Growing up a couple of hours from the Canadian border isn’t really as close as a lot of you were to our friends to the north. Some of you were actually born in Canada and still live there, and I’m sure, since we’re all gearheads here on Barn Finds, you’ve heard of the 1960 Frontenac. This gorgeous example is posted here on Facebook Marketplace in Lexington, Kentucky, and they’re asking $25,000. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Sam61 for the tip!
Not badged as a Ford or Mercury, the Frontenac was its own marque in Canada. This “Ford Falcon” version was only offered for the 1960 model year and was sold in Canada’s Mercury/Lincoln dealerships. I don’t think I’ve seen a nicer example, which explains the eye-watering asking price. It’ll take a very, very, very dedicated Canadian car collector to pay $25k for this one, no matter how nice it is.
Even Ford Falcons weren’t always equipped with backup lights in this era, and this Frontenac doesn’t have them either. A governor of New France at the end of the 1600s, Louis de Buade de Frontenac, is the namesake of this line of cars. New France was the North American territory that was colonized by France, beginning in 1534, and it wasn’t only located in Canada. It stretched down through Canada and into the U.S., through Louisiana. Britain and Spain were also part of what is now known as the United States, at least the lower contiguous states. It’s a good thing I’m not a history teacher, as I left out several critical portions of that timeline, but I just wanted to give a quick overview of where the name Frontenac came from.
Made for just model year 1960, the Frontenac was obviously based on the Ford Falcon and came in the usual body styles, a coupe and sedan at first, but then two-door and four-door wagons were offered. The Frontenac didn’t have a Falcon grille: Wowie! As with the exterior, the interior looks like it’s right out of a brochure. The underside appears solid, and the trunk also looks great. We’ve only seen one Falcon-based Frontenac here on Barn Finds, and it was back in 2017. I believe these seats are “deluxe gray tweed” fabric (page 4 here), and is this bronze color/colour – Beachwood Brown Metallic?
Only one engine was available in this model, Ford’s 144-cu.in. OHV inline-six with 90 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque. Power here is sent through a two-speed Ford-O-Matic transmission to the rear wheels. The seller says it’s original, and it drives like a brand-new 1960 Ford. I can’t imagine a nicer one. Hagerty lists a 1960 Ford Falcon two-door in #1 Concours condition as being worth $18,500. Is the unusual factor of this car being a Frontenac worth the extra $6,500? I can already hear your collective answer ringing in my ears…
I don’t remember ever seeing one of these before i actually like the grill, it’s very unique. I was going to say, this is probably one of the cleanest Falcons featured on Barnfinds. These were unfortunately not typically babied and garage kept. Those hub caps are probably not easy to source along with that grill either. Tip of the hat to Sam 61 for finding this rare gem. And to Scotty for the history lesson too and great write up.
Ah, but another, there was. Apparently, there was a 1961 Frontenac still based on the Falcon, with a slightly different grill, in a press tour in Aug. 1960, but was cancelled in favor of the Canadian Comet. Living in Wis. every once in a great while, a Canadian car would come meandering over the MN. border( no access to Canada from Wis unless you swim) Pontiacs mostly, but I do remember a few of these. We’d gaze upon it like some bizarro object, and wondered what the occupants looked like?
This car has been around, Canada, then California, Kentucky, and not done yet. I read Frontenacs had kilometer speedometers, but look just like the regular 100 mph ones. If this is kilometers, it has only about 34,000 miles. It’s an amazing find.
The speedometers were in miles per hour until
the late ’70’s if I remember right.Some dealers had decals
that showed what mph in kph was,& they gave those away.
I remember driving my ’77 Toyota SR5 Longbed through
British Columbia in late ’77 or in ’78.I saw a mileage sign that
said “Creston – 25 miles”,then a little further up the road another
one that said something like “Creston – 32 Kilometers”.That caught
my attention until I realized what was going on.
I used to think that the Canadian market cars were cool,but
now think that the American versions are much better styled.
My Uncle had a ’60 Falcon that he bought brand new and it was a
really nice looking Turquois color.
The Edmund Fitzgerald immediately came to mind Howard 😔 🚢
Sorry Howard, you would have to wait another 15 years (1975), before we rolled out kilometres in Canada 🇨🇦.
That’s a lot of coin, but worth every penny (Canadian or US) for what this is. Best example I’ve seen – even has the correct air cleaner housing (also 1960-only Falcon).
I don’t think that interior fabric has ever been reproduced.
Very good write-up SG. I’m sure I’ve never seen one in the flesh, and I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one written up, anywhere. For what is clearly a slightly tarted-up version of the simple and humble Falcon, it’s actually an interesting car.
“Drives like a brand-new 1960 Ford.” That actually would be fun to experience.
I wonder why the decision was made to pull the plug, on the heels of one of the most successful cars ever, the Mustang, based off the Falcon. I can’t find any evidence of a “Canadian” Mustang, like with a different grill, or something. As one of my winter beaters while the MGB sat( until the MG became a beater itself) was a Falcon very similar to this. It had the 144 and automatic, and it really was a gutless thing, depressing the gas pedal increased the noise, but no apparent increase in acceleration. I make fun of the European puddle jumpers and their acceleration times, but these weren’t much better. Buyers for these lived a more sedate life where 0-60 was unimportant. Ah, I can smell the “draft tube” from here. There were 2 others featured here, but been 10 years already.
6 in a row really go Howard.
The sellers wrong when they state it’s not a freeway cruiser, I had a 62, super nice cruiser, even on the highway. For me the price is out there in the stars and dreams.
My sister bought a ‘61 Comet in ‘63. Warmed up, wide open, on the flat- 65 mph. Freeway Cruiser- Not
My older brother has a ’62 falcon, 2 door, 6 cylinder, auto, and it handled pretty well and wasn’t as slow as it’s competitors, the VW, Renault Dauphine, Simca, et al. He was driving me to school one day and passed a Falcon wagon around a curve with a solid yellow line. It happened to be a cop so he put his flashing light on his dashboard and gave chase. We got far enough ahead of him that we took a left turn and pulled behind some brush as we watched the cop drive straight ahead as fast as his car would go.
Jimbo’s mention of a Falcon wagon reminded me of an elk hunting trip I went on with a pal in his Dodge Power Wagon (circa 1965). Before dawn we were crawling over a rough abandoned road deep in the Blue Mountains of Eastern Oregon . We were on the edge of a canyon and decided we were far enough so waited for the sun to come up. Just as the sky was showing a dim grey and we were out gearing up we heard an engine sound and sure enough an old bearded geezer went past us in a Falcon station wagon and continued down into the canyon. :-) Terry J
Terry J
Then your Power Wagon was the first car (truck) that ol Gerzer’s Falcon ever passed
I had several uncles who lived in Canada, and farmed west and south of Winnipeg. I remember two of them talking about the Frontenac and I believe Melfort the bachelor was considering buying one. He had a two door hardtop ’56 Mercury parked next to the chicken coop with unknown drivability issues. The next time we were across the border visiting, they met us in the yard driving a new C10 with bucket seats, console, 4 speed, and a 396 under the hood. White with red interior and air conditioning. Talk about significantly more rare and desirable today than a Frontenac. I would love to have THAT Canadian offering even more, but this doesn’t take anything away from this unit. Rare and cool ….. Canada had some really cool rides offered only there.
One look at that interior and a guy is blown away by the condition. And, yes regarding the KM vs miles: That change never happened until much later, so during this timeframe, miles were still the norm
This car wasn’t the first time that name was used. The Chevrolet brothers were behind the creation of the Frontenac overhead valve cylinder head conversion for the Model T Ford, selling over 10,000 of them. The addition of a Fronty T to a standard Ford model T would increase horsepower from 20 to 33. :-) Terry J
Wow, nicest Frontenac out there. The asking price seems a little high but then you’ll probably not find another as nice. My next door neighbour growing up had a four door Frontenac. He didn’t keep it for many years with three growing daughters. His next car was a 65 Ford Galaxie.
The Frenchies🤷
It’s hard to see someone dropping $25,000 on what is basically a stripped down Falcon sedan with a different grill and emblem package. People tend not to spend that much money on a car unless they have a very strong attraction to it, especially when versions that are nearly identical sell for a fraction of the price.
Steve R
Steve R – well, you get to go to car sows and exclaim “It’s a Frontenac!”. And the looker says “oh, OK. Is that Canadian?” And you say “Yes, it is!”. And they say “OK, I’ve never seen one.”
Followed by a lot of ponderous looks, but they really don’t want you to go into any more verbal detail. Maybe they take a picture of it, and maybe not. Then they move on.
That’s the appeal at this price.
I get to see something like this, but never ever seen a ’69 RS camaro with either 6 cylinder!
Even on this side of the border, thoses Frontenac are quite rare. There is one 4 doors sedan running frequently in shows, red interior with white ext.
For your info, metric system started in mid 70’s, metric speed limit were introduced in 1977 and in 1978 in cars. And even though, we still use both and it’s quite mixed up, pool temp in Farheneit, ext temp in Celcius. Wood lumber sold in SAE but logs weight in metric at the sawmill.
We had few europeans working at our sawmill, they were flabergasted when they heard us measuring in SAE, we had to teach them!
My dad learned me the SAE system while working around the house, yes we learn metric at school but at home it’s SAE!
That’s intriguing. I guess some industries like construction are too tied cross border. BTW how do you size plywood and sheetrock?
48 inches x 96 inches
Best (worst?) example of the confusion this caused I can think of was the Gimli Glider, a Boeing 767 that reverted to glider status when it ran out of fuel while airborne. Using pounds to kilograms conversion led crews to believe there was sufficient fuel for the flight.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider
Thank you for that amazing story. Can you imagine being in the crowd of people watching races at the converted runway when the huge airplane appeared with no notice possible! That reminds me of The Miracle on the Hudson when Captain Sullenberg was thought at first by investigators to be at fault!
Not exactly the same but scary as hell (for me anyway). We were racing at the airport in Fort Collins, CO. During qualifying the belt driving my fuel pump and oil pump broke leaving me stranded on one of the runways. Corner marshalls had called for a tow in for me. While I was waiting in the car, a Truesports-March 85C IndyCar, I saw a small plane coming in to land on the runway I was parked at. Apparently they were unaware the airport had been closed to air traffic for the weekend so they could host the American IndyCar Series event. I could see the 2 pilots faces before they realized a race car was on the runway that they were approaching. They finally got the idea the airport was closed and pulled up just in time.
Frontenac was based on Falcon (like Comet) and was Canadian only – like Meteor and Monarch – and was sold at those dealerships (like Falcons and Comets were sold at Ford and Merc dealers respectively). It competed with GM’s Acadian which was based on Chevy II. Teachers, accountants, clerics and other “frugal” types loved them – cheap to buy and cheap to operate. Everything was optional (“Would you like doors with that?”).
An exceptional example of a model I’ve never seen. Lofty price but who knows if I had the money I might just be crazy enough.
sure, looks to be 1 clean falcon from north of the border.
Gotta say never to old to learn something new! I didn’t even know these existed. Very cool part of history. Very clean and definitely collectable! Peace!
SAWEEEEET!
Was there a Ranchero version???
Metric: Neil DeGrasse Tyson points out that photography has always been metric. 35 mm film; 150 mm lenses.
Medicine is metric.
Large bottles of soda are metric: a 1 liter Pepsi bottle.
My older brother had a ’62 falcon, 2 door, 6 cylinder, auto, and it handled pretty well and wasn’t as slow as it’s competitors, the VW, Renault Dauphine, Simca, et al. He was driving me to school one day and passed a Falcon wagon around a curve with a solid yellow line. It happened to be a cop so he put his flashing light on his dashboard and gave chase. We got far enough ahead of him that we took a left turn and pulled behind some brush as we watched the cop drive straight ahead as fast as his car would go.
I’ve only seen 2 of these — both with Canadian licence plates, and both in 1961 — for all I knew, they were LONG gone by now!!! Wish I had the money! A 1960 Falcon was fun to drive, and economical: I’m sure the Frontenac is, too. My sister got the “jump” on everyone: a school-teacher, she bought a 1959 Studebaker Lark in 1959. Light blue. It had neither radio nor clock. She traded-in her 1952 Allstate (a Sears and Roebuck version of the Henry J.), for the Lark. With her age now closing-in on three digits, she drives only occasionally, whenever she MUST. Her husband having passed away at age 91, she has since lived alone. And I worry sometimes about her doing that. But she insists that she’s “just fine”, and that she “[doesn’t] need anything.”
Nice looking car. It’s a damn shame that it was only for a year before being discontinued. It’s the best looking Falcon.
Did Australia get a Ford Falcon this body style in 1960-63 ? ?
I remember seeing one of these when we were on vacation in Nova Scotia back around 1970 or ’71, And the main reason I recall it is that my father, who had worked for Ford dealers for 10 years at this point, looked at it and said “what the hell did they do to that Falcon?” Lol. All the money, but where are you going to find another this nice?
Michael Luchako- See I knew we had different ways of measuring. Here in the US we measure plywood in 4 X 8 sheets
Isn’t 48inches 4 ft and 96 inches 8 feet. I broke it down in inches to make it simple. The sheets are in fact 4×8. Check out the home depot.ca site.
I was being sarcastic
I wasn’t. I was just curious. I watched a cooking show by James May, the Grand Tour guy. He used metric for liquid ingredients, but tablespoons and such for dry measurements.
CeeOne:
You might ask Neil: Aren’t 5 X 7 glossy photos measured in inches?
“Drives like a brand-new 1960 Ford.” That actually would be fun to experience.”…………..Sorry , but from my experience, I would say No.
First car in 1967 was kinda this, 2 door and same drive train. It was very slow and on 650 x 13 nylon Goodyears didnt handle all that well, but I was able to get it airborn over the tracks on Stonehill Rd. I guess it was Fun at the time!
Are my eyes deceiving me? — or is that front bumper out-of-line?
NASA lost the $125 million Mars Climate Orbiter on September 23, 1999, because Lockheed Martin engineers used Imperial units (pound-seconds) for thruster data, while NASA’s team expected metric units (Newton-seconds). This mismatch caused the probe to fly too close to Mars and burn up.
The Cause: Ground software produced thruster impulse values in pound-force seconds, which were then processed by navigation software as Newton-seconds (a factor of roughly 4.45 difference).
The Result: The probe’s altitude was much lower than intended, causing it to enter the upper atmosphere and destroy itself.
Significance: The incident is a famous, cautionary example in engineering schools regarding the necessity of standardized, consistent measurement systems.
Is there something wrong with that front bumper? It appears higher on the passenger’s side, than on the driver’s side. Does anyone else see this?
I kind of see that, but wonder if it’s just a reflection
To CeeOne: thank you for responding to my observation. I would love to see a photograph taken from directly head-on, because the bumper looks crooked to me. At this price, it shouldn’t be.
Harrison, there is a head-on photo in the Facebook ad that does show what you describe. Bumper looks closer and higher on passenger side.
Thanks, Dave in PA! So it appears that the car has some damage to contend with. It doesn’t look severe, but the cost of repair might be significant — and if the bumper itself is bent, as well as its mountings, there also could be dings in the paint or even a small dent where the bumper bumped rhe body of the car behind it when it was hit. This is no small matter on a car advertiswed as though it were in all-original #1 condition — especially at such a high price. This also might explain why the seller is parting with the car. It’s an issue well worth raising, and thank you for confirming it.