1964
The final year of the 1960 full-size Fords was 1964, with the 300 base model again using the Custom name. A new more-sloped roofline was introduced, outselling the formal square-roofed cars. Interior trim was much altered, but externally things stayed much the same. New Fairlane models were added.
Under the hood,the 427 CID (7.0 L) engine carried on the high performance duties. Ford again took the 427-equipped Galaxie to the racetracks in serious fashion in 1964, building a number of lightweight, fiberglass equipped cars just for that purpose. These competed with success not only in North America but also in the United Kingdom. Initial doubts as to their competitiveness in Britain were short-lived; despite their great size and weight compared to the opposition, the Ford 427 engine gave them a competitive power-to-weight ratio and the handling was better than might have been supposed. They were raced in Europe reasonably successfully.
Late in the year Ford introduced their new engine challenger, the SOHC 427 Cammer, Though it's not documented it's believed a few may have found their way onto the street. (This engine was only available to racers through the dealer network or from the manufacturer, none were ever factory installed) Rated at over 600 hp (447 kW), this is possibly the most powerful engine ever fitted to a production car by an American manufacturer. NASCAR changed the rules, however, requiring (instead of hundreds) thousands of production examples in service to qualify for the next season, and Ford decided against producing the Cammer in that quantity. Fears of liability concerns and the bad publicity possibilities in giving the public a car that was so dangerously powerful are often cited as reasons, but it might simply have been that Ford doubted that an engine so unsuited to street use could sell in such numbers.
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