THE SONOMA COUNTY FALCONS FOR FUN CHAPTER
My previous articles about the
Rally Falcons covered Ford’s 1963 Rally campaign including the famous Monte Carlo
Rallye. This article is the first of a series that will cover the Ford Falcons that were
entered in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rallye and other rally events of that year.
After the 1963 Monte Carlo
Rallye, George Merwin was directed to prepare a proposal for the 1964 Monte Carlo Rallye.
Alan Mann from England was hired as the Team Manager to oversee the preparation of the
‘64 Rally Falcons. The Ford Motor Company fully sponsored eight entries using the
restyled 1964 Ford Falcon "Sprint".
Ford decided to center their rally efforts on the newly restyled 1964 Falcon "Sprint" through the mid-year of 1964 until the new Mustang model was introduced. The new Falcon body lines were less rounded than the 1960-1963 Falcons and had a more squarish pony car look. The '64 Falcons (and later '65 Falcons) were based on the same basic unibody structure of the earlier falcons.
Alan and George traveled to Dearborn to make arrangements for the delivery of eight rally cars and eight practice cars. The Falcons were selected from the factory line and shipped to Lincoln Cars Ltd. in England for final preparations. Special equipment for the Rally Falcons was developed by John Holman of Holman & Moody fame.
The '64 Rally Falcons were outfitted with significant performance improvements compared to the '63 Rally Falcons. The homologated Falcons had an array of optional performance characteristics that were supposedly available from your friendly Ford dealer.
The '64 Monte Carlo Rally Falcons were powered by the new high performance 289 motor rated at 305 horsepower. The power plant was equipped with hi-po goodies including a special high-lift camshaft and a 10 to 1 compression ratio. The motor was topped with two (as in dual) 4 barrel Carter carburetors. The beastly engine had its lifeblood cooled by an oil radiator. This was the same hi-po motor that was to achieve similar racing glory in early Cobras, GT 40s and Mustangs.
The motor was mated to Ford’s T-10 Transmission box with an optional set of gear ratios. The differential was Ford’s bullet proof 9-inch type that was borrowed from the full-size Galaxie. The differential was "limited slip" and outfitted with the larger rear drum brakes and axle from the Galaxie.
The front-end spindles were borrowed from the luxury Lincoln and outfitted with Thunderbird brakes. Fifteen-inch wheels were the smallest size that would accommodate the brakes. The brakes were an example of the parts listed that brought into question the validity of the homologated Falcons. Thirteen and fourteen inch wheel sizes were your only choices on 1964 Falcons in reality.
The front and rear springs were stiffer than the stock versions, and adjustable shock absorbers were mounted at each wheel.
The '64 Rally Falcon weighed only 2,156 pounds, almost a thousand pounds less than the stock Sprint. The weight savings was mainly gained from the fiberglass pieces that were specially made for the hood, rear deck lid, front fenders and doors. The front windshield was made from safety glass, but the remainder of the windows were made from Lexan which is a lightweight polycarbonate material.
The interior of the Falcon was also furnished in a manner to reduce weight. The front seats and the dash were the main components of the interior. Standard trim such as door panels and carpeting were removed. The dash was outfitted with a tachometer and rally equipment, and the rear seat area was fitted with an array of tools.
The July 1964 Car and Driver Magazine included a Road Test that covered a 1964 Falcon Sprint Rally car. The test driver (David Phipps) was suitably impressed with the performance characteristics of the Falcon. Here are some of the impressive performance characteristics that I gleaned from this article.
In four runs from 0-60, times ranged from 5.7 seconds to 6.3 seconds. These are still respectable times thirty-five years later.
The Monte Carlo Falcon turned the 1/4 mile in 14.2 seconds at 89 mph. This is a time that could undoubtedly could be improved on by a professional driver.
The new Falcon utilized the High Performance 289 engine that would freely rev to 7,000 rpm!
Perhaps as interesting as the new Rally Falcons, were the seven Econoline Vans that were used as support vehicles. Arrangements were made with Holman and Moody (Charlotte, North Carolina) to outfit the Econolines with 427 engines and NASCAR suspensions.
After the Econolines were delivered to Europe, one Falcon van and its unnamed driver created a huge traffic jam during the London rush hour. The van was hauling a load of tires and a retaining chain broke and spewed a load of tires from the back of the van. Tires went bouncing off the hoods of cars and in all directions on the streets and sidewalks of Trafalgar Square. Fortunately, nobody was injured, but the Falcon rally effort received some unwanted press coverage on the BBC News that night.
Another story I recall reading about these awesome vans involved a van support driver that was cruising along an open highway in Europe. The van was towing one of the Rally Falcons on a trailer. The driver of the van did not like the way a Porsche passed him and decided to catch up to him and show the driver a thing or two about the strange American machinery. Can you imagine the look on the Porsche driver’s face as the Van towing the Falcon went sailing by him at an unmentionable rate of speed! <end--more later!>
NOTE: The information for this article was compiled from the following sources: Ford: The Dust and the Glory by Leo Levine--1968; Automobile Quarterly,Volume XVII, Number 4 Of Fords and Finns, --Article by George Merwin--1969; Car and Driver Magazine, July, 1964. I would like to especially thank Goran Kindlund from Sweden for the information he has shared regarding the 64 Rally Falcons. Goran is a former Rally Driver and builds scale models in his spare time. Check out the '64 Rally Falcon he built at: