Story
The 1960 Ford Starliner was the new pillarless two-door hardtop in Ford's Galaxie Special Series. Its thin rear pillars, broad curved rear glass, long horizontal fins, and model-specific script made it distinct from the pillared Galaxie Club Sedan and the Sunliner convertible. Ford assigned the Starliner body code 63A and advertised it as a single model with a wide choice of engines, transmissions, colors, and cabin trim.
Ford's own Buyer's Digest lists the 223-cubic-inch Mileage Maker Six and three-speed manual as standard equipment. The optional range included the 292 Y-block and 352 FE V8s, with two- and four-barrel 352 versions advertised at 235 and 300 gross horsepower. A later high-performance 352 used solid lifters, a Holley four-barrel, aluminum intake, high-flow cast manifolds, and a manual-only driveline for a stated 360 gross horsepower. That scarce path belongs on this model-year page, but it requires warranty-plate, parts, dates, and documentary evidence; an FE engine or performance hardware alone is not proof.
Ford advertised four transmission choices. The standard column-shifted three-speed could be joined by overdrive, Fordomatic, or Cruise-O-Matic according to engine and equipment restrictions. The full-size chassis used a 119-inch wheelbase, independent coil-spring front suspension, rear leaf springs, an integral-carrier hypoid axle, and 11-inch hydraulic drums. Power steering and brakes, Equa-Lock, SelectAire, and other convenience equipment were optional, so a surviving car's current hardware must be reconciled to its warranty plate and records.
Published Starliner production figures conflict: 68,641 is widely repeated, while one club catalog prints 68,461. The same problem appears in reported original prices. This page keeps those disagreements visible rather than choosing a convenient number. For an individual car, model 53 and body 63A, the engine character, warranty-plate color, trim, date, transmission and axle fields, physical components, protected finishes, and ownership documents should tell one coherent story.