BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Bobert
Date: 21 Feb 12 - 08:55 AM

The 1st US Falcon was the 1960 model and came with a pesky 144 cu. in. 6 cyl. engine that had loud valves that needed adjusting every 20,000 miles... The first V-8 Falcon came out in 1963 and was a 260 cu. in. and came with the "Futura" package which included bucket seats and a center counsel...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: katlaughing
Date: 21 Feb 12 - 12:44 AM

GregB, my sis was a "career teacher" bought her 1965 Mustang the first year she taught and it was no sissy V6, my dad wouldn't allow it and she didn't want it. It was that beautiful turquoise blue with embossed seats (mustangs running across front and back seat backs.)Last I heard, my niece had it, still, but don't quote me on that.:-)

My parents had a white Falcon, I think it was a '61. My other sisters learned how to drive with it. They then had a Fairlane. Then I met my first husband who turned me onto 1963 Ford Galaxy convertibles. Still love those cars!

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Feb 12 - 12:30 AM

Falcons first in australia in 1961/ 62 6 cylinder motor

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 09:29 PM

My parents owned a dark red Falcon station wagon. It was the car I learned to drive on. While I still had my learner's permit, my mom, some cousins, and I went to LaSallette Shrine in MA to see the Christmas lights. It was the longest drive I'd done after dark. On the way home I kept telling mom the brakes didn't feel right, but she thought I was just nervous about driving--until she pulled out of the driveway in the morning and decided the car needed to go to the garage immediately. As she thought about the night before she admitted she should have taken me seriously and not let me drive, especially with younger children in the car. In those days, I doubt we had seat belts in the back seats, though I think she and I had them in the front.

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: kendall
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 09:13 PM

Our Packard is for sale if you want a REAL car. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Bobert
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 08:03 PM

Yes, the 289 was snuck into some 64 1/2 models but was already the power plant in the '64 AC Cobra...

My Falcon was a 1965 Futura, special factory order, with a 289 "high performance" 271 hp and a Borg-Warner 4 speed... The best I've been able to reserach on the inter net is that there were only 8 made...

Mine??? Bad-ass Falcon... Eat GTOs and Corvettes in 1/4 mile drags with low to mid 12s/105-108 mph...

Like to still have it... Sho nuff would...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: GUEST,Mark-s (on the road)
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 06:09 PM

Actually, the very first in line 6 in the Falcon was 144 CID.
I remember - my dad had one. With a two speed auto tranny, which might make it through an intersection before the light changed.

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 07:50 AM

Drat. Post got et.

By way of comparison to the massive (then) 305 bhp of the Falcon, the Mini-Cooper S of Paddy Hopkirk that won the 64 Monte boasted 70 bhp and a 0-60 time of 13 seconds - but was totally uncatchable in the snow on the alpine stages.

This was to typify the differences between UK and US motorsport - nimbleness against brute force (even better illustrated by the 7 litre Galaxy of Jack Sears) - for many years thereafter.

During acceleration testing the Galaxy was recorded doing 4 mpg!

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: catspaw49
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 01:30 AM

1965 was the first production 289's although in true Ford fucked-up fashion there were a few "64 1/2" Mustangs and Falcons that got a 289 instead of the 260. Ford had this thing about half year re-releases. Mostly it had more to do with getting things approved in numbers for racing then anything else.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 20 Feb 12 - 12:07 AM

The 64 Monte was the launch of the 289 - developed by Ron Holman of Holman & Moody. 305 bhp

http://www.westcoastfalcons.com/scff/histriv/rally6.htm


The Sunbeam Tigers suffered from very tight exhaust manifolds - to fit in - and the highest HP standard was just under 200 bhp. Since the Alpine chassis was derived from the Husky van any more would have been even less well handling. One of the hottest US/UK hybrids of the time was the TVR Tuscan V8. Wikipedia wrongly states the top speed as 155 but in fact it was 165 - the snag being that considerable front end lift made it more like an aeroplane than a car at much over 130, to the considerable detriment of directional stability. Gerry Marshall raced one with considerable success.

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Greg B
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 11:35 PM

Mind you, the aluminium Buick-Rover V8 might have been a better choice...

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Greg B
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 11:33 PM

Then there was the clever bloke who discovered that the 260 would just fit into the engine compartment of the otherwise mild-mannered Sunbeam Alpine. Made quite a "Tiger" of it. Too bad they had to lose the rack-and-pinion steering to fit it all in. It did "push" a bit but still in all... And Maxwell Smart drove one.

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 11:23 PM

I think that the original 6 was 170 CI. About the power of a wristwatch. The 260 certainly had more guts but bad crank bearings meant a short life.

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: EBarnacle
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 11:02 PM

I had a '61 6 cylinder that was badly rusting out just in front of the windshield. Even though it was generally a pretty cheap car, it was very maneuverable for that era [late 60's]. I once ran away from a Maserati Ghibli on a winding dirt road. Also remember that his is the platform that the original Mustangs were developed on.

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Greg B
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 10:59 PM

Hey Bobert, when did the 289 first appear? I thought the V8 Falcons were all 260s.

Let's not let the opportunity pass to remind folks that they took the plebian little Falcon chassis and stuck a sexier coupe body on it and called it the "Mustang" and the rest is history!

(And that like 90% of the early Mustangs had the boring little Falcon 200 cubic inch straight six in them, and were sold to "career girls." Then guys in my high-school classes took the survivors in 'long about '76 and converted them into the V8 289 option and had fun fun fun.)

Subject: RE: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Bobert
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 09:41 PM

I just knew this was gonna be you, Richard...

The Falcon to you ain't what the Falcon is to US... As I have mentioned in past posts I used to drag race a factory built Ford Falcon, 1965, 289/271hp Falcon... I was one of 8 made by Ford... It ran in the 12s (1/4 mile) and in the low 100s (mph)...

Heck of a car...

B~

Subject: BS: 1964 Ford Falcon Rally Sport - Original
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Feb 12 - 07:34 PM

The original "Bo" Ljungfeldt Ford Falcon that placed second in the 1964 Monte Carlo is for sale in Europe fully restored.

Thought some of you US petrolheads would like to know.

It's likely to be VERY expensive.