The Falcon was Ford’s first entry in the burgeoning compact market of the 1960s. It would soon be met with formidable competition from GM and Chrysler as well as the independents (who were already there). Wagons were offered in two and four-door varieties and trim levels. This restored example is from 1963, and the seller describes it as being in “like new” condition though there are a few imperfections (such as a worn steering wheel). Located in Avon, Indiana, this vintage people mover is available here on Facebook Marketplace for $17,550. Kudos to “Sam61” for this FOMOCO tip!
Ford was “king of the mountain” in the compact car space for a couple of years. Its main competition in 1960 and 1961 was the Chevy Corvair, which was engineered very differently from the Falcon. Then the Chevy Nova arrived, and the Falcon would settle into second place in sales for the balance of the decade. In 1963 specifically, Falcon sales were about 71% of the Nova (266,000 units vs. 372,000). Visually, the Falcon was largely unchanged through 1963, with a major styling update coming in 1964-65.
No V8 was available in a Falcon until mid-year 1963 when the Sprint was bestowed with a 260 cubic inch V8. The seller’s car has the optional 170 inline-6, an upgrade from the standard 144 CI which boosted horsepower from 85 to 101. So, the Falcon here would be a “Steady Eddie” rather than a barn burner in performance. And every extra horse is needed to help with the extra strain of an air conditioning compressor. A 2-speed Cruise-O-Matic transmission handles gear shifting.
We’re told that everything important was redone on this Ford, including the paint, upholstery, chrome, and a refresh of the drivetrain. The odometer reads nearly 90,000 miles, though we don’t know how many were added after the wagon’s extreme makeover. When not out tooling around, this Falcon lives in a heated garage. If you like wagons, you could spend big bucks restoring one of these or fork over half the money and take this one home.
Looks like that corroded battery is doing a Chernobyl to the valve cover and air cleaner!
I could do without the Falcon graphic on the tailgate and the red wheels, but otherwise looks like a pretty good Falcon. Being a wagon gives it a different feel. Of course most of these Falcons rusted away years ago so seeing one restored is a treat.
The early 60’s Falcons were common in my growing-up town, and I can still hear those straight sixes with the two speed automatics winding up then dropping into high gear. And to think that today ten-speed automatics are common.
A beautiful little wagon you won’t see at other shows this summer. I’d swap the wide whites for a thinner whitewall; the tires would be fine on a `60-`61 model, but not `63. The trend had shifted the year before.
What’s with those red seat covers? That’s not right. And the wheels are red. And those white walls are too wide. In 1963, you can buy white walls like that. This little wagon needs a little more attention to correctness. Then it would be quite the cute little car.
I like the red wheels and the wide whites…they set the car of perfectly IMHO..but I’d 86 that battery..looks like it came with the car in 63
Ok yes these things were on the smaller side of the other wagons available but you can still put the back seat down and slide in a couple of 4X8 sheets of plywood and shut the gate you can’t do that with any of the SUV things available today.
Nice graphic on the tailgate, and very nice job on the interior and door panels.. I probably would switch out the red rims for color-coordinanted rims.
Many sites incorrectly state that only the 260 V8 was available in ‘63. While they are rare, 289s were also offered late in the run.
Nice little wagon.
The 289 was offered in the mid/late ’63 model year in some Fords, notably the full-size cars where it replaced the 260, but not in the Falcon until the ’65s.
I like wagons — but sadly, they have priced themselves out of the “affordable classic” category, these days. So, as things NOW stand, I can’t have one. This one would be perfect for me — practical to use, and economical to run and drive. If I could afford it, I would keep it just the way that it is, and enjoy it as a driver, lining the inside of the back with a thick moving-blanket, when I need it as a hauler, to protect the interior of that area. In 1979, I should have bought that near-mint $5,000 1957 Bel Air (non-Nomad) 9-passenger 4-door wagon with factory air (of course, 46 years later, I might not still have had it). But it seemed SO EXPENSIVE at the time, with its 26,700 original miles and 283 automatic. How times change! What would one like that cost me now — nearly $100,000, IF I could even locate one?
thnx Russ,
built to squash the ve dub Bug devastation of the merican auto industry it transformed that industry (many ways till today) and buying public’s interests (same). It spawned the suv (a Bronk isa 4WD falcon) and muscle/pony car (like wise a ‘stang isa sporty falcon) craze.
Today we still have the suv driving public. In ’04 the Japanese went to the ‘larger import’ echoing this car’s 105 inch WB. I’d say the ford falcon was pretty successful…
I just wish we were as successful a decade later @ ‘gas crisis’ as Japan (who were) still dominate our “it’s just an appliance” car owning attitudes/garage.
Oh, but wait, I think recently it’s become the Korean models ! As they add a lill flair (accessories, look/style) the typical (not me 😱 ) buyer wants~
….I had a neighbor who had one of these back in 70′ and it was a 3-door……there was no left rear door. I don’t know if this was customized or came from the factory. If anyone has any info about this, please share.