The Falcon was Ford’s first entry into the compact car market. From its launch in 1960, it was often at the top of the leaderboard for the first half of the decade. Then the Mustang came along and stole some of its thunder. The last true Falcon was built during an abbreviated 1970 model year. The seller’s car is a mostly original 1967 Falcon sport coupe that has a factory 289 cubic inch V8, where an inline-6 is often found. Located in Lynnwood, Washington, this turn-key Ford is available here on craigslist for $12,995.
Ford’s Falcon success went beyond the compact car itself. It provided the foundation for other small FOMOCOs, including the Mercury Comet, Mustang, and Maverick. The car employed unibody construction, and its simplicity was its strong suit. Many of them had six-bangers with a “3-on-the-tree” manual transmission, with the latter being found in the seller’s example from ’67. Falcon demand peaked in 1961 at 474,000 units but declined to 64,000 in 1967. 7,000 of them were pillared sport coupes like the seller’s vehicle.
We’re told the VIN on this car supports its factory 289 installation. It’s a good running machine that was in storage for a decade, but the seller has done the things you would expect to turn it into a great runner once again. On the “new list” are the brakes, carburetor (rebuilt), a tune-up, fluids change, and probably a few other items. The odometer reads 63,000 miles, and there’s no reason to suspect otherwise.
The body is sold, the red paint is original with only a few flaws, and the bucket seat interior looks hardly used. Nothing has been cut up or modified, as you often see after nearly 60 years. Of late, this vehicle has only been taken out for car shows and weekend jaunts, and it’s a driver that could continue to perform without breaking the bank. If a 289 Mustang is a little out of your budget reach, is the Falcon the next best thing? BTW, thanks for another cool tip, “Curvette”!
Good analysis Russ. As noted, by 1967 the Mustang had all of the oxygen (and thus, sales) in Ford’s economy car market. But the Falcon was still around. Looking at this nice example, it was a cleanly-styled, attractive car. Eye-catching red, two-door, bucket seats.
For something different (and now rarely seen) from this era, this could be fun. And…. icing on the cake…. the three-on-the-tree.