Ford's compact Falcon—whose two-door sedan supplied mechanical components for the 1964 Mustang—was rapidly eclipsed by the new Pony Car despite the Falcon Sprint's performance pedigree.
Introduced in 1960 as a downscaled traditional sedan, the Falcon proved commercially successful, selling 456,703 units in 1960 and more than 489,000 in 1961. Ford's Falcon helped the company capture the entry-level market that challenged smaller independents.
General Motors' rear-engined Corvair sold at roughly half the Falcon's volume and faced public scrutiny after Ralph Nader, author of Unsafe at Any Speed, criticized its handling. Chevrolet responded with the conventional 1962 Chevy II (Nova) as a more traditional small-car offering.
Midway through the 1963 model year, Ford introduced the Falcon Sprint as a performance-oriented variant that became a sleeper and international rally contender. Despite the Falcon Sprint's capabilities, Ford's Mustang overshadowed the Falcon after 1964 and left the two-door sedan largely forgotten.
This report is based on information originally published by The Autopian.
Read the full article at The Autopian.
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