I once read a Tom McCahill report of the 1963 Buick Wildcat in a road test compilation on Buicks, and he said something like this: with the introduction of the Riviera, those in the Wildcat camp must feel as if they were elected the mayor of Weehawken in a presidential year. The same could easily be said of the 1965 Ford Falcon after the introduction of the fabulously successful Ford Mustang. While over 409,000 Mustang Hardtops found happy homes in that admittedly elongated model year, only about 25,000 Falcon Futura Hardtops did the same. Yes, the car that conquered Monte Carlo in 1963 and 1964 was relegated to the veritable dust bin, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t want one now; after all, everybody has a Mustang. This rust-free Futura is being offered on craigslist in Riverside, California, with an asking price of $15,500. A shout out to Rocco B. for sending it our way.

If it wasn’t bad enough that the Mustang came along and stole thousands of Falcon sales, the Falcon didn’t even get the hottest Ford small blocks; this C-code 289 two barrel was as good as it got in 1965. With 200 horsepower and 282 lb.-ft. of torque, the C-code was no wallflower, but it wasn’t a 289 High-Performance, either. It’s no matter; the 289 has always been easily modified, and there’s really nothing wrong with driving around and looking cool. With a C4 automatic and highway gears, the Falcon would be a fine classic for those California freeways. It has power steering, too.

The interior has the standard Falcon bench, although it has been recovered in a tasteful (but not factory original) vinyl upholstery pattern. The steering wheel is a little too “tough” for my taste, so I’d be looking around for a factory example to replace it, but the rest of the interior looks like a good place to spend some time, at least if you don’t mind scorched thighs after your Falcon has been sitting out in the sun for a few hours.

You may have noticed a little bit of a paint mismatch in the first photo, but silvers and grays can be tough to match and various lighting can exacerbate the problem. It’s probably not a big deal for a driver, which this car clearly is given its “working car” engine compartment. The Torq-Thrust wheels are a nice touch on just about any ’60s car, and I would definitely leave them, because a ’65 Falcon is actually an almost perfect hot rod. Ford used them as Factory Experimental drag racers (and the aforementioned rally cars) in the mid ’60s, and while this one won’t be setting any speed records, it has an almost perfect stance, and it’s not something you see in every car collector’s driveway (like a ’65 Mustang – I even have one). It may not have been a top seller when new, but it certainly would turn some heads today.