Old Fords Week: America's Ford Falcon
Don't let its humble looks fool you. America's Ford Falcon started out as a late 1950s economy car, then became America's most-loved 1960s pony car, morphed into a compact and sporty coupé/sedan for the 70s, and finally retired in garish style in the early 1980s. Except for one small exception.
And along the way, the Falcon was a two-door coupé, a four-door sedan, a convertible, a station wagon, a van, and, oh yeah, a Ford Ranchero.
This versatile compact (Not sub-compact, as was the Pinto) platform began life as Ford's answer to the small import cars that were trickling their way into America in the late 1950s. The VW Beetle, Toyotas, Datsuns, and a few British cars more than hinted at sensibility and thrift. This was a novel idea on American roads at the time, as most 1950s and 60s cars were getting longer, lower, and wider.
But the 1950s' Suez Crisis got a lot of people thinking, especially in Europe. The thought of petrol-miserly cars caught on quickly over there and has remained to this day. That happens over here only when gas prices go up. Then they go back down, and we go back to where we were.
The Falcon has also been built overseas, but that history is way too involved to get into here. However, I would feel this post was neglected if I didn't mention that the car Mel Gibson drove in "Mad Max" was the Australian Ford Falcon. Argentina also made their version of the car, using many of the original American Falcon body panels, from 1962 until 1991.
The name "Falcon" was first used by Edsel Ford in 1935 for a luxury car, which was renamed the Mercury. Later, the Mercury Comet, a near clone of the Falcon, was originally meant to be a Ford Edsel. Talk about coming full circle here!
The Falcon Sprint's front bucket seats and console were a preview of the Mustang's interior, and similar to the Falcon Futura model. Then after the Mustang came along, more performance-oriented parts were available, and they trickled back down to the Falcon. So eventually a Falcon could do about anything a Mustang could do except look like a Mustang. Or sell like one.
The Falcon was designed to haul six people, with flat bench seats front and rear. Some early Mustangs even had a front bench seat adapted from the Falcon.
The cars were unibody, usually equipped with a six-cylinder, and the shifter (For a 3-speed manual or 2-speed automatic) was on the steering column. Starting in 1962 a "4 on the floor" was offered, and in 1963, the Fairlane's 164 hp "Challenger" 260 cu. inch (4.3 L) V-8 was an option.
Falcon's domestic competition was the Chevy Corvair, Plymouth Valiant, and Rambler American. But the many body styles of the Falcon far outnumbered those of the others.
I owe a special debt to a Falcon. My first submission to Car and Driver magazine was their "10 Best Wild Things" contest in 1986 (Published in the January, 1987 issue). The car I found was a 4-door Falcon that had been shortened into a 2-door, souped up, and had been very nicely done. The doors were half front door, half rear door. He sat in the (former?) back seat to drive.
I met the guy that owned the car and did the work, but I never got his name. I don't know if he ever knew his car was in the magazine, but I hope he finds out some day that it was.
I'd like to make a little comparison here. The Falcon supported a wide range of compact body styles on a single platform, using many of the same parts. This concept was repeated about 10 years later with the Chevy Vega. But Ford used proven techniques and didn't "reinvent the wheel" and then break it.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words (Or more), so here's a little gallery of some first generation Falcons:
This near-stock Squire Wagon is a nice example.
A Tudor Wagon that was also built as a panel truck.
The car looked right at home with the top down.
It's hard to believe this became the Lincoln Versailles.
A rare 1963 Falcon Sprint. Notice it's a hardtop.
The Falcon Ranchero. That turquoise is unforgettable.
This Falcon is the forerunner of today's E-Series vans.
The second generation Falcon (1964 and 1965) was basically a reskin. Its lines were squared off, the body seemed tighter, and the doors had that "snap" sound when they closed, typical of all Fords in the 1960s and '70s. I even read somewhere that Ford had a committee to assure that all their doors had that familiar corporate sound.
One of the most famous of these Falcons was the Ranchero that henchman Oddjob drove in the James Bond film "Goldfinger." It served the job of transporting a crushed and cubed Lincoln Continental from a Kentucky salvage yard back to Auric Goldfinger's horse farm.
I think I've said this before... whoever the electromagnet crane operator was in that scene was a magician... he maneuvered the heavy cube into the back of the Ranchero quickly without even scratching the bed... quite an accomplishment considering the tidy space he had to work with.
Could a Falcon Ranchero easily transport a smushed 2+-ton Lincoln Continental in its bed? No. But this is a movie, and that scene is a favorite with us 007 fans. Now that's a pressing engagement, Mr. Bond!
The third generation Falcon (1966-1970) continued the compact car theme, but with some notable changes. According to Wikipedia, "This body was based on a shortened Fairlane platform with different body sheet metal. The two-door Hardtop and Convertible were dropped, while the Station Wagon and Ranchero were moved to a larger platform shared with the contemporary Fairlane. The Ranchero would leave the Falcon line and adopt the Fairlane's front sheet metal for 1967."
"The final model year for the Falcon in North America was 1970. Continuing sales declines and the inability of the car to meet forthcoming safety standards resulted in a short run of 1970 models identical to the 1969 version being built through the end of December, 1969." Thanks, Wiki.
As mentioned, the Falcon chassis was the underpinning for other cars. The original Mercury Comet, Ford Mustang, Maverick, Granada/Monarch, and Lincoln Versailles all owe their existance to the Falcon.
A 1963 Comet, which almost became a 1963 Edsel.
There would never have been a Mustang without the Falcon.
A Maverick Grabber, before the big bumpers went on.
The father of the Mustang and another Falcon spin-off.
This is as close as you could get to a 2-door Versailles.
The Granada ESS. Just like a European car. Sorta.
My apologies if I've upset anybody's stomach here.
The final car to carry the Falcon name in America was more or less a stripped-down Ford Fairlane/Torino. Most notably, it had a post (B Pillar) behind the front doors, which was associated as a lower trim indi- cator back then. It was sold for a whopping six months as the "Falcon 1970½," and you could get a two-door, four-door, or five-door wagon.
The car was a plain Jane, but you could buy the full range of Torino powertrains from the 250 cubic-inch six-cylinder, all the way to the 429 Cobra Jet V8.
I saw one of these when it was new, and its owners said it would be a collector's car some day because it was so rare. I really hope and think it is.
--That Car Guy (Chuck)
Image Credits: The 1960 Falcon image is from PopularMechanics.com. The Falcon interior is from SunsetClassics.com. The "10 Best Wild Things" winner is from the January, 1987 issue of Car and Driver. The 1963 Falcon Wagon image is from StreetRodderWeb.com. The Tudor Wagon image is from LoveFords.org. The convertible Falcon image is from SpecialtyCarLocators.com. The 4-door Falcon image is from Wheels.Blogs.NYTimes.com. The Falcon Sprint image is from SecondChanceGarage.com. The Falcon Ranchero image is from HowStuffWorks.com. The Falcon Van image is from BridgetownBlog.files.wordpress.com. The "Goldfinger" Ranchero image is from CurbsideClassic.com. The third generation Falcon image is from HowStuffWorks.com. The 1963 Comet image is from OldCarAndTruckPictures.com. The Mustang image is from MustangMonthly.Automotive.com. The Maverick image is from Maverick.To/Pics/Shaw_Simpson. The Granada image is from Tocmp.com/pix/Ford/images. The Mercury Monarch image is from DeSoto58.com. The Granada ESS image is from ProductionCars.com. The Versailles image is from Automobile-Catalog.com/Pict_sm. The Falcon 1970½ image is from Media.Photobucket.com. Whew!
Anthony Cagle on May 31, 2011 at 10:12 AM
Gack! I remember those Falcons from my short time in Argentina in the 1990s. At the time I didn't know too much about them but I recognized them as a continuing version of an older American car (and, you know, there were other sights in Buenos Aires to capture a young man's fancy, IYKWIMAITTYD). That always fascinated me because you could still see the original car in the design but there were enough modifications to it to make one think of those science fiction books where history is different (Nazis win WWII, for example). Kinda neat seeing all those time-capsule cars running around.
I think Falcons have been showing up in greater numbers at car shows in the last few years, at least I've always seen one or two hanging around. Neat cars.
Chris Mallow on May 31, 2011 at 12:55 PM
Important to note that the 3.3L (200CID) straight-6 became so ubiquitous to the Falcon, it became known as the "Falcon Six" and it's still one of Ford's best-loved engines, strangely enough. The engine was continued for many years, and one was in my very first car, a 1980 Mustang notchback.
That Car Guy on May 31, 2011 at 02:54 PM
Ah, thanks Chris! I did not run across that in my Falcon research.
As a side note, I rode in a Falcon in New Orleans when they first came out (I was maybe 4 or 5?) We joked that the car was so small, it could have been driven through a store's front doors. The car was that turquoise color, which I associate with the Falcon as well.
MarkD on May 31, 2011 at 04:54 PM
My dad had one of those vans when I was a wee tyke. There's a picture of me playing in front of it somewhere. Turquoise, as well. I always loved those headlight surrounds. Was there a pickup version of that van ever released? Because I swear I've seen a few, but they may have been mods.
That Car Guy on May 31, 2011 at 05:07 PM
MarkD, there is nothing wrong with your memory at all! According to Wiki: "In the first 1961 model year, 29,932 standard vans, 6,571 custom Econoline buses, 11,893 standard pickups, and 3,000 custom pickups were made. It was originally offered as a cargo van, an 8-passenger van with 3 rows of seats (which carried the Ford Falcon name), and as a pickup truck."
Here's Google's Image of a Falcon Van Pickup Truck!: http://image.truckinweb.com/f/32114926/1102trweb_081+2011_council_of_councils_van_show+ford_econoline_pickup_front.jpg
Thank you for yet another version of the Falcon. I guess about all they didn't make was a stretch limousine (Or did they?). LOL
That Car Guy on May 31, 2011 at 05:17 PM
Here's a rear shot: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5265/5674226446_218df323a6.jpg
Geoff on May 31, 2011 at 08:26 PM
I think the Australian Falcons were a lot better than the American versions. They just seemed to have more balls and better looks.
John B on May 31, 2011 at 09:24 PM
Geoff...
Aren't the Aussie Falcons a lot newer than the 60s glory days of the American Falcons?
You've got to consider the car's timeframe, not just place of origin.
Bryce on June 01, 2011 at 03:27 AM
Aussie Falcons began with the same model as US just its still in production now and was amuch better car in OZ form especially the GTHO series 69/70/71 models which were race cars with number plates.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on June 01, 2011 at 04:55 AM
Just after my family got the Plymouth Belvedere wagon, my father picked up a '61 Falcon two-door for his daily driver. I used to sit in it with my grandmother and pretend to drive her to Pittsburgh. This included rolling down the window to get my turnpike ticket at the Pennsylvania border.
jsj123 on June 02, 2011 at 07:43 PM
I have a 65 convertible as my daily driver, except during snow. It is currently getting a 5.0 transplant with a AOD 4 speed automatic. I have to ride my bicycle to work as this is my car. Hope to finish this weekend.
A couple of small corrections.
1. The Falcon 6 was a 144 ci introduced with the 60. The 170 came along a few years later, then the 200.
2. The 70 1/2 with the 428 is not much of a collector car except amoung Falcon nuts.
3. There is a National Falcon meet in Steamboat Springs, Co in July.
4. 63.5 Sprints are not rare. 65 Sprints are rare because of some other car that came out in 65.
I like mine a bunch. Since a lot of Ford parts from various years fit on, I can easily swap motors, transmissions, suspension parts, and brakes. Once I finish the engine swap, and put in the 5 speed, I am going to start wandering off the reservation. I want to mess with engine controls, and handling stuff.
--Stephen
Kate on June 04, 2011 at 05:22 PM
Man that mustang is classic, I just seen a classic cadiliac earlier topday, It had to be 70's model in super great shape. Since then I've been trying to find pictures of it and see if I could find one for sale, but after stoping here, i'm thinking about a classic Mustang, qi'm quiote sure the hubbie would take either one though lol. Does anyone know were to find the best deals on these cars?
That Car Guy on June 04, 2011 at 06:47 PM
Kate, I'm working on a post on the early Mustangs. Maybe when it's posted, you'll have another idea of where to look.
gene on July 04, 2011 at 10:10 AM
I have looked all over the country for a pair of 1966 falcon 2 door "B" pillar post moldings, verrry frustating can anyone help
steve Parker on January 31, 2013 at 04:15 AM
Welcome and enjoy your falcon. I un 63.5 sprint coupe, 64 sprint hardtop, 64 6cyl factory buckets and console hardtop, 64 hardtop and rubbed caged Going this week toddler un PEAK in a barn on un Other 64 sprint hardtop 30 years Parts fulfilled to go meet. Also have a 62 Comet dies all 64 v8 suspension and 302/5 spd combo has. Met in January 66 Fairlane GT and un 390 4spd 66 Fairlane 500 XL and un ford 48 Deluxe. All those in verschillende forms are renovated. Never thought show cars, but un hoop THAT each of them on un day drive. That, and 3 paid storage units satisfied falcon, Ford Fairlane bf and stuff. Again, welcome and enjoy dying car. Who again un mustang anyway?