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Wikipedia: Ford Falcon (North America)
Wikipedia: Ford Falcon (Australia)
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History
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Ford Falcon (North America) page on 16 September 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Ford Falcon is an automobile that was produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970 across three generations. It was a sales success for Ford initially, outselling rival compacts from Chrysler and General Motors introduced at the same time. The television marketing for this model featured the first animated appearances of the characters from Charles Schulz's acclaimed comic strip, Peanuts, with announcer contribution from Paul Frees.
The Falcon was offered in two-door and four-door sedan, two-door and four-door station wagon, two-door hardtop, convertible, sedan delivery and Ranchero pickup body configurations. For several years, the Falcon name was also used on passenger versions of the Ford Econoline van.
Variations of the Ford Falcon were manufactured in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile and Mexico.
Edsel Ford first used the term "Falcon" for a more luxurious Ford he designed in 1935. He decided the new car did not fit with Ford's other offerings, so this design eventually became the Mercury.
Historically, the "Big Three" auto manufacturers (GM, Ford and Chrysler), focused purely on the larger and more profitable vehicles in the US and Canadian markets. Towards the end of the 1950s, all three manufacturers realized that this strategy would no longer work. Large automobiles were becoming increasingly expensive, making smaller cars such as Fiats, Renaults, Toyotas, and Volkswagens increasingly attractive. Furthermore, many American families were now in the market for a second car, and market research showed women especially thought the full-size car had grown too large and cumbersome.
At the same time, research showed many buyers would prefer to buy US or Canadian if the domestic manufacturers offered a smaller car with lower cost of ownership. Thus, all three introduced compacts: the Valiant from Chrysler (becoming the Plymouth Valiant in 1961, and joined by a downsized Dodge Dart in 1962), GM's Chevrolet Corvair, and the Ford Falcon. Studebaker also introduced the Lark, and Rambler downsized its near-compact American in 1960. Ford United Kingdom had begun production of the Ford Anglia in 1939, and the earlier Ford Model Y in 1932, followed by the Ford Zephyr, but they weren't sold in North America. Ford of Germany built the Ford Eifel, followed by the Ford Köln which was mechanically similar to the British Model Y, followed later by the Ford Taunus in 1939, but were also not sold in North America. The European Fords, Anglia, Zephyr, and Taunus, were in production at the same time the Falcon was introduced.
The project which became the Falcon was started and sponsored by Ford General Manager Robert S. McNamara, who commissioned a team to create what by American standards of the time would be a small car but elsewhere in the world considered a mid-size. McNamara, who was promoted to Group Vice President of Cars and Trucks by the time Falcon was launched, was intimately involved in development, insisting on keeping the costs and weight of the car as low as possible. Engineer Harley Copp employed a unibody atop a standard suspension and sourced parts from Ford's existing bin to keep the price low yet provide room for six passengers in reasonable comfort. The sales success of the conventional Falcon along with slow sales of GM's rear-engined Corvair led General Motors to introduce their own compact car based on the Falcon's principles, the Chevy II.
The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Ford Falcon (Australia) page on 16 September 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Ford Falcon was a full-sized car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company of Australia from 1960 to 2016. From the XA series of 1972 onward, each Falcon and range of derivates have been designed, developed, and built in Australia, following the phasing out of the American-influenced Falcon of 1960 to 1971, which had been re-engineered locally as the XK to XY series for the harsher Australian conditions. The luxury-oriented Ford Fairmont model joined the range from 1965. Luxury long-wheelbase derivative versions called the Ford Fairlane and LTD arrived in 1967 and 1973, respectively (with production ending in 2007).
The Ford Falcon and its derivates have been Australian-made best-sellers, with over 3,000,000 sales in seven generations to 2003, almost exclusively in Australia and New Zealand, but also South Africa. Along with its closest Australian-made rival, the Holden Commodore, the Falcon has dominated the ranks of taxis in Australia and New Zealand, as well as police car and company fleets.
In its last incarnation as the FG X series, the body style of the Falcon range consisted of sedan and utility body styles. Luxury variants of the current model Falcon, collectively known as the G Series, were marketed as the Ford G6, G6E, and G6E Turbo, which replaced the long-standing Fairmont and Fairmont Ghia models. Previously the Falcon range also included a hardtop coupé, panel van and station wagon (respectively up to 1978, 1999 and 2010)., as well as the Futura variant. The Falcon platform had also spawned luxury models such as the Landau coupe and long-wheelbase Fairlane and LTD sedans.
In May 2013, Ford Australia announced the end of local production, which comprises Falcon and its closely related Territory crossover SUV, by October 2016. This decision is attributable to Ford Motor Company's "One Ford" product development plan introduced in 2008 to rationalise its global range. Under this plan, Falcon's indirect replacements are the fourth-generation Mondeo from Europe and the sixth-generation Mustang from North America – the latter to retain Ford's Australian V8 heritage. The final Ford Falcon, a blue XR6, rolled off the production line on 7 October 2016.
| Date | Document Name & Details | Documents |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | ABC's of the Ford Falcon (1960 Ford Falcon Salesman's Manual) | Topic Page - 31 pages |
| 1961 | Falcon 1961 (1961 Ford Falcon Owner's Manual) Ford Motor Company | Topic Page - 48 pages |
| 6 October 1966 | NHTSA Recall 66V004007 1967 Ford, 1967 Ford Falcon SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING National Highway Traffic Safety Administration | Recall Page - 1 page |
| Futura 6 | |
|---|---|
| Exterior Dimensions | |
| Length | 182" |
| Width | 72" |
| Height | 55" w/5-passenger load* |
| Wheelbase | 110" |
| Engine | |
| Type | I6 |
| Displacement | 170 cu. in. |
| Bore & Stroke | 3.50" x 2.94" |
| Compression Ratio | 9.1:1 |
| Valvetrain | Overhead Valve (OHV) |
| Horsepower (Advertised) | 105hp @ 4400 rpm |
| Torque (Advertised) | 158 lb.-ft. @ 2400 rpm |
| Transmission & Final Drive | |
| Axle Ratio | 3.00 |
| Engine Revolutions Per Mile (High Gear) | 2515 |
| Piston Travel Per Mile (High Gear) | 1230' |
| Suspension & Steering | |
| Turning Circle, Wall-to-Wall | 42' |
| Steering Factor | 1.27 manual, 1.02 power |
| Ground Clearance | 7.0" no load 5.5" w/5-passenger load* |
| Brakes, Wheels & Tires | |
| Tires | 6.45x14in. |
| Weights & Capacities | |
| Curb Weight | 2600 lbs. |
| Weight Distribution | 47% rear |
| Rated Tire Capacity (4-tire capacity minus curb weight) | 760 lbs. |
| Performance | |
| 0-60 mph | 17.0 seconds* |
| 45-65 mph | 11.0 seconds* |
| Quarter Mile | 20.5 seconds* |
| 30-40 mph on 9% grade | 5.5 seconds* |
| 30-50 mph on 9% grade | 25.0 seconds* |
| Maximum Speed on 9% grade | 56mph* |
| Economy | |
| At 30mph | 27.0 mpg* |
| At 40mph | 26.0 mpg* |
| At 50mph | 24.0 mpg* |
| At 60mph | 20.5 mpg* |
| Consumer Reports Simulated Traffic Test | 15.5 mpg* |
| Oil Consumption (after break-in) | 2600 miles/quart* |
| Type & Item # | Name | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Model Kit - Trumpeter 02507 | 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint Hardtop, Stock Plus | Classic Car Collection, 1:25 scale |
| Model Kit - AMT 5114-150 | '64 Convertible Customizing Kit: Falcon "Sprint" | 1:25 scale, 3 in 1, Customized by Bill Cushenbery |
| Model Kit - Trumpeter 02511 | 65 Ford Falcon Ranchero pickup, stock plus | Classic Car Collection, 1:25 scale |
| Model Kit - AMT 30142 | '69 Ford Falcon | Modified Stocker, 1:25 scale |
| Date | Article | Author/Source |
|---|---|---|
| 27 January 2009 | NEW IRWIN RACING FORD FALCON ON SCHEDULE FOR V8 SUPERCAR SEASON | Stone Brothers Racing |
| 9 June 2009 | IRWIN INDUSTRIAL TOOLS TO GIVE AWAY UNIQUE FORD FALCON XR6 UTE | Stone Brothers Racing |
| 13 June 2013 | Spotted - FORD FALCON XB GT 500 COUPE 6.5 V8 INTERCEPTOR  | Matt Hubbard, Speedmonkey |
