A Smokin' Classic: The Ford Falcon
The Falcon's classic look and revolutionary design were well recognized in the 1960s for meeting customers' demands.
Written by Serena Aburahma
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Welcome to the '60s, a decade marked by self-love, hippies, political mayhem, and excellent engineering pieces. Growing up in the '60s, it was like black and white, hot and cold or rich and poor, with no gray areas.
The Falcon was the third car in Ford's impressive lineup and the first compact car to be marketed by the USA's Big Three; GM, Ford, and Chrysler. The Big Three were fond of producing big and expensive fuel guzzlers for the USA and Canadian markets.
So, the introduction of fuel-efficient cars remodeled the industry, and Ford rose quickly to become the future standard for economical cars like the 2022 Ford Maverick.
How the Ford Falcon evolved in 10 years
Recognized by many as the Mustang's forebear, the Falcon had crystal clear intentions of revolutionizing the market. Early promotions claimed that the car could run for 30 miles per gallon of gas.
This statement sent Ford skeptics into panic mode, but they fought back by criticizing its performance.
They failed to realize that this lightweight and compact machine was better at fuel economy than the 2-ton full-sized beast they were defending. The beasts slowly fell out of favor because people wanted small, manageable cars.
Knowing it was up and against aggressive Chevrolets and Toyotas, Ford started rolling out two and four-door sedans as first-gen cars. They came out with Ford's iconic 1960 super-advanced 2.4-liter 144 CI engine that churned out 95 horsepower.
The unibody design accommodated coil and leaf springs for the front and rear suspension systems. Because the car was comfortable on rough roads, Ford included four-speed manual and two-speed automatic transmission systems.
Throughout the ‘60s and 6’1s, subtle changes, including the development of a 101-hp 170 CI six engine, witnessed the arrival of the Falcon-Squire Wagon and DeLuxe. Rumors about sporty designs were also true with the introduction of the Futura, a mid-size family sedan powered by a four-stroke engine.
Second-gen cars in 1964 and ‘65 were more chiseled with larger bodies. Ironically, Ford moved back to large cars after slowing their production four years earlier. Luckily, the company had already set industry standards, so the new sedans, Rancheros, and wagons sold out quickly.
The sprint to sportier cars became more competitive with the inception of powerful and lightweight 200CI six-cylinder engines. This bigger engine was suitable for large wagons and vans Ford had started producing.
The interior featured beige cloth, rubber mats, bucket seats, and a classic dashboard with mounted tachs. However, the unveiling of the Mustang dramatically reduced Falcon sales, and during 1964 and ‘65, little over 430,000 cars rolled out of the production facility.
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Why did the Mustangs wave goodbye to the third-generation Falcons?
MORE: 3 of the Coolest 1950s Ford Vehicles
In 1965, the public greeted the Mustang with qualified enthusiasm, pushing the one-year-old car to make record sales of over 410,000 cars in the same year. In contrast, this sparked the dawn of third-generation Falcons.
The new lineup eliminated convertibles and adopted the sporty design of coupes. The aging two and four-door sedans, wagons, and resilient Rancheros were retained too.
Smaller changes, including updated interiors and changing tail lights from round to square, were keen to push Falcons higher. But the aging bird eventually retired by the early '70s, paving the way for Intermediate Falcons.
Flying on tracks
Ford tried to revive the Falcons by designing race cars. The new speedy cars characterized by an aluminum body and V8 engine, dubbed the Challenger I, finished second in class after a 12-hour Sebring race.
The Challenger III replaced I and locked horns with Ferraris and Cobras at the 1962 Nassau Speed Weeks, but Marvin Panch pulled over along the way due to suspension system failure.
Still, the disabled Falcon tried to hit the headlines by drag racing with the intention of flying. Phil Bonner would bag Top Stock at 1964 Green Valley's AHRA Nationals. In AHRA Summernats, Dick Brannan won S/SX in his 1964 427 Falcon.
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