One more important step for the Ford Motor Company on the road to the Mustang was the 1963 Falcon Futura Sprint.
With the 1960 Falcon, the Ford Motor Company scored a decisive victory in the compact sales wars over the Chevrolet Corvair. Still, Chevy won an important battle in the war with the Monza, a sportier version of the Corvair with bucket seats and other features that found considerable favor among younger buyers. The Monza accounted for around half of Corvair’s total sales.
Recognizing a hot trend, Ford answered back in 1961 with the Futura, a Falcon with similar trimmings, and then began to lay plans for an all-new car carefully designed for this soon-to-explode market, the Mustang. To fill the gap in the meantime, midway through 1963 Ford launched another Falcon that offered some performance to go with the sporty trim: the Futura Sprint.
When it launched as part of Ford’s 1963 1/2 Lively Ones campaign, the Sprint’s most noteworthy feature was its 260 cubic-inch Challenger V8 with 164 hp, matched to a Borg-Warner T-10 four-speed transmission. The little Fairlane V8 might not sound like much now, but with a curb weight of just 2,400 lbs the Sprint could scoot right along. Springs, shocks, and rear axle were borrowed from the Fairlane as well. Other goodies included a tachometer on top of the dash, wire wheel covers, a woodgrain steering wheel, and Sprint emblems on the glove box door, C-pillars, and front fenders.
All the standard Futura equipment was also included: bucket seats and center console, an all-vinyl interior, extra bright trim. Two body styles were available, a two-door hardtop and a convertible, and sales were surprisingly brisk for a half-year specialty model. Around 15,000 cars were produced, with the coupe representing two-thirds of the volume.
Oddly enough, it seems Ford originally planned to offer the Sprint with the 170 CID Special Six with 101 hp. Ford’s early promotional materials pictured the six-cylinder version with Sprint badges on the fenders but no V8 emblems. In that form, the Sprint would have been little more than a slightly dressed-up Futura. Fortunately, we think, Ford made the Challenger V8 standard on the Sprint, and also made it optional on the rest of the Falcon range with the mid-year rollout.
Many have noted that in features and specifications the ’63 1/2 Sprint is remarkably similar to the 1965 Mustang that made its debut at the New York World’s Fair in April of 1964. The main difference was the Mustang’s entirely different exterior sheet metal. With its long hood/short deck styling, the Mustang became a Motor City sensation, creating a whole new market segment. But for buyers who preferred the same basic hardware in a traditional three-box package, Dearborn continued to offer the Sprint through 1965.
I can still recall Mr. MCQuen’s brand new Futura Sprint and even at 5 years of age, it drew me in.
Are you sure it was not McCall the car guy from Popular Mechanics? He had a great article about the Sprint. I had the 260 with a 4speed and thought it was pretty quick.
Been a while. Sites come and go, but MCG is still one of the best. A teen story should,,nay must be told here. In HS, we had a friend, his name was Drew, a bit older than us, he was the classic backyard, shade tree hoist, mechanic. In the late 60s, he picked up a ’63 Falcon Futura, with a 6, but perfect condition. He then “found”( are you sitting down?) a ’64 Falcon Sprint, 260, 4 speed, rare as hand signals today, in poor condition, and put everything from the Sprint into the Futura, ( via shade tree, I helped) with poor results. He junked the Sprint, and wrapped the Futura around an oak tree.
Thanks for the kind words.
Must have been about 12 when Dad came home in a new, baby blue ’63 Futura convertible with the 170 and Fordomatic. Learned to drive in that and used it in college. Man, I beat that car. Why? Teen fantasies. I suppose.
A real shame and one of many regrets
Yeah, another wannabe racer. Such types ALWAYS end up
Disappointed!
Hola! Soy Fernando desde Lima, Argentina. En casa tenemos un Falcon 1964 con el 170, aparte de un Cougar V6 año 2000.
En Argentina el Sprint salió en el 73, con 166 hp. Podrían hacer una nota sobre ese auto??? Me gustaría saber su mirada sobre ese auto y los autos argentinos en general.
Una gran abrazo y gracias por esta hermosa web!
Thank you, Fernando. That is a fine suggestion. We will try to do that.
I had a 1963 Ford Falcon Futura convertible. It was the first car I owned. I still regret having ever sold it. It was not as tripped out as some noted in this post. It had the 170 six, and the paint was faded on it when I got it, but it was truly a fun car.
I had a girlfriend in 1977 who owned a 65 Falcon Sprint, black and white with black and white bucket seats and the four speed. It was a great car. Our romance didn’t last long, but I ran into her a few years later and asked her if she still had the Sprint, sadly she said that the engine needed a rebuild and some jerk talked her into dropping a 289 in it. She said that it lost its spark…
The Sprint could be ordered with the two-speed Fordomatic as well. An ex-GF of mine, daughter of a Ford dealer, had one, Rangoon Red convertible. In the 1980s, I came across a ’63 Deluxe station wagon at Spring Carlisle, Rangoon Red 260 V8 with all-synchro three-on-the-tree . Drove it home. My wife loved it but the engine was tired and rust was setting in. The car’s still out there. I came across it at a local show a few years ago.