Nineteen sixty-three was an especially important model year for Ford. Sure, it was a year before the introduction of the Mustang, but there was a lot of action in Dearborn as the Total Performance racing program was getting under way. To support this program, Ford introduced several special updates in the middle of the model year, with our Pick of the Day being the dark horse of the bunch. This 1963½ Ford Falcon Sprint convertible is currently listed for sale on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Prosperity, South Carolina.
The most famous mid-year addition was the 427 V8. As a replacement for the 406, the 427 also was offered with single and multiple carburetion. Both engines had a single four-barrel version, but the step-up 406 featured a tri-carb induction system, while the 427 featured dual quads.
Ford showcased this engine in another mid-year item: the Sports Hardtop. Before this moment, Ford hardtops featured a Thunderbird-inspired roofline. It imparted a prestigious image, but it was hardly sleek, and sleek was the name of the game when it came to NASCAR. The new roofline, available in both Galaxie 500 and Galaxie 500/XL series, was advertised as having a “true convertible lilt” as it resembled the convertible with the top up.
While the mid-size Fairlane continued to utilize the older formal roof, there was a noteworthy addition under the hood: the 289 small-block. Of special note was the introduction of the 289 High-Performance, a solid-lifter V8 that would make the Shelby Cobra famous (and was available mid-year—there’s that word again—for the Mustang in the summer of ’64).
The lowly Falcon also bore the fruits of Ford’s mid-year updates. First was the introduction of the first Falcon hardtop: Falcon Futura, buckets-and-console Falcon Futura Sports Coupe, and Falcon Sprint. All had a slick roofline similar to the Galaxie’s, though it did not quite resemble a raised convertible top.
Ford also introduced the first V8 for the Falcon; the all-new Sprint was built with it standard. It was considered a “new kind of Falcon … loaded with spirit to match its elegant interior.” Standard was a 164-horsepower Sprint 260 V8 and simulated wire wheel covers “plus many other sports car trimmings,” such as a three-spoke steering wheel and a tachometer. Also available as a convertible, the Sprint could be characterized as a proto-Mustang wearing different duds.
This Viking Blue 1963½ Ford Falcon Sprint convertible is one of 4,602 built and features only 85,000 miles on the clock. Spec’d out with an automatic transmission and power steering, this is a sporty cruiser that exploits the ingredients that would eventually lead to the creation of the pony car segment. “Car was purchased from the original owner in Huntington Beach, California in 2001. Same owner since,” says the seller. “It has a great, hit-free rust-free body.” Even the original Sprint exhaust is intact!
There were a host of compacts in the early 1960s equipped with bucket seats, a console, and tons of sporting flavor. All of them were steps in the direction of what we’d learn to love as pony cars, but only one can claim authentic lineage to the Mustang: this car. For $35,000, you can prance in Total Performance splendor.
Click here to view this Pick of the Day on ClassicCars.com
