'62 FASTBACK Falcon???

[Excaliber]

From Rons (Computerworks) excellent gallery of images!

Nah, it must be an optical illusion? Surely this '62 Falcon wasn't a fast back? Or,,,,,,,was it?

Ernie

[thundercat]

The Falcon in picture is a Holman Moody car.. There were 3 made . The story about them is in the history of Holman Moody book..I lent the book out so I can't get the exact story right now but I believe the same car collector has all three today..Steve McD

[mr bruce]

There's a guy from NC on this forum that has one(restores stock cars)

[computerworks]

Bruce - I was just looking up that guy, when I saw your post.

That fastback 1962 falcon is a really interesting and obscure piece of Ford history.

Called the "Falcon Challenger", the car was built by Holman & Moody, with the hopes that they could make a limited production car, with a race history, that would be sold by selected Ford dealers.
The Falcon Challenger had a stock 164-horse 260ci V-8, four-speed, 3.50:1 gears, handling package, larger tires and four-wheel Airheart disc brakes.

The car is being restored at Racetorations in NC






The Challenger Falcons in 1962 ran at Sebring and LeMans, as well as Nassau

[Rich]

There's an good article on these cars in the Jan 2004 issue of Classic Motorsports magazine.

http://www.classicmotorsports.net

Rich

[Excaliber]

Wow, so it really IS a fastback Falcon! Well #4%9@ me a runnin'


It's enough to make a guy wonder if someone in Detroit wasn't watching Holman Moody and put a fastback in production a couple of years later!

Who, in Detroit, made the first production Fastback car? How about the first Dodge Charger in late 1964?

Ernie

[Cal Metal]

My guess would be the Mustang. The Dodge Charger "fastback" design did not appear until 1966. It was based on the Coronet body shell. The '65 Dodge Charger was a Dart produced in very small numbers with the "Charger 273" name. It was not, howver, a "fastback" design.

Now, as far as a two seater is concerned, the '63 Sting Ray Coupe has what one might call a "fastback" design. But again, it was two seater, not a four.

[Rich]

Rambler Marlin - 1965

Porsche 356 - 1950 ('49?)

Rich

[Excaliber]

Porsche, yeah theres a fine Detroit car for yah! Ha ha

Likewise I tend to agree that the Vette doesn't really qualify in regards to the first "fast back", all though technically I guess it would be!

Yup, 1966 was the first year of the "classic" Charger.

Dang, you mean to tell me the Marlin was the first??? Oh the humanity!

When was the first Mustang fastback? I thought that was 1965? We may have to look at production/release dates to get a winner, Rambler vs Ford!

Ernie

[computerworks]

Ernie... your rules... does the 63 1/2 Galaxie qualify as a fastback?

[Tom Wells]

Here's one that Chevy had in 1949 (up to I think about 1951 or 1952) in both two and four door models:



and a better view of a 1949:

[misfit41]

That red 63 1/2 galaxie is identical to my first car,it is still around bu trough,,I thought it would be cool to restore,but they were SO big.
I dig the falcon,I had seen that pic in the Friedman book too,any one know if that roff is fanned,or the same as soemthing else,what a cool car it would be to build,,Tim

[KobraKarl]

1964 "Cuda"

[Chaplin]

KK-
As I was reading down the posts, I kept thinking what about the 'Cuda. Nice pic, sure wish it was big enough to see though

[KobraKarl]

how bout dis one

[Tom Wells]

Pushing the year back to 1939 - Lincoln Zephyr:

[Excaliber]

OUCH!!! I'm thinking my "rules" need a major overhaul.

Galaxie? X not! Fastback gotta come close to the back end and include the trunk area.

I never DREAMED 1950 or back would even be in the running, BUT, that 1939 Zephyr pulls into the lead at this point (what a can of worms this has become)!

OK, 1960's and up! Theres a new "rule" for ya!

'64 Barracuda? Oh yeah, I'm feeling way better now!

So,,,,what year was the Chrysler Air Flow?

Ernie

By the way, that Falcon is parked next to some kind of European job. Hmmm,,,,with a little tweaking it might be a winner!

[G.R.]

Didn't McClaren race AMC's , like a Gremlin or something(?) in Trans AM in say '68/'69 and do quite well in the series even over the vaunted Big3? Seems to be in my foggy memory that AMC produced a pretty hot little street car for being a "Rambler" and was a factory sponsor.

[Rich]

"Porsche, yeah theres a fine Detroit car for yah! Ha ha"

Oh...THAT Detroit...oops

Rich

[Excaliber]

And of course the Barracuda ran in the Trans Am also. My understanding of the 'Cuda entries was that not enough time and money was invested to make them a serious threat. Perhaps the same for the AMC's?

A few victories or threats thereof do not a winning year make.

Ernie