The Ford Falcon vehivle was the Ford Engine Convention's foray into the compact van marketplace starting in 1960. Falcon was the ahead vehivle that Ford introduced as a minor, economical no-frills offering to reason the family looking for a moment machine. It was an initial sales arrival, on the other hand the sporty Mustang that followed siphoned off Falcon sales and the Falcon sometime ceased Industry.
Origins
The "Capacious 3" Detroit automakers manufactured vast gas-guzzling cars and enjoyed solid sales year after year. Nevertheless in the early 1950s, the Volkswagen Beetle emerged as an economical alternative. Carry on of the decade, VW's intelligent self-deprecating Madison Avenue advertising crusade helped position the German automaker to assume containment of the contemporary compact market. In 1959-60, Studebaker responded with the Lark, Chevrolet with the Corvair, Plymouth with the Valiant and Ford with the Falcon, according Westcoastfalcons.com.
The Look
The Falcon was short by One thousand nine hundred sixty standards, sitting on a 109.2-inch wheelbase and measuring One hundred eighty one inches long. The car was a good Twenty inches shorter than the average American automobile. It was plain with little chrome trim or appointments. It stood somewhat upright and square although the hood and front fenders were rounded a bit and sloped downward. The rear tail lamps were round, a 1960s signature of Ford. Perhaps more important was that the 1960 Falcon got Thirty mpg.
Two Heads
Two Ford men were responsible for the initial success of the Falcon. Robert McNamara, who later gained notoriety as the architect of the Vietnam War, shepherded the Falcon project while president of Ford before and after becoming Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy administration. Lee Iacocca, father of the Mustang, followed as Ford Division chief and implemented plans to add option packages to increase sales.
Success
There was nothing revolutionary about the Falcon. Just common sense execution. Power was provided by a choice of modest 144-, 170- and the Canadian version 200-cubic-inch in-line 6-cylinder engines with a single-barrel carburetor.
Ford management needed a boost in morale-and sales-following the debacle of the Ford Edsel, which debuted in One thousand nine hundred fifty eight to ridicule for its poor execution in design. Still smarting from devastating poor sales of the Edsel, the Falcon rescued Ford's faltering fortunes with 417,000 units sold during the One thousand nine hundred sixty model year.
Under the Hood
The One hundred seventy straight-6 generated One hundred one horsepower. Power was transmitted through a 3-speed manual transmission or 2-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission. By mid-1963, a spunky little 164-horsepower 260-ci V-8 was offered as an option.Highs and Lows
The Falcon was offered in a bewildering array of styles: 2-door coupe and hardtop, 4-door sedan, 2- and 4-door station wagons, the sporty option-laden Futura and Sprint, and the Ranchero coupe utility pickup. In 1964, a major facelift was unveiled. The Falcon was more squared, possessed sharper lines and was sportier. It was the best period of Falcon styling. Although the Futura and Sprint attempted to capture the youth market, Ford spent its energies on the Mustang to attract young buyers. The Falcon was overshadowed and production ceased in 1970.
