Overshadowed by the glamorous Mustang, the Ford Falcon soldiered on in 1967 with new features, colors, and options.
The 1965 Mustang is one of the legendary success stories of the Motor City. With new sheet metal and some clever repackaging, a Ford product team led by Don Frey and Lee Iacocca gave the modest Falcon platform a glamorous makeover, named it the Mustang, and sold more than 550,000 units in the first model year. Meanwhile, the Falcon lived on in the shadows as a practical family sedan, and in 1966 was treated to all-new styling on a slightly longer 110.9-inch wheelbase.
This revised Falcon package was carried forward for 1967 in three body styles: a two-door-post Club Coupe, a four-door Sedan, and a four-door Station Wagon (the wagon shared its 113-inch wheelbase with the intermediate Fairlane). Two trim levels were offered, called Falcon and Falcon Futura, with the Futura boasting deluxe vinyl-and-nylon upholstery and a 200 CID six, compared to 170 CID for the base Falcon. For the performance crowd, there were optional 289 CID Challenger V8s in both two-barrel and four-barrel tune. And at the top of the ’67 Falcon line was the Futura Sports Coupe with vinyl bucket seats and fancy exterior stripes and badging.
Despite the crisp new styling, Falcon sales figures continued their slide: around 90,000 units in 1966 and not quite 65,000 for 1967. The sun was setting on the original Ford Falcon in America (though the brand would live on for decades in other markets, including Australia and Argentina). While they are hardly common in collector circles these days, we think these third-generation Falcons were solid and handsome cars, as shown in this original Ford dealer film. Here, the Ford compact is touted as a “short limousine.” Video follows.
These are sharp looking cars. I would buy a Futura tomorrow if I could find one.
I am a little confused here. If that is a 67 it is the car we got here in Oz with major body strengthening mods in mid 66. We only got 4 door sedans and wagons. But both 6cyl 170 & 200 plus the 289 2 bbl and Falcon GT with 289 4bbl. But I thought that shape was released in the US in 65?
We also got Fairmont as the more upper class than Futura which was around but sold very few. Disc brakes were an option on all models and standard on GT. And all of our cars got the ONE suspension, not the dopey half assed one for 6s with 4 stud wheels and different one for V8s with 5 stud. What were they thinking?
All levels got the BW 75 diff except GT which was 8″.
Many manufacturers in the US seemed to go out of their way to make several different versions of the same model and this was a glaring example.
And as for the Mustang it may be very similar suspension [and dumb 4 stud on 6s] but the body is built very differently. Trying to adapt Mustang suspension set ups to a Falcon simply does not work. Or at least for Motorsport.
Great to see the USS Shangri-La, and the USS Jonas Ingram!
Always wanted one of the two doors, but never could find one that wasn’t a rust bucket.
The Falcon was pretty much the same car as the Mustang, just packaged a little differently. The name continued on until the early 1970’s when the next revision took place, and it was renamed Maverick, and the Falcon badge was used on some stripped versions of the Torino/Fairlane series.
Underneath though, Falcon, Mustang, Maverick all shared the same suspension and running gear, just different sheet metal. There was some difference in the lighter 6 cylinder parts, but the 8 cylinder parts fit in their place mostly unchanged. I too never understood the reasoning for having 4 lug components under the 6 cylinder cars and 5 lugs on the V8’s, looks like unnecessary costs to me.
Agreed