"I'm a Ford man," he said, noting his first car was a 1956 Mercury Montclair, which cost $314.56. Apart from replacing tubes and liquids, he's only invested in a new top. He said he bought it sight unseen from a friend's father about four years ago after hearing about it while tuna fishing. Jerry McIntyre of Greensboro, N.C., had also driven to the convention with his wife, Jane, in his unrestored red 1963 Falcon Sprint convertible. " when the Mustang came out they did not want them anymore." "It's midsize and peppy," said Inglis of the Falcon. Inglis said he bought his car new and drag raced it for a number of years. Rollins said the unoriginal parts of his Falcon include the engine from a 1999 Ford Explorer, the transmission from a 1991 Ford Thunderbird, the instrument cluster from a 1966 Mustang and the front seats from a Honda Civic.Ī couple of Canadians, Al Inglis of Toronto, with his Rangoon Red 1963 Falcon Sprint convertible, and Lloyd Marshment of Sarnia, Ontario, with his Highland Green 1964 Falcon Futura sedan, were sitting by their cars, which they had driven down. "It's a Johnny Cash car," he said, referring to the country singer's 1976 hit "One Piece at a Time," in which he sings about assembling a car from mismatched parts stolen from an assembly plant. "We were on the road for a month, 8,500 miles," he said, noting a memorable drive through the Mojave Desert in 114 degrees.Īt last weekend's convention, Wayne Rollins, of Greenback, Tenn., was there with his modified 1964 Falcon convertible. He then joined the Falcon club and 10 years ago drove out to San Ramon, Calif., for a national convention. Later he bought a 1963 Falcon Ranchero coupe utility. "But life goes on," he said, noting they got married and had three children.īut in 1985, he got the bug and bought a 1963 Falcon Sprint convertible, restored it and still has it. In 1971 he helped Christine, then his high school sweetheart, buy a new Falcon sedan and she had it for a number of years. "It was trashed by the time I turned 16," he said. He traded in his motorcycle (partly at his parents' insistence), and he drove the Falcon over the dirt roads of Coventry. "It became a family car," he said.īowes said he got his first Falcon when he was 15. "It has a sporty look and was economic and cheap." But he added that the Falcon convertible was discontinued after the Mustang came out. "The Falcon is an alternative to the Mustang," said Bowes. In the first five years of its existence, the Falcon marquee transitioned from bare bones econo-boxes to an array of small cars offering sporty convertibles, as well as exciting V-8 powered cars."īut the Mustang grabbed the spotlight - and still does - and the Falcon line was discontinued in 1970.Īt the same time, the Falcon has its fans. Of these, model years 1963-1965 are considered to be the most collectible. While the first generation Falcons (1960-63) were stylistically plain, the second generation (1964-65) were more squared off and stylish.Īs puts it: "Originally envisioned as a compact economy car, Falcons evolved through four distinct body style phases. The Falcon eventually gave way to the iconic Ford Mustang, which was built on the same platform and introduced in 1964. The car, which Ford introduced in 1960, was a modest-sized car designed to compete with the smaller imports then making inroads into the American market, which was dominated by home-grown behemoths. "We're expecting a couple from Ireland and a guy from Israel," said Rick Bowes, president of the Northeast Chapter of the Falcon Club and a member of the national board, who co-organized the convention with his wife, Christine. WARWICK - More than 175 Ford Falcons from the 1960s rallied around the Crowne Plaza hotel last weekend for the 36th annual National Convention of the Falcon Club of America.Ī cursory look through the parked cars revealed license plates from as far away as California, Canada, Florida and Texas.
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