FEATURE – 1963 FORD FALCON SPRINT

WORDS Mike Ryan | PHOTOS Des Kelly

In restoring this car, the owner looked to the future and also honoured its origins.
26 /justcars
Buy. Sell. Dream. 27
 like a four-speed transmission, larger

W
e all know engines and, in 1962, a turbocharger. The
the Falcon Monza line accounted for around half of
was born in all Corvair sales by this time and was being
well supported by the aftermarket industry,
the USA and which certainly captured Ford’s attention.
enjoyed a long Ford was throwing its weight around
life in Australia, but what internationally in the early ‘60s, too,
about some of its cousins? so it was thought that the addition of a
performance version of the Falcon – and a
European introduction for it - would be a
Here in Australia, we initially followed good thing.
US practise by offering a Futura version Ford didn’t do things by halves back then,
and added a Fairmont later, while later so decided to enter three Falcon coupes in
still, Fairlanes would be built off modified the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally. A new variant
versions of the same platform. of the Falcon – the ‘Sprint’ - would be
In the US, the Falcon had far fewer introduced at Monaco at the same time,
relations. The Mustang was the sportier, with Ford flying more than 100 automotive
sexier member of the family, but of all those journalists in to cover its launch.
siblings, one had a European birth… Available as both a convertible and coupe,
the Sprint was an attractive package, with
SHOW AND BO the V8 – available on a US Falcon for the first
Since its debut in 1959, the Falcon – a time – being the main attraction and fitted
compact in US terms - had been known as as standard.
an economical car, but not a particularly The 260ci V8 engine had already been
exciting one. That made no difference used in Fairlanes and would also power
initially, as the Falcon comfortably outsold the earliest versions of the Shelby Cobra.
its rivals, but by 1962, there were calls to Beyond the V8, Falcon Sprint specification
offer style and performance as well as included a less restrictive air cleaner and
economy. mufflers, while a 3-speed column manual,
Chevrolet had been the main driver 4-speed floor-change manual and 2-speed
behind this, given the surprisingly positive column auto were the transmission choices.
reaction to the ‘Monza’ versions of their Stiffer suspension, wire wheel covers,
Corvair. bucket front seats and a dash-mounted
Ford had already released a Futura tachometer also defined the Sprint.
version of the Falcon for 1961, that featured The Falcons entered for the Monte Carlo
bucket seats and sporty trim, but no actual Rally ran V8s, too, but these cars were far
performance upgrades. The Monza was removed from a standard Sprint, with
created in the same mould initially but extensive preparation and modification by
started adding actual mechanical upgrades Ford ahead of the event.

Rally rules that favoured smaller-capacity

cars would disadvantage the “big” Fords, so
an outright win was unlikely, but victory in
the over 3,000cc class was expected.
Of the three teams entered by Ford,
the one made up of Bosse ‘Bo’ Ljungfeldt
and Gunnar Haggborn was thought to be
the best. Once the Monte got underway,
Ljungfeldt duly delivered on expectations,
winning all six of the special speed tests, but
the class win actually went to the second
team Falcon, crewed by Peter Jopp and
Trant Jarman.
The invited press and Ford’s advertising
agency ensured everyone back in the US
knew about both the Falcon’s achievements
in Europe and the new Sprint. The result
was 19,479 Sprint coupe and 4,602
Sprint convertible sales in its shortened
Fitting the 5.0 V8 out of an EB Falcon required removal of the plenum chamber and other introductory year.
modifications, but firewall was left largely intact. The car featured here is one of those first-
year Sprint convertibles.

RUST BELT
Given that he’d grown up with Holdens
and been bitten by the hot rod bug back
in 2006, you’d be forgiven for thinking
something like a Falcon Sprint wouldn’t be
on Geoff Hallett’s radar.
Geoff was of the same mindset, too, but at
the 2007 Bright Rod Run, he spotted a Sprint
Fully-retrimmed convertible and instantly fell in love - he had
boot features cl to have one!
pockets. ever storage
Having one was easier said than done,

28 /justcars
 bargained for when it arrived, or should we
say ‘less’, as the car was full of rust.
A Pittsburgh delivery on the VIN
tag suggests it spent many winters
accumulating corrosive salt off the snowy
roads, which explains the sad state of the
body.
With so much frilly metal below the
beltline all around the car, the only solution
was to replace the lot. Braced and placed
on a rotisserie, the Sprint was done over
from top to bottom, with what seemed like
endless amounts of new steel welded in.
Thicker steel was welded into the sills and
EB Falcon gauges have been added to the torque boxes, as Geoff had some plans for Mitsubishi L300 front end was effectively
original ’63 Falcon bezel. Note the dash-mounted the Sprint… that didn’t include returning it incorporated into the factory Ford platform and
tacho, which was a unique Sprint feature. to factory spec. updated V8 engine.

though. While early Falcons are prodigious, FALCON OLD, FALCON NEW, built 2-inch dual exhaust system run flush
both here and in the US, Falcon Sprints are FALCON HELL! with the sills, so the floorpan was scalloped
rare there and virtually non-existent here. The Sprint’s standard 260 V8 was a to suit, with the rear bumper getting
Nonetheless, Geoff scoured the internet capable enough engine but Geoff decided complementary cutouts, too.
and, after six months of searching, turned his Sprint would get a modern upgrade, in The engine itself was reconditioned but
up a genuine Sprint. The car looked good the form of a complete 5.0-litre Windsor V8 left largely stock, with the main difference
in the images provided, but the selling out of a 1993 EB Falcon. being a modified sump to suit a non-
price - around 60 per cent of what these The EB also donated its four-speed auto, standard crossmember.
cars normally go for in the US – told Geoff it diff and rear disc brakes to the project, plus The car’s front brakes were upgraded from
needed some work. some other parts. the factory drums to HQ ventilated rotors,
Decoding the VIN showed the Sprint was The driveline change sounds easy, but with the aforementioned EB discs fitted at
built in March of ’63 with the Fordomatic fitting the Windsor and rebuilt transmission, the rear. A dual-circuit master cylinder from
auto for the 260 V8 and finished in Oxford as well as modifying the diff to suit, took a an XY Falcon tied it all together, with an
Blue with blue vinyl trim. hell of a lot of work. inline bypass valve also added.
Purchasing the car in January of 2008, Geoff must be a glutton for punishment, That EB Falcon donated its radiator and
Geoff found he’d got more than he as he also decided to make the custom- cooling fan, while an all-new steel fuel tank

Buy. Sell. Dream. 29

was fitted, with 3/8-inch steel fuel lines under the bonnet and keep the Falcon’s x 7 rims not only have that “Euro” look, but
made to suit. factory lines intact. pick up on the big chrome spear that graces
To make the modern Falcon running gear Accenting those lines is a 2-inch the Sprint’s flanks.
work, an entirely new wiring loom had to suspension drop, achieved through Inside, the front bucket seats and rear
be fabricated, which was matched to an modified original springs and new bench were trimmed in luxurious cream
instrument package that Geoff devised hydraulic shocks. leather that would look at home in any
using the EB Falcon gauges. Retaining The steering wheel is a genuine Falcon Audi or Beemer, with the dash reskinned in
the original Falcon Sprint bezel, the dash Sprint item, carrying identifying badging on complementary vinyl material.
carries all the essential info, with a bank of the boss and fitted to a column that Geoff The boot was completely retrimmed, too,
switches also retaining the C1963 look, but modified to suit the Terios rack. with storage pockets added for cleaning
similarly updated to suit. The other Japanese touch on this build gear and tools.
is its paint – it looks like it’s off a Benz or The white power-operated top is the
A TOUCH OF JAPAN… OR TWO… BMW, but it’s actually Toyota Blue Mica finishing touch, but Geoff says he rarely
OR THREE Pearl. Most commonly seen on RAV4s and drives his Sprint with the top up – it’s just
A Mitsubishi L300 front end has been Prados, the slight lavender tint of the pearl too munch fun to drive with the top down
applied to numerous hot rod builds over adds a touch of ‘Euro Chic’ to this project, and the wind in the hair!
the years, but Geoff’s Sprint would have which is what Geoff was going for. Five years in the making, Geoff’s Falcon
to be one of the very few Falcons to get Sprint is something different and that’s
the same treatment. It works well with the THE EURO STAR what impresses casual observers, but what
larger engine, custom-built strut brace and Understanding the Falcon Sprint’s the man himself loves is that he was able
Holden stub axles, but Geoff’s decision European origins, Geoff was inspired to add to make a diverse collection of non-1963
to keep the car LHD presented some detailing touches to show what an early Falcon parts work together.
challenges when it came to the steering. Falcon may have looked like if Ford had It should also be noted that Geoff did
The solution, as Geoff tells it, sounds decided to aggressively market it on the most of the work himself, with the help of
deceptively simple. A power steering rack Continent. a few mates. Only the painting required the
out of a FWD Daihatsu Terios was found Aside from the paint, the most obvious Sprint to be leave the garage.
to be the ideal fit… when inverted to suit expression of this is the wheels. Early plans If he didn’t have a new ’35 Ford hot rod
a RWD Ford! Of course, there was a bit to run BMW wheels were scuppered when convertible project needing his attention,
more involved than just flipping it over, the stud pattern wouldn’t fit. Much internet Geoff says he wouldn’t be selling it (see
but it proved to be an effective solution to searching turned up a set of Advanti alloys. breakout). The asking price reflects the
the problem of how to package everything With their split-10-spoke design, these 17 work and componentry that’s been put

30 /justcars
Paint is a Toyota M
ica Blue Pearl.

into the car, with Geoff adding that the new

owner’s sure to get as much fun out of the
Sprint as he has.
As much as we hate seeing Aussie-
made and Aussie-modified cars leaving
our shores, we’d make an exception with
this car. Given its origins and inspiration,
wouldn’t it be cool if this Sprint found a
new home cruising the boulevards of Monte
Carlo?

FOR SALE
With a hot rod project on
the go, Geoff’s got his special
Falcon Sprint on the market.
trimmed in leather. The time, effort and money put
Interior was fully re
into the project have paid off,
with the car still in outstanding
condition five years after it was
completed and no work needed
on the part of the next owner.
With its combination of classic
looks (with a twist!) and modern
performance, this car is a
hassle-free cruiser that’ll eat up
the miles in style.
Asking price is $65,000 ono.
Phone 0413 941 439 or email:
mghallett1@[Link] for
more details.
View online with more photos
As the badge demonstrates, the major selling
point of the Sprint was its standard V8 engine, at [Link] using the ad
which was available on a US-market Falcon for code: JCW4095738.
the first time in 1963.

Buy. Sell. Dream. 31