16k Mile Barn Find: 1963 Ford Falcon Futura
A 1963 Ford Falcon in Futura trim could easily be thought of as a Mustang dry run. It could be had as a 2-door hardtop with bucket seats and a floor-shifted transmission. And – later in the year – a V8 would finally become available in the form of the Futura Sprint. This is one of those cars, but not the Sprint, so it has a six-cylinder engine. It’s been off the road since 1992 and is going to need work to get it going again, but the body and interior may be fine. Located with a dealer in Richmond, Virginia, this Futura is available here on eBay for the Classifieds price of $14,500 although you can also make an offer.
The Falcon was born for the 1960 model year as Ford’s entrant into the “new” compact market that was already occupied by Studebaker and American Motors. Chrysler and GM would also follow. The car was simple in concept as well as execution and sold quite well. In 1961, the line-up was expanded to include the Futura, a sporty version of the car, but only available in sedan form until 1963. That’s when the Futura got both hardtop and convertible body styles. The hardtop coupe saw 28,496 assemblies, including this one with a 170 cubic inch, 101 hp I-6, as verified by the VIN.
We don’t have much history on this ’63 Falcon other than it’s been sitting in a barn or some reasonable facsimile thereof for 30 years. As a result, its brakes are seized up and the fuel system will need to be flushed out from A to Z to nurse it back to health. We’re told the motor spins over freely with a battery, so that’s a good sign. The ad is conflicting as to whether the Falcon has an automatic or manual transmission, but the shifter knob says it’s a 4-speed, so we’ll go with that. However, I thought a 3-speed was as zippy as these Falcons got before the V8 came along.
What’s surprising about this auto (besides its largely rust-free condition) is that it’s reported to have just 15,747 miles. That’s always hard to believe, but the overall condition of the car is better than it should be if the odometer had flipped over. The seller has not attempted to clean up the machine and indicates that any work beyond the inspection they’ve already done will add to the price tag, so it’s better to take it with dust, dirt, and all.
The burgundy paint may clean up nicely with a few scratches remaining to show its age. And the black interior looks quite good, helping to confirm that its three-decade hibernation was safely indoors. If you’re looking for a sporty 1960s car and don’t care about speed, this Futura could be a cheaper acquisition and project than its spawn, the Mustang. When you go to a car show, you’re going to find one or more 1965-66 Mustangs, but not a lot of Futura’s.
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Comments
Model Series = 2 Door Hardtop
Engine = 170 Cu. In. 6 cylinder
Body Type = Falcon 2 Door Hardtop (Bucket Seats) – Futura
Exterior Color = Heritage Burgundy
Upholstery Color = Black All Vinyl
Date Born = 18January 1962
Transmission = 4 Speed Manual Transmission
Axle = 3.50:1
DSO = Charlotte
Assembly Plant = Lorain
I purchased a 1963 Ford Falcon Futura in 1967.It was not the Sprint but had factory v8 engine(260ci) & a (4) speed manual floor transmission.Mine was black(exterior),red interior,bench seats.It had what i call the fastback roof line.
I believe the 6 cylinder was available with the Dagenham 4 Speed transmission.
I recall reading the Dagenham trans weren’t the greatest but behind a 170 six shouldn’t be a big issue. However it might not be a big deal to swap for a BW T10
One of my father’s workmates had one of these 6 cylinder 4 speed Falcons when they were introduced. He gave us a demonstration ride one Saturday, and as a kid (not old enough to have a license) I was very impressed with both the acceleration and the handling of the car. I suspect the lighter weight of the engine had a positive effect on handling in such a light body. Later, our own ’65 Falcon 170 with a 3 speed was a distinct anticlimax. Another workmate had a Corvair Spyder, and, aside from straight-line acceleration, I was not nearly as impressed after his demonstration ride on another Saturday. As an adult, I always thought I’d like to have one of those Futuras on modern radial tires as a fun summer car, the Spyder not so much.
A 4-speed manual was an option according to a ’63 Falcon brochure. I have read it was a light-duty unit and not all that reliable. The seller calls it an automatic. The transmission makes me question the mileage. A 4-speed doesn’t suit the image of a 500 mile per year grocery getter. In the brochure I found no mention of leather upholstery as an option. Perhaps the seller is incorrect again.
The layer of dust does potential buyers no favor. The pictures document the as found condition. Simply rinsing the dust off would be a good move. Some images of the undercarriage would help verify the claimed mileage. The car may well have been refurbished at some point in the past.
Looks like the shift lever has a reverse lockout collar on it which would indicate a 4 speed.
The 170 cubic inch special motor was orange red, the one in this car is blue which means it is either a 144 or 200 cubic inch. that being said, I would love to buy it..
A nice little car. Maybe I’m cheap but I see $4500 there not $14500. What do you folks think?
I saw the car today, he will get $14,500 or $23,000, it just depends on whether someone buys it as it sits or after he spend a week repacking wheel bearing and putting on a fresh set of tires. It is a very nice little car, 50/50 it is a true 15K miler, if it is 115K then it was very well maintained until it was parked 28 years ago.
I agree with Bob. Too much at $14,500 for a non runner.
Considering it’s been sitting for mega years no tell what else it needs I would offer 3500 the four thousand. And not to mention it’s got an in-line six.
Those little sixes were sweet running little engines and combined with the all syncro four speed would be perfectly adequate for a weekend cruiser or just a plain fun car to have. Personally, I would prefer it to the 8 cylinder cars since my enjoyment doesn’t require burnouts or winning street races.
my Grand father bought a 1960 ford falcon when he retire from the steel mills. he traded a 1955 chevy for it . 8yrs later i got it when pass away it had 10,000 miles on it and the original tires on it, which were 13″. I put 14″ on it. it was a sweet ride.
November 2018 Bar Finds showed a 63 Futura with a 4 speed
I had a 1970 Ford Maverick with the 170CI (6) cylinder eng,automatic trans.Not a lot of umph but very reliable.Pretty good on gas.
What a clean, sweetie. In this case wouldn’t mind the 170 six at all. Interior looks spotless and exterior looks pretty rust free.
The dealer is an A-#1 operation, good reviews on Google. The dealer bought a big chunk of a elderly uber-wealthy businessman-collector’s holdings and will likely continue to buy cars from this collector, apparently the collector is out of control and his family is making him sell off his old dusty stuff before he buys new GT500’s and other Ford exotics.
I inspected the car today, it is an honest car with cream puff potential. I owned a 1965 Falcon that had documented 28K miles when I bought it in 1986, this 1963 barn find Futura is nearly the same condition with regard to interior wear (small unraveling on the driver’s seat seam where you would naturally push on that seam when getting in and out of the car), exterior condition (aside from a small bump in the front bumper this car appears straight, original, no rust, one repaint 30 years ago, plenty of old undercoating and where it wasn’t undercoated the rust is expected surface rust with no heavy scaling or corrosion), and overall mechanics (unmolested!!!). The transmission shifts freely but I could not find reverse, that could have just been how it is sitting. The keys are messed up, the ignition switch is in pieces and the trunk key appears to be missing. The brake fluid reservoir was bone dry, the clutch pedal felt like the spring was soft, but it as all connected up as one would expect. The dealer said only the right front wheel is stuck, he offered to let me put tools to it and use the shop for a few days to sort it out before I paid for it. He is firm on price and will de-list the car in a few days, as soon as he has space to start cleaning it up. Later he will relist at $25K, apparently he has been doing that consistently with cars out of this collection, selling the barn finds at a nice profit and if he puts a week of elbow grease he can get another $10K. I can’t justify spending $14,500 on a car where I can’t even get into the trunk, but if I absolutely had to have the straight-six + 4 speed combo, factory stock end to end, this is the car and I would call him now, he has had 10+ calls since it was listed, he’s on I-95 and can arrange transportation. Nice dealer, bookmark him because he has a lot of FOMOCO to move.
Even though she’s a 6 cylinder she’s got a 4 speed manual? Thats great and she looks very clean but $14,500 for a non runner is too rich for my blood. $8500 at the most unless the seller took the time to get her going again