This temporary exhibition highlights Romy Hammes Ford, a long-time Ford dealer here in South Bend (until the mid-1970s). The centerpiece of the exhibition is a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 XL. The car was purchased new by Romy for his daughter, Kathlyn or “Kax” as a 39th birthday present and spent most of its life in Nevada. A salesman at Hammes Ford in South Bend drove the car all the way to Kax’s home in Las Vegas, Nevada where it quickly became a family favorite. All of her children learned to drive in it. Kax’s son, Jerry, recently completed a detailed restoration of the family’s Galaxie. The result is a car that looks like it came right off the Romy Hammes Ford showroom floor in 1965.
The following individuals and organizations contributed to the Galaxie’s restoration:
- Floyd’s Body Shop, Inc., South Bend, IN
- Kaley Motor Service, Inc., South Bend, IN
- Certified Transmission, Inc., Mishawaka, IN
- Barry Seat Cover Auto Body & Glass, Inc., South Bend, IN
- Barry’s 8 Track, Inc., Prescott Valley, AZ
- Vintage Vehicle, Inc., Wautoma, WI
- Jerry Buczkowski, South Bend, IN
- Ron Stealy (Deceased), South Bend, IN
- Denny Strege, Oneida, WI
- Larry Wooding, South Bend, IN
- Joseph Parker, South Bend, IN