I suspect that I am not the only one here who, as a child, assigned personalities to cars. When I first began paying attention to cars I may not have been able to identify specific years or models, but I certainly recognized them. Neighbors down the street had a 1959 or ’60 Buick. That car was menacing. I remember sitting in the way-back of the family station wagon and watching the Edsel following us. That car was dorky (although dorky was not a word that would enter my vocabulary for several years yet.) And all around me was the car one of my parents told me was a Ford Falcon. The original Falcon was the friendliest looking car on the road.
Just look at this one. Isn’t it just soft and cuddly like a puppy? Don’t you want to hug it? That was always the feeling that filled me whenever I saw an early Falcon. And, all these years later, it is an association I have been unable to shake. I still find these Falcons to be friendly, puppy-like cars. And I still want to rub it on the fender and say “good boy!” whenever I see one. There are, of course, other cars that remind me of puppies. Like the original Studebaker Lark. That one is like the pup of a large breed – maybe the car’s 15-inch wheels remind me of the big paws that tell us that a pup will eventually become a big dog. The Falcon was more like a beagle.
Maybe it wasn’t coincidence that early Falcon’s featured Charles Schulz’s Peanuts characters, including that most famous of beagles, Snoopy.
And unlike some friendly cars, the Falcon kept getting friendlier by the year. The little details on the cars seemed (to me, at least) to inch the car forward in its overall good looks and puppy-like charm. By the time the 1963 models rolled around, the addition of a hardtop and a convertible made the Falcon almost perfect.
When I was in my teens there was a guy who lived across the street from my best friend. He drove a turquoise 1963 Falcon Sprint hardtop. By the mid 1970’s, this northeast Indiana car was rusty, rusty, rusty. But I always saw it for what it had been years before – a sporty little car with its bucket seats and its V8 insignia. And, of course, it had been the friendliest of sporty cars. Not friendly with a bit of an edge, like the Mustang, but the good natured friendly of a frisky mutt.
In my teens, I always kind of half hoped that I would find a Falcon when I was in the mood for buying a car. Which was most of the time back then. The closest I got was a ’60 Comet that I test-drove. With its 144 cid 6, it was very, very slow. And while it was certainly not unfriendly, the cat’s eye taillights reminded me of the elderly ladies who had been my early grade school teachers who had worn cat’s eye glasses. I guess the Comet was more feline than puppy, and I am definitely a dog person as opposed to a cat person. So I didn’t buy the Comet. There was also that it was a piece of crap, but I digress.
I have owned a couple of friendly cars through the years. My Ford Model A was a friendly car, but not really puppy-like. More like an old hound. And my early Honda Fit was also quite friendly, and maybe a little more like a pup, although that one always had a little bit of a squirrel vibe too. But I never owned my automotive beagle pup, the Falcon.
So you can understand why I stopped to photograph this one on a cold early January day in 2012 when I saw it pull into a neighborhood restaurant. Like any good puppy, this car looked happy to go out for a run in the cold when its owner suggested the trip. And it was happy to sit outside, eagerly awaiting its owner. And probably wondering if it will get a treat.
This puppy has had a little cosmetic surgery, with a non-stock color, a more modern 302 in place of the original 260 V8 (per my discussion with its owner) and some non-stock wheels and tires that look a little oversized and give it more of a Studebaker Lark vibe than most Falcons have. But I didn’t (and don’t) care. I am usually a stickler for originality on old cars, but a Falcon is different. Because a friendly Falcon doesn’t care, and is just happy for the attention. And if the car doesn’t care, then who am I to argue?
These final Falcons get a little confusing, with a “1963 1/2” year, and various combinations of Futura and Sprint and the 260 V8 engine. In a very out-of-character move for me, I don’t care about any of that. It is a convertible and has the V8, so whatever flavor it might happen to be (if even an owner-made creation) I’m perfectly fine with it. A car with a friendly disposition can have that effect on a guy. And I know that these Falcons, even with the 260, were not as fast as they could have (or should have) been. So I would even be happy with the cruddy little 2 speed automatic. Although this car, given all of its surgeries, almost certainly has a more modern C4 box attached, to give this pup a little more of a scamper.
As I continue to get older, the list of old cars I would be willing to admit into my life has dwindled sharply. To make the cut these days, a car would have to have something really special, something that would make it stand out from the ever-growing list of “old cars”, as one that might be suitable for a weekend plaything. As I think it over, one of these Falcons might very well make the cut. I do not own a dog because I do not care to take on the responsibility for its care and feeding. Yes, a good dog is a good friend, but I am satisfied with the overall number of good friends in my life (most specifically the one I have been married to for 35 years). So, I like dogs, but have contented myself with liking other peoples’ dogs. A Falcon like this one, however, could be the kind of pup I might get the urge to bring home one day.
Further Reading
1961 Ford Falcon – How To Build A Winning Compact (Paul Niedermeyer)
1961 Ford Falcon – Simply Original And Just Right (J P Cavanaugh)
1962 Ford Falcon Sports Futura – Ford Sees The Future; At Chevrolet (Paul Niedermeyer)
1963.5 Ford Falcon Futura V8 – The Economy Compacts Enter The V8 Era (Paul Niedermeyer)
1963 Days – Popular Science Tests The Hot Compacts (J P Cavanaugh)
That’s interesting…the instrument console is from a Comet…?
Yes, I’ve always had a similar fondness for the Falcon…especially the woody ‘Squire’ wagons. My family had a ’65 sedan we called ‘Frankie’ 🙂
It is cute .
BTW : stock ‘A’ Model Fords are frisky .
-Nate
Good looking car. Not a fan of the red wheels though.
A charmed profile, of a very cheerful Falcon.
My mom and dad had a Terripoo puppy, named ‘Shelley’, back in the early 80’s. She looked much like the one below. With white fur, tan ears, and chocolate brown eyes. Every night after dinner, my dad would walk Shelley around the farm. On the coldest nights, he’d wear his heavy leather mitts. He’d slap the mitts together, and Shelley would absolutely freak out. As it was time for a walk!
I appreciate when an owner tastefully customizes, to their own preferences. And the simple-styled Falcon, makes a great style palette. The exterior colour is attractive. As are the hub caps, and contrasting red steel wheels. This contrasting colour detailing, is what Ford could have done. Adds cheer to frugality. Bright coloured wheels, complimenting conservative body colours. Like carmakers did in the 1930’s.
Thank you for this!
I’ve always had a soft spot for early Falcons too. Make mine a ’61 Futura 2-door with the 170 six and the UK-sourced 4-speed (although that technically wasn’t available until 1962). I like the ’61 best; very friendly and optimistic face unlike the rather depressed face of the ’60.
My first car (as a 16 year old, and I paid $45 for it) was a 1963 Falcon, with a basketball-sized rust hole on the driver’s side floorboard. We covered it with marine-grade plywood, which (mostly) worked – except on rainy days. Its driver-side front fender was horribly rusted too so my dad and I went to a junkyard, found a fender from a 1961 and took it home. Only when we got home did we realize the fenders on a 1961 weren’t the same as those on the 1963. But we made it fit and it added even more “character” to this little car.
77 Sunset Strip was a great advertising venue for Ford. There was a hierarchy among the crew. When Kookie moved from parking lot attendant to detective he drove a 61-62 Falcon Futura two-door while big boss Stu merited a Thunderbird convertible and second-in-command Jeff a Sunliner convertible. As a kid I always wondered how Kookie really felt about the big loss of horsepower and youthful image going from the hot rod, now in JR’s hands, to the pokey Falcon (not available in V8 form until 63). The price for growing up and getting an adult job, I surmised.
No convertible or V8 in the local Falcon lineup, the Zephyr 4 speed option was in the much better faster more durable Zephyr.
Chuck Rubino
Phone number. 330 -319-5887.
Call me if this car is for sale
Thank you.
Sorry Chuck, I took these photos of someone else’s car in 2012. I didn’t have contact info for the owner then and certainly don’t now.
The red rims were so cliche back then and never saw the attraction.
You’re not the only one who associates the Falcon with a dog. I always saw a resemblance to the Falcon in this old Volvo ad.
May not accurately portray a V8 Falcon but certainly appropriate for the base 144 engine Falcons.
My brother worked at JPL in Pasadena in the 60’s.. he bought a burgundy 63 1/2 sprint new. Beautiful little car. When he had enough money saved he took it to the Shelby facility in Long Beach and had the 260 “souped up”. It went from quick to fast. So much fun to drive and really surprised a lot of folks cruising out in the valley.