Fun footage of a later Falcon being abused in modern times: For cost context, they are running Avon CR6ZZ tires... I run the same on my race car. They cost around $350 per tire and on a light car like mine they are good for 12 to 14 hours. On the falcon, they are sweating 2 hours... Racing old cars is crazy expensive... and only marginal more fun that terrorizing city streets or, in my case, country backroads...
The Ford Falcons showed out incredibly well in the 1963 and 1964 Monte Carlo Rallies, a definite high-point during that era.
Homologation reg.'s" was a set of rules by FIA,still is, n printed out as a set specs. on a car,,=spec's by factory and had min. # of cars built that way* by a Factory*or call it a team* more close to real. to meet the spec. For a race class. Lot of back shop tricks played,then an now. Race rules have never been as read,by those not doing it. at the time talked about. Each time is unto it's self How it was built by a team /if ya like we'll call them a Ford team, vs Factory, didn't matter other then so many units with same name to meet rule. If it was simple,why race. Started helping my Dad with a SCCA H-Mod in the mid 1950s,then became crew on a number of sports cars. Got into oval racing a lot by early 60s. Designed n built both in my Shop in the 60s n 70s,retired in 2005 I should write out a story of how a Buick V6 took the pole for Indy 500. Too get on the front page of nearly every news paper n story of the day on TV. It would give a better idea of what "tricks" mean. An how mixed racing is over all the clubs.
Barracuda inspiration? Easier to ask the HAMB brain trust than to look it up. The ignorant (ahem) wants to connect those dots.
Randy Holman was a junior high school-mate of mine in Charlotte...Many times after school ,his mom would pick us up and take us out to H/M's shop at the Airport. One particular afternoon I saw this older gentleman doing some O/A torch work on the Challenger III project.. Didnt realize who he was or the significance of what I was seeing. I do remember there was a group of interested bystanders quietly watching also.. Many years later , I learned that talented craftsman was Lujie himself.. Stan
5th car from bottom. Hello, We have always liked the small stature of the Ford Falcon cars. Small, but if set up correctly, could give anyone a run for the money. A 289, 4 speed, 4 barrel or dual quads, etc. all in a 2300 pound sedan or wagon? A high performance motor, plus around 300 lbs. more than a high cost Porsche. The ground zero build was possible. A great platform for performance. 1962 The little car had the roots and with Holman-Moody behind the modifications, it was a shining road ahead. In the photos below, the body modifications are seen. Jnaki But, sometimes it does not take a radical build to make a small sedan popular with the masses. The section was a challenge sales folks would not have been able to sell to most buyers. The radical sloped roof was another design adding to the all around view for comfort and driving. Look at the photo on the right, if they had left the normal sloping sedan narrow window frame, it would have looked fine. Great views and room inside for 4. Perhaps a hardtop version could have been part of the design for public consumption… another “bubbletop” in the works… Section line visible at the taillight (left); The plywood mold for the fastback roof (right) Note: Whatever the reason, the product was good and bad. A small Ford sedan made itself known, but only to race folks. The public still got the standard bland version that did not make much of a dent in all sales. But driving a small sectioned car with a high performance v8 motor and 4 speed? Affordable to teenagers? It could have started a trend over the larger cars with larger v8 motors. A sectioned small Ford Falcon rolling down the streets of Bixby Knolls would have been something, but, cramped for 4 teenagers out for a cruising night. YRMV “Challenger III on display as part of the Ford Custom Car Caravan. It showed at the 1962 and 1963 season, a different color each time, and once with (Moon disc) wheel covers, once without.” “Challenger III at the Nassau Trophy Race between a Dailu MKI and 289 Cobra, with a Ferrari tailing lose behind; Challenger III was leading the event until it suffered a mechanical failure…” Note 2 : Someone mentioned Moon Discs for a stylish treatment or visions of high speed runs at Bonneville or El Mirage? Either that model is over 6 feet tall or she makes the Ford Falcon look puny…
I get what you're saying about driving a full-on race car . . . versus any of our street-legal hotrods . . . different breed, but MORE of the same/similar feeling. I can attest that being in a fully caged car, wearing a fire suit (and all the gear), with a full fire-control system (motor on back) and being "strapped into" a seat (that always seems way too small) - is something to behold. That is the problem with street cars - even if they are fully race-built, you can't give them justice and drive them as they should be driven - or you'll go to jail, get hit by some fool or have your insurance cancelled in short order (or any combination of the three). Thanks for sharing!
I saw Ida's posts on Instagram while he was finishing this one up, and I agree....his talent and involvement with auto history is breathtaking! I also love those East African Safari Mercury Comets from '64. Jumping marques, those few fastback Chevy II's built for drag racing were also slick and nimble!
The Falcon lives on as a GT1/TA car. Fiberglass body on 1990s tubeframe transam car. Ford tested their IRS suspension under a 64 Falcon. Their ponycar wasn't out yet so the Falcon gave them the same chassis with different sheetmetal to use.
I've been a fan of those cars and their Stroppe colors since it was first on the cover of HotRod. There was a guy who used one to tow his vintage race Porsche to Monterey each year. He restored it and then vintage raced it. OVC which is the Original Venice Crew that built the R Model Shelbys opened a shop building continuation cars and other restorations. They have one of the African cars in the shop now undergoing restoration. I'm glued to that thing whenever I stop by looking for all the little tricks.
Good stuff. Loved the cars in video. I lived and worked out of McCamey Tx in the early to mid 90s my pilgrimage to the Permian Basin - the holy grail of the oil fields - and I drove to Midland often on Hwy 349 I remember driving by a shop with Chaparral on a building ,always wondered if that was THE Chaparral, sounds like it was Damn should’ve stopped in.
The Jalopy Journal
