1963 Ford Falcon Futura

Description

How can Ford Falcons continue to be so affordable? This one packs a rumbling 347 cubic inch stroker motor, a 4-speed, and a restoration that you couldn't even get close to duplicating for the asking price. Never mind that it runs like an early Mustang and looks cool, this is a ton of car for the money.

This bright red hardtop is one nice little sleeper. The Falcon was conservative, yes, but it was also rugged, reliable, and had great familial DNA that made it look like a ¾ scale Fairlane. The Rangoon Red paint makes it a flashy machine that gets a lot of attention out on the road, and the quality of the work belies the price tag because it looks pretty darned good. It's not perfect, of course, but the shine is far better than 1960s paint tech would deliver, and the car was put together the way the factory would have done it, so it feels solid going down the road. Lots of bright trim ties in with the other Ford products of the era, including the sweeping side trim with a contrasting black insert and "Sprint" script on the front fenders. Round taillights continue Ford's fascination with "jet age" styling, and nothing but the relatively fat rear tires give away this little Falcon's secret.

From behind the wheel, it's easy to see where the Mustang gets its handsome good looks, as the Falcon includes a handsome and unique gray and red interior. Looking far more upscale than you'd expect, the seats wear fresh covers front and rear and the doors have been upholstered to match, so it all looks very period-correct. The dash should look familiar to anyone who's driven a Ford of this vintage, with a wide speedometer flanked by round pods with auxiliary gauges inside. This one also sports a cool Stewart-Warner tach on the steering column and a set of modern auxiliary gauges underneath the dash, along with a handsome color-matched steering wheel and a Hurst cue ball shifter for the 4-speed gearbox. The factory AM radio remains in the dash, and it's kind of nice to see it there instead of the ubiquitous modern head unit. In back, there's a trunk that's more spacious than you'd expect, and it has been fully carpeted just like the interior.

The door tag says this one originally came with an F-code 260, so it's a real V8 car, but this one is packing nearly 100 extra cubes in the form of a stroked 302 punched out to 347 cubic inches. It's a very strong runner thanks to a big Holley 4-barrel carburetor, Edelbrock aluminum heads, and an MSD ignition system. Other details include the Falcon-logo finned valve covers with matching air cleaner. Long-tube headers dump into a fresh dual exhaust system that sounds spectacular. The rest of the chassis is in good order with tubular front A-arms and rack-and-pinion steering, subframe connectors to reinforce the tub, and heavy-duty Caltrac traction bars out back. Out back, it carries 3.80 gears with a limited slip inside a 9-inch housing and there's a disc brake at all four corners. Vintage-looking Torque Thrust wheels are exactly the right choice and wear staggered 165/80/15 front and 235/55/16 rear performance radials.

A lot of V8 performance in a great-looking package, this Falcon clearly cost more than the asking price to build. A bargain back then and an even bigger one today. Call now!