Frank S. Galpin is the retired founder of Galpin Ford, located in Sepulveda, California. He was a proponent of providing as much individuality and comfort as possible in vehicles, and was an originator of van conversions, a service that has since become an important segment of the industry. Additionally, he developed many special treatments, which were later adopted as special paint and accessory packages by Ford.

Galpin founded his dealership in June, 1946, and a scant seven years later, he was cited by Motor Trend magazine for his efforts that spurred “a trend in custom styling, as well as a possible trend in mass production design.” In 1952, his interior and exterior car designs won awards for excellence at the Los Angeles Motorama and the Michigan Motor Show.