FEATURE image: 1964 Ford Futura Falcon. Author’s photograph. June 2018. 4.54 mb DSC_0136 (1).
The Ford Falcon (1960-1970) was one of the defining compact automobiles of postwar America, a practical and affordable car that reflected changing consumer tastes, suburban growth, and the increasing importance of personal mobility. These surviving Falcons become more than vintage vehicles; they serve as rolling artifacts of everyday American life, preserving the design language, engineering, and cultural aspirations of a transformative decade.
In 1960, Ford’s ad tag line for the Falcon was “the easiest car in the world to own.”
The Ford Falcon was introduced as Ford’s answer to the growing market for compact automobiles. Its simple, practical design and affordability made it one of the most successful American cars of the 1960s. The Falcon appealed to a broad range of buyers, from families to young drivers.
Ford’s 1964 Banner Year and the Arrival of the Mustang
In 1964 all of Ford’s models were given upgrades including under the hood, such as the 289 CID V8 engine for the Mustang and mid-sized cars. The renewal that year of all its models was so important that the entire Ford line was named “Car of the Year” by Motor Trend magazine. In 1964 Falcon received a major restyling that included an angular and modern appearance while retaining its original performance components. Falcon, along with the Fairlane, were big sellers comprising together more than a third of all Ford sales. But the biggest news in 1964 was the arrival of Ford’s brand-new pony car at the World’s Fair in New York: the Mustang. The sporty Mustang was an instant hit and had taken some of its enduring design inspiration from the Falcon in terms of its practicality.
In 1964, Falcon was included under Ford’s umbrella tag line of “The Total Performance Cars for 1964.”
Robert McNamara, the Whiz Kids, and the Falcon’s Success
The Ford Falcon was the product of Robert McNamara’s hard‑edged managerial style. After serving in the Army Air Forces during World War II, he joined Ford and quickly became one of the “Whiz Kids,” applying strict analytical methods to every corner of the company. By 1960, Ford entered the industry’s high‑stakes profitability contest with a new lineup that included an inexpensive compact aimed at ordinary Americans. Conventional wisdom held that compacts couldn’t make money, but the Falcon proved otherwise, becoming Ford’s best‑selling car of 1960 and the most successful model in the company’s history up to that point. Within a year, all three majors—Ford, Chevrolet, and Plymouth—offered basic compacts, but Ford’s head start, lowest price, and full range of body styles gave it a decisive lead. In the end, the only company positioned to unseat Ford from the top of the compact market was Ford itself.
The Falcon provided the platform from which the Ford Mustang emerged in 1964.
When it comes to cars Americans like tradition and from its powertrain to its exterior and interior styling Falcon was all that.
Standard Equipment and Trim Levels
Standard equipment on the 1964 Falcon included cloth and vinyl interior trim, front door arm rests, chrome windshield and chrome rear window moldings, and hub caps. The FUTURA Falcon added features such as deluxe interior trim, side window moldings, hood ornament, full-length side trim molding, and full wheel covers. Further upgrades on Futura included bucket seats. SQUIRE included wood-grain exterior trim, power tailgate window and carpeted floors. SPRINT added bucket seats, a console, sports steering wheel, tachometer and wire wheel covers.
Pricing the 1964 Falcon
The Falcon ranged from the Falcon 2-door sedan with a base MSRP of $1,996 ($20,859.87 in today’s dollars) all the way up to the Falcon Sprint 2-door convertible with a base MSRP of $2,671 ($27,914.19 in today’s dollars). The average price for a new Ford Falcon in 1964 for the American consumer was $2,345 ($24,507.22 in today’s dollars).
SOURCES:
J. “Kelly” Flory, Jr., American Cars, 1960 to 1965, McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 41-43; 269-70; 299-300.
