A sedan delivery
(Car derived van in British English, commonly called a delivery
in US) is a two-door station
wagon with solid panels in place of the rear side windows. They were almost
always ordered from the factory with few or no options and spartan trim. They
were used in the same way a delivery
van is used today, by businesses ranging from plumbers to bakeries, and are now
popular in hot
rod circles. Ultimately, the light vans, Econoline,
Chevy Van and Dodge
A100, put the sedan
delivery out
of business, although the Falcon
delivery
lasted through 1965.
Two Auto makers pick Same Name, b
ut
Ford wins Falcon
only Minutes over Chrysler
From 1960-1965,
the Lorain, Ohio, USA assembly plant produced 913,709 Falcons before production was moved elsewhere.
Both Ford and the Chrysler Corporation, unknown
to each other, chose the name Falcon
for their new small cars. But because Ford reserved the name ahead of Chrysler, it won the right to the name.
Ford and Chrysler independently settled on Falcon,
but Ford won by notifying the Automobile Manufactures Association of its
choice twenty minutes ahead of Chrysler. The association is the official
industry arbiter and its Proprietary name File is the trade-name bible for the
car makers.
Actually Chrysler was said to have been the first to indicate its interest in
the name Falcon,
when it asked that a search be made on the availability of the name.
The report was made, but while the Company was making its final decision, Ford
called and registered the name, unaware, association officials said, that
Chrysler was considering it too.
Falcon is
not new to the automobile industry. The roster of 2600 names that have graced
the automotive scene in the last sixty years shows that Falcon
was used by two other manufacturers. A Falcon
passenger car was made in 1922 and a Falcon-Knight
was marketed in 1926.
Industry sources noted that it was possible although not likely, for Chrysler
and General Motors to shift to other names for their new cars. Ford however
appears firmly decided on Falcon.
US Falcon
Model Year Timeline
1960:
On September 21, 1959, the Ford Motor Company, in an unprecedented event,
unveiled its new Falcon
to newsmen throughout the country in a closed-circuit TV News Conference. It
had style, riding comfort, room for six adults, and, above all, a service
network of over 4000 dealers. Initially Falcon
was to be an unembellished basic car. Only a 2-Door and a 4-Door Sedan
were offered and the upgrading Options were limited. By January however, the
Station Wagon and Ranchero were added to the line and choice was widened. The
most significant was the Fordomatic automatic transmission.
1961:
A new optional engine appeared, providing 101 hp, the 170 Six, in place of the
standard 85 hp Falcon
Six. A new Sedan
Delivery as
well as Deluxe Body Trim for a new emphasis on "Deluxe" as a sales
aid. About 1 million Falcons were now on the road.
1962:
New styling and some new models, new luxury interior choices, new fuel and
oil savings in improved versions of the Falcon
Six, and some new all-around economies included a new 30,000 mile radiator
coolant. New models included the Squire Wagon, a new Station Bus and Club
Wagon, and the Futura, an upgraded two-door sedan
with standard bucket seats and a center console. In February, the '62 Falcon
line was again revised with the addition of a Futura Sports Sedan
with a roofline based on Thunderbird styling.
1963:
The Futura in both 2-door and 4-door models was introduced, but the Futura
Convertible as well as the Futura Sports Convertible followed shortly by the
Sprint Convertible with the Falcon
170 Special Six engine, bucket seats, tachometer, and 4-speed manual
transmission all standard.
1963 1/2:
In January of '63, the addition of the Fairlane 260 cu in engine as a Falcon
option was announced as part of the Company's 1963 1/2 Product line. This
engine became standard in the Sprint Hardtop and Convertible replacing the big
Six and rendering those earlier six-cylinder Sprints rare indeed.
1964:
The body style changed from the "round" body to a "square"
design. A new 200 cu in Six in addition to the three engines offered in 1963.
Little changed in the model lineup.
1965:
The 289 cu in V8 option replaced both the Challenger and the Sprint versions
of earlier 260 V-8. Sprint became a less meaningful package and was now merely
an emblem and bucket seat addition to the convertible. The Futura Sports Coupe
and Sports Convertible were dropped although bucket seats were available in
Futura Hardtops and Convertible. 1965
was the last year of aggressive marketing for the Falcon
line and marked the end of the line's most interesting period.
1966-70:
Falcons were now limited to 2-door and 4-door models. Hardtops, Convertibles,
and Squire models were dropped. 1966 was also the last year for the Ranchero
as a Falcon
model. Little would change from 1968 to early 1970. Only data plate numerical
revisions seemed to constitue Falcon's progress.
1970 1/2:
An interesting event occured as the Falcon
line was coming to an end. Production terminated entirely on January 1, 1970.
For a brief time thereafter, the "1970 1/2" Falcon
was offered. The 4-door and Station Wagon were re-badged Fairlanes, with Falcon
specific chrome, but the 2-door was unique to the Falcon
line. The Torino and Fairlane lineup had 2-door vehicles, but they were
fastbacks and hardtops. The Falcon
was the only one offered with a 2-door sedan
(it has a b-pillar behind the driver door glass). The Falcon
line did not offer fastbacks or hardtops. Interestingly enough, this '70 1/2 Falcon
had seven engine choices up to an awesome 370 hp 429 cu in Cobra Jet Ram-Air
V-8. The '70 1/2 Falcon
was a stop gap measure to hold the market until the Maverick was ready for
production. Thus ended the U.S. Falcon
line.
Information from: www.falconregistry.com