This is one unusual car, even for Ford lovers. It’s a 1960 Frontenac, the Canadian version of the Ford Falcon that was sold in Mercury/Meteor dealerships in 1960. It’s listed here on eBay with a current bid of $1,000 and it’s located in beautiful Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. That’s a lonnnnnnnng drive home for any of you south of the Mason Dixon line. For the record, these cars were sold in Mercury/Meteor dealerships in Canada, they were not Mercurys.
That’s one confusing history on the Frontenac, eh? Canadian Mercury/Meteor dealers wanted in on the new Falcon so those dealers got a new stand-alone marque: the Frontenac. It sold very well, outpacing the Corvair and Valiant in Canada with around 9,000 of them leaving dealerships in 1960. Fate would have it that in 1961, Mercury/Meteor dealerships got the Comet and the Frontenac went the way of outdated back bacon. (sorry, no more cheap Canadian jokes!) Two and four-door sedans came first, then two and four-door wagons were offered. All in that one year of 1960, and there are supposedly only 20 or fewer of them remaining in any body style.
The seller talks about this car being a fantastic daily-driver, and that’s what they still use it for. As such, it does have rust and former bodywork and it could use some more bodywork in the future. They also mention that it has had floor repair work in the past and have included an underside photo. It has “authentic period police parts“, but they aren’t connected, they’re just for show. The seller says that this car has new, “brakes, drums and master cylinder, head rebuilt, new plugs wires and cap, new heater core, new heater fan. New tires with 90% tread. New baby moon hubcaps. New wiper blades. Previous owner did floors and rockers in the 80’s.” That’s a lot of new! I would lose the police bits asap, but that’s just me. This car is so rare that I want to restore it back to bone-stock original spec.
There are a few details to complete on the interior of this Frontenac, such as seat covers, but there are a ton of Falcon parts available and the vast majority of them will work on this car. There are reportedly fewer than 20 of these 1960 Frontenacs left on the planet, so if you’re someone interested in super rare cars, whether they’re monetarily valuable or not, this car is for you. Oh yeah, and here is where the Canadian perps will sit after they’re tracked down and cuffed.
This is the standard Ford Falcon engine for 1960: a 144 cubic-inch inline-six that would have had 90 horsepower. There were nine maple leaf badges on the 1960 Frontenac, including the one on the unique grille. I’m a huge fan of Canadian Ford and Mercury products, not to mention a rabid fan of of the first-generation Falcon. If all was right with the world this would be a car that I would buy and restore back to like-new condition. Have any of you heard of a 1960 Frontenac?
I spy the seller’s station wagon down the street (the odds of having two car nuts on the same « Deadmonton » street – their own nickname , not mine – are next to nil).
Any neighborhood with a ghostbusters car is ok by me!
Looks like it may be a Pontiac.
More interested in knowing what, if any, Avro Arrow memorabilia the owner has… it’s an amazing part of Canadian history unto itself.
That was a beautiful plane, about ten years ahead of its time.The legend is one of them escaped being scrapped. Highly unlikely, but an aircraft like that deserves a legend or two.
In 1995 I was up at Wetaskawin to visit the Reynolds Museum and the Aviation Hall of Fame, which shares the same grounds. There was a piece of the fuselage and cockpit from an Arrow on (temporary) display that year. While I was standing on the raised platform looking at the controls, an older guy, who seemed to show up from nowhere, struck up a conversation with me. ‘RL206?’ he said, indicating the ID numbers, ‘this is wrong; 206 was flown out of there the night they started scrapping all those jets.’ I guess I was looking at him quizzically. He smiled and added: ‘I was there; 206 was flown out west; some say that it’s in a hangar southeast of Calgary.’ I had no reason to doubt him. Of course at that time I had only heard of the Arrow; it was never on my radar (until then). Growing up on the border, I saw lots of Air Force F-105 (Thuds) and National Guard F-106 jets flying low; some low enough to stampede our cattle, which wasn’t appreciated. They often played tag with the Canadian F-101 Voo Doos which would come down to join the maneuvers.
Now to qualify my comments with the actual car: The Frontenac is impressive although I have my doubts it would be used as a police car. I saw a Frontenac in Great Falls when I was about 12. I asked Dad what it was and he responded: ‘A piddly little car.’ If this was really an air police car, it would never have been associated with the Arrow, as the Arrow was scrapped in ’59.
Maybe he has the supposed missing jet, that would be cool! Seriously, though, this car should be in a museum. I saw what was supposedly the drafting board that was used to design the Arrow.It was in a silent auction at a Restore outlet in Bracebridge,Ontario. It ,too, should be in a museum. Several of those involved with the jet, ended up at NASA, in the Space Task Group.
Someone should turn it into a GASSER.
Steve R
Stop it, please! No this shouldn’t be turned into a “GASSER”.
That was a joke. GASSERS are this decades “rat rod”.
Steve R
I know, I figured you were joking.The fact is ,I prefer gassers to rat rods.
I can appreciate gassers if they are done with period parts parts. The problem is, most seem to be thrown together with whatever parts were found for cheap at swapmeet and with little sense of nostalgia.
Steve R
My wife says I have turned into a GASSER over our 40 years together.
Then lay off the Salami and Beans. RAOTF-LMAO.
Hello, Does that mean she had to put up with 40 + years of farts comming out of your ass ? LOL?
If the car is really that rare, I’d hate to get in a fender bender and have to replace the grille!
I’ve heard of them but only seen a few in my 60 year lifetime. I would lose the siren and gumball machine on the roof, add an underdash AC unit from Vintage Air and leave the rest alone. I love All Canadian Fords and Meteors. I think the Canadian cars are fancier and have more chrome than the USA Ford cars. Checkout that window frame stainless !!! and the bodyside chrome spears. Sweet Looking !!!
This would be so awesome to run in the Northwest Classic Rally as is
Couple of videos on U tube. Search for Curiosity Incorporated.
In the midwest, we rarely, if ever, saw Canadian cars. As kids, we would pride ourselves by naming every car that would go by, yours truly, being one of the best, however, when a Canadian car DID show up, it confused us all. “Did you see that weird Falcon or odd looking Pontiac, with a strange name?” Frontenac, and Parisenne, what the heck is that, we’d say. And gawk at it like it was an alien from Mars. ( I always wondered if Canadian’s did that with our cars) I had Falcon’s with the 144, and it’s no flame thrower, but a great example of an unusual car, for sure.
I may be too young to confirm for older ones but I don’t think we ever use name for US car. At my best knowledge, all of the US cars were available in Canada too. One point would be the 350 american, the blue one. When GM begin using engine from others division. We still hear, that Camaro came with the american 350 or something like that. As all Pontiac were built in the same plant as Chevrolet in Canada back then, all of the 350 were Hugger Orange so peoples think a canadian 350 was orange and a US one was blue…
Canadian Pontiacs were based on the Chevy platform. Pontiac akin on a Chevrolet chassis and driveline.
Personally I’d fix what needed fixing up, clean it up and leave it otherwise alone. I really wouldn’t expect driving it except on special occasions like parades and car shows and there I’d expect it to be a hit.
I realize it’s not an actual former RCAF car but it’s interesting none the less as is.
It could be easily converted to a Winnipeg Jets fanboy car.
Those street shots were taken in July, at the end of the Edmonton winter.
2 things:
If anyone is seriously interested in this car, I have family and friends in Edmonton, as well, I will be up there for Christmas until the 27th.
2nd…. am I the only one who saw the Ghostbuster car across the street in the one picture??
I saw the ambulance but from what I could tell it might have been an Olds or something like that. Sure didn’t appear to be a 59 Caddy so didn’t look for too many details on it.
Around here a month or two ago someone had what looked to be a mid 80’s Ford wagon made up like the Ghost Buster wagon at one of the grocery stores. Just wasn’t convincing other than to the real little kids. Too many poor clones IMO.
I was going to take you up on your generous offer, HotWheelsCalgary, but I just looked and the car must have been sold! The auction has ended and it says that the car is not available. Thanks for offering to check it out for one of us, that was darn nice of you. Have a great Christmas!
we still have it, it’s our Frontenac :) was going to twist in Spring but it’s still available.
It would have been fun to go check it out. Oh well, maybe another time.
And Merry Christmas to you as well!
BTW… How many folks on here are from Alberta? Just curious.
There are some very different cars show up in the Edmonton region from time to time. The 1928 ‘Porter’ from the TV series, ‘My Mother, The Car,’ is up in Edmonton. I saw it when I was up there for an antique car rally back in ’07. Owner drives it regularly….
Geo, I love that show! Ha, I’m probably the only human who liked/likes My Mother the Car, or that will publicly admit to liking it. I’d love to see the “Porter”, thanks for the tip.
Here you go. Hopefully this will transfer; I’ve been having some problems posting photos to this site. I can send you some full-sized ones through your regular route.
Incidentally, I enjoyed the series too…
Check the car out on his YouTube channel curiosity incorporated.
Thanks for the mention Craig! Yes we do have a YouTube channel that covers us finding and converting this old Frontenac :)
Any BF readers know, did Meteor/Mercury dealers sell the Comet along side the Frontenac back in ’60? Or were Comets sold at Monarch/Ford dealers?
i believe the Comet was not avail for sale in Canada till 1961 . The Ford dealers got the Falcon to sell in 1960 and the Frontenac sold from the Mercury division as a ‘stand alone’ model . there is no Ford nor Mercury badging on any of the models . i started an Owners Registry some 30+ years ago + have a 2 door wagon. thanks Rich
Frontenac update: this car is still available! The seller ended the auction early because there didn’t seem to be any serious bidders and he didn’t want to sell it for just $1,000.
Yup, that’s very true! I just spent $2500 on brakes and tune up so don’t want to let it go to low :)
I really do not understand all the excitement about this Frontinac/Falcon. The only difference I see and understand is the horrible looking grill. It looks like everything else is like an American made Ford Falcon. Rare it may be but I used to work in Falcons back in the 60,s/ 70,s and cannot get mesmerized over it. Just my opinion but to each his own.
Did anybody see the decal on the lower right rear window I can not see what it is can you??
It’s a Snowbirds fighter squadron decal
The My Mother The Car vehicle (purported to be “the” one) was in a museum somewhere in the southern United States last I saw it. I can’t remember where, maybe the car museum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. I always thought the Porter was actually a doctored Model T. The AMT model of this car was simply their Model T touring kit with different grille and decals.
It was. AMT used a ’27 T Touring, even though “Mom” was built from a 1924 T Touring. They also neglected to include a decal for a black and yellow California licence plate reading PZR 317. It also should have a Chevy V8 engine and an automatic transmission. They built two Porter touring cars for “My Brother, The Star” and the one saved in Gatlinburg is the “stunt car” which can be driven from a hidden position. The original, as shown in the photograph, now resides in Canada, which explains the turn signals. (Not the starting crank though, eh.) From PZR to YYZ. Beauty.
Hello everyone, thanks for the great dialogue on our little car. I purchased it from the original owners to promote our antique store and YouTube channe “Curiosity inc” which is what it says on the roof. We are midway through another project and I’m out of space at home which is why we are selling. I ended the listing because I just did a whole bunch of repairs and I don’t want to let it go to cheap, it’s a decent little car and seriously drove it today :) the ambulance is a 1973 Pontiac high top which I use for hauling antiques and vintage motorcycles
Here is another version