Meet The Owner – Harry Traill and His Ford Falcon Wagon
15 April 2024
It is a real head-turner. People look at it and smile. Children will walk with their parents, stopping and pointing at it as it drives past. The car seems to put a smile on anyone’s face wherever I go in it, and the number of compliments you get just going to the shop alone is astounding.
It is no wonder Harry’s Ford causes a minor sensation, as few people this side of the Atlantic would have encountered a 1962 Falcon Wagon with a ‘three-on-the-tree’ manual gearbox. By British standards, it is quite a sizable machine, on par with a Zephyr 6 Mk. III Farnham Estate, but US motorists considered it a ‘compact’.
The Falcon’s origins date back to 1952 when Robert S. McNamara, the new Assistant General Manager of the Ford Division, commissioned a Market Research Unit to study who was buying Volkswagens - and why. Four years later, the company’s management believed a new model sized between the Beetle and the ‘full-size’ Fords would succeed. By 1957, the Falcon programme was underway, using the formula of 2,400lbs weight and a 2,365cc six-cylinder OHV engine.
Assembly began in 1959, and on the 9th September, Ford unveiled the Falcon to the press. Sales started on the 3rd October, a day after the public launch of the rival Chevrolet Corvair and 26 days before the debut of the Valiant, its other main competitor. The Rambler American and Studebaker Lark were further American ‘compacts’ but they had the image disadvantage of not hailing from the US ‘Big Three’ car makers.
The Falcon Wagon followed in January 1960, and Ford promised: “For family wagon fun on a low budget, this one’s unbeatable. Not only does it seat six comfortably, but it has cargo space galore - 76.2 cu. ft. Combines Falcon distinctiveness with wagon convenience”.
Not to mention that at $2,287, the Falcon was “America’s lowest-priced 6-passenger Station Wagon”. Extras included automatic transmission for $159.40, a “Fresh Air Heater” for $67.80, a “Manual Transistorized Radio” for $54.05, duotone paintwork for $16.80, and windscreen washers for $13.70. There were also whitewall tyres for a mere $28.70 to appeal to the more flamboyant driver.
Import duties meant that when Autocar tested a Falcon saloon in 1960, the price was £1,728 10d – or about the combined prices of a Wolseley 6/99 and a Mini. However, they concluded it was “An economical, roomy and comfortable-in-its-class six-seater” and “a very acceptable vehicle over here”. As for the home market, “it must be a very attractive proposition indeed”.
Motor Sport believed the Falcon had “no pronounced character, being, rather, a car which is simple to drive and one possessing willing, easy performance and reasonable handling qualities for such a spacious vehicle”. This was precisely what countless American – not to mention Canadian and Australian – owners required from their Ford. 64 years later, Harry remarks on his Wagon:
My Falcon was made in Atlanta, Georgia, and then lived in Texas until 2006, when it was imported to the UK. I am the fourth owner, and the Falcon is amazing to drive. It is no bigger than a Volvo estate, so I never had any struggle getting anywhere, but the space inside is amazing. The only issue is speed bumps, as it is sitting rather low! The Falcon has vacuum-powered wipers, but I have had no issues with them. When I’ve been caught in the rain a few times the wipers have been surprisingly efficient. The fact I can run them at a low speed when it’s spitting is fantastic the way they slow down as I go uphill and then they speed up as you go down the other side is funny - but I have had no problems with them.
A three-speed column gear change is not a familiar setup to most British drivers in 2024m and Harry finds:
People often ask me, ‘How hard is it to drive?’. I usually reply because the column shift is so obscure and different you never get it wrong. All your thought process goes into making sure you’re doing it right and not changing into the wrong gear. Luckily, the Falcon has only a three-speed box, so not many gear changes are needed. And the bench seat is fantastic- just remember to hold on tight on corners!
Plus, who could resist the appeal of the Falcon Wagon, which offers, to quote Ford, “space with a Capital’ S’!”
With Thanks To: Harry Traill