two-door hardtop because he was heavily influenced by his dad’s decision to buy a ’64 Galaxie 500 when Wayne was a kid. So much so that Wayne leaped at an opportunity to buy back his father’s car three years ago.
Unfortunately, his dad’s car is now a major restoration project that will require a lot of time and effort to restore it back to its original glory. Wayne intends to bring his father’s ’64 Ford back to showroom condition-the same way the car looked when his dad first purchased it but, in the meantime, he bought a very cool ’64 Galaxie 500 XL that will take him down memory lane any time the spirit moves him.
A 1964 Galaxie 500 XL was the top model in the Ford lineup, so Wayne’s car has plenty of creature comforts that include power steering, power brakes and bucket seats, along with Ford’s famous 390 cubic-inch engine under the hood.
Wayne loves the color combination on his Ford and believes its black exterior is a perfect match for the car’s red interior. We at MyStarCollectorCar completely agree with his conclusion and only wish our readers could see in person how well its flawless black paint job works with its red interior color.
As mentioned, Wayne has only owned the car for about a year, but he is already building personal memories with his ’64 Ford because he traveled to Canada’s West Coast to look at the car and wanted his good friend to accompany him once he arrived in the area.
Unfortunately, Wayne’s friend was too ill to come with him to see the car, but he was very excited about the ’64 Ford and wished he was well enough to accompany Wayne to have a look at the stylish Galaxie. His friend has since passed away and now Wayne wants to honor his buddy’s memory in an appropriate fashion with the car.
The car’s incredible condition and his buddy’s enthusiasm helped push Wayne into ownership, so the ’64 Ford Galaxie 500 XL headed east to Alberta with its new owner. The car required some tweaking to make it ready for the road, including a weak vent window crank so Wayne let his 13-year-old grandson Alex replace the crank with one from a donor car.
Wayne told MyStarCollectorCar his daughter and son are also enthusiastic members of the car hobby, but he is thoroughly impressed with grandson Alex’s hands-on approach to the car hobby. Alex wants to learn about cars the right way and Wayne is very willing to provide an opportunity for him.
It is safe to conclude that Wayne is a dyed-in-the-wool car guy who was heavily influenced by his father-so much so that he bought back his dad’s car and wants to do right by it.
It would also be safe to say Wayne is a big influence on his grandson in the same fashion. Wayne’s placeholder 1964 Ford is an excellent way to lead by example.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
