The Falcon debuted in 1960 as Ford’s gateway into smaller vehicles. It was an instant hit and was likely #1 in sales for many years before the Mustang (which it was based on) came along. Little changed in 1961; this beautiful example has a few restoration needs, but in the meantime it’s a running, driving Cars & Coffee kind of ride. Located in Gallatin, Tennessee, this California-born mini-Ford is available here on craigslist for $9,250 OBO. Bravo to Zappenduster for yet another cool tip!
There was nothing sexy about an early Falcon, as only sedans and wagons were offered. It wasn’t until 1963 that hardtops, convertibles, and V8 engines came along. In 1961, a 144 cubic inch inline-6 was standard and – with a 2-speed automatic transmission as in the seller’s car – it might get outrun from a traffic light by a snail on steroids. But they were easy to park and good on gas, although the latter wouldn’t be a real issue until a decade later. The easiest way to tell a 1961 Falcon from a 1960 is the change in grille with an outward “Vee” pattern. 475,000 Falcons found buyers in 1961, beating out the Chevy Corvair and Plymouth Valiant.
This Falcon came with deluxe trim, including what may be rare: the two-tone paint job consisting of turquoise and mint green. The paint has been redone (and is showing a little age now), so technically this Ford isn’t a survivor but surely survivor-quality. Rust doesn’t seem to be an issue, though the seller mentions a few pieces of chrome trim are MIA. The Ford has had a recent tune-up, so it runs well, especially considering that its 68,000 miles may be accurate.
The car was built in LAX and lived in California until its recent relocation to Tennessee. Things done by the seller include rebuilding the carburetor and switching the front brakes from drums to discs. That, along with some suspension updates, necessitated the upgrade from 13 to 14-inch wheels, which the seller has kept. New pieces waiting to be installed include a weather-stripping kit. More is needed, like a new headliner and trying to repair the dash where an aftermarket radio installation resulted in some damage. If perfect is not a requirement, this should be a nice pre-Mustang Ford to own.
What a great color scheme.
Shame it doesn’t have a little more power.
Not every car needs to be a muscle car.
Looks like a solid Falcon. Excellent ad, lots of good info. Has had quite a bit of mechanical work, with more that could be done. I didn’t remember these being available from the factory as two-tones, but the brochure notes there were 13 combinations available for the sedan.
Enjoy it for what it is: a very basic, well-executed economy car of its day.
Thanks Russ.
Very nice Falcon. I don’t know if this paint is original or not, or if Falcons came in a two tone from the factory. But if this was done by somebody, they did a great job on it. Great color combination. I’d prefer mine with a 3 speed on the column. Very nice. Like Bob said above enjoy it for what it is, which if it were mine…… I would. .
Falcons in 1961 didn’t offer 2 tone paint schemes.
see option S/E in two tone color guide
Great cars. We had a manual 3 on the tree wagon down under when I was a kid in the late 60s. You could drive it into the bush and know it would get you out the other side and if anything did fail, you could fix it on the side of a dirt track. Good solid suspension.
Great little car and I do like it! I just can’t wrap my head around an almost 10K buy in.
I worked at a drug store in the mid 60’s, and the pharmacist had a bare-bones Ford Falcon station wagon, which he used for deliveries and since I could drive a stick, I was the one making the deliveries. I had never seen a true bare-bones car before. It had the six cylinder like this one with 3 on the tree, with a totally bare metal dash – the only thing there was the speedometer, fuel gauge and idiot lights. The seats in this Falcon for sale would classify as luxurious compared to the ones in that wagon with surprisingly little padding under the sticky plastic. The wheels were the smallest I had ever seen on a car – other than a go-kart. And it drove like a tin-box tank – playing paint-mixer with your insides on rough streets, but that six cylinder had plenty of power to push that tin box down the street. They must have been put together well as that one took a lot of punishment and never broke down. So having one now in a better appointed model would actually be a nice economy car to have.
One thing about this one for sale; with the larger wheels than came from the factory, the speedometer would no longer be accurate. I wonder how far off it is from indicating the true speed?
This needs a 3 on the tree. The 2 speed Fordomatic won’t do it justice, especially with the 85 horsepower 144 six. A VW Beetle back then would blow it into the weeds.
nice
My Dad had a 61 4door, red with a white top with this drivetrain. He traded it in on a Plymouth Savoy in 64. It had a 318 with three on the tree. I guess he was tired of slow take off LOL.
Yes, a ‘3 on the tree’ would go along way towards making this a great driver. But only if that asking price is negotiable, by about 1/2?
Sure, every day. I had a 1961 Thunderbird convertible that color, love it!
This car has the deluxe exterior – stainless body side molding and door window frames along with the aluminum tail light trim. The body side molding is unique to 61 only. The 62 had the lower straight pieces but not the wrap around the cove in front and not around the tail lights. My perception is this was a very low take rate option and it will be a challenge to find the missing pieces. I have a fordoor 61 with the deluxe exterior and bought the side moldings off a deluxe wagon back in the early 80s for spares.
As to the asking price, seems high to me. My car, though a fordoor, looks nicer and I only have it insured to $6500 with Hagarty, I should look at revising that.
My uncle at the time had a Ford Dealership. By the time I was old enough to drive, he had plenty of Falcons people had traded in. Never considered owning one. I now wished I had. I was into the full size Fords at the time. If and when I find one that has an automatic transmission I just may buy it depending costs and conditions of the body.