Cars We Remember / Collector Car Corner; Readers Mailbag: 1963 1/2 Ford Falcon and a ‘Zero Door’ 1962 Buick

By Greg Zyla —

Q: Greg, I enjoy reading your articles on cars from the 1960’s. One of the cars I’ve yet to read about is the 1963 1/2 Ford Falcon Futura.

My wife bought her 63 1/2 Futura at Housenick Motor Company in Bloomsburg, Pa., and paid a little over $2,800 for it. My understanding is that the 63 1/2 is the very first Falcon to feature a V8 engine.

We still have the car and did have some restoration work done, including painting, a new top, and some mechanical work. We do drive it on occasion when the weather is nice.

The enclosed photo is not the best because the color is a Peacock Blue and does not show up very well.

Signed, Edwin and Susan Lichtel, Elysburg, Pa.

A: Edwin and Susan, congrats on keeping your rare ’63 1/2 Falcon Futura Convertible. Introduced in 1960 as a low price compact car model, by 1963 Ford realized it was sitting on a very popular car and decided to make things more exciting. The 1963 1/2 Ford Falcon Futura was a stylish and sporty model introduced by Ford. It featured a 260 cubic inch V8 engine producing 164 horsepower, making it a popular choice for those seeking performance. The Futura came in various body styles, including a convertible, hardtop coupe, and sedan. The Futura was known for its sleek design, comfortable interiors, and advanced features for its time, including bucket seats, a center console, and the V8.

Now, here’s the best part of still owning your Futura Convertible. According to Hagerty, JD Power and Classic Cars, here are the current values of your great-looking Falcon Futura.

Perfect Condition: $31,500 – $44,000

Excellent Condition: $20,000 – $31,500

Good Condition: $11,000 – $20,000

Fair Condition: $5,000 – $11,000

In 1963, Ford produced a total of 133,523 Falcon Futuras. Out of these, 12,250 were Sports Futura Convertibles. Thus, convertible versions are indeed rarer and often more sought after by collectors. With this information, it sure bodes well for the retail value of your Falcon Futura convertible and the fact that your restoration work is paying dividends as the years go by.

Further, the 260 cubic inch Windsor V8 engine is a member of the Ford small block engine family. The big-block format is based on the Cleveland architecture and known as FE designs, the FE standing for Ford-Edsel. Your Futura ragtop converted the Falcon into a more performance vehicle. The Falcon Futura’s success led the way for future models like the Falcon Sprint and the Ford Mustang

As for the Mustang, the reason Ford was able to introduce this now renowned “pony car” just one model year later, 1964 1/2 to be exact, is that the Ford Mustang was built on the Falcon Futura chassis. All Mustangs shared components with the Falcon, including unibody construction and suspension assembly. This allowed Ford to develop the Mustang quickly and most important, cost-effectively. Mustangs in all shapes and sizes turned out to be the most popular “pony car” car ever built and has sold 10,040,000 units through 2024.

Good luck with your Falcon Futura and thanks for your letter and kind words.  

1962 Buick LeSabre ad with ‘zero doors’

Q: Hello Greg! I enjoy your weekly column in the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise, and always learn a few new things about cars and manufacturers. 

Your column on Feb. 2 talks about popular cars from the 60’s and you show a picture of the ‘62 Buick LeSabre 4 door, 2 door, and 0 door models. The “0 door” model caption caught my eye, and the lack of a door handle confirmed the “0 door” model!  I’m wondering if the picture is a victim of an AI prankster or if you’re playing an April Fool prank early?

You and I are both “Baby Boomers.” I’ll be 73 in April, and I think we are both very fortunate to have grown up when we did. Reading your articles about your cars (and readers’ cars too) from the 60’s and 70’s re-awakens those old memories of exciting, but oddly simpler and more enjoyable times. Maybe it was our youth, our “innocence”, or maybe we were just plain stupid. (LOL! I know I was!), but those memories are like long-lost treasures. Thank you for providing the breadcrumb trails to smiles!

I had a white ‘63 Impala Sport Coupe, red interior fresh out of high school, so I really appreciated the Chevy ad in your article. I also had a ’63 or ’64 Austin-Healey Sprite, bright red, appliance white wheels, 1098cc engine with a mild cam, and oddly enough, it had NO outside door handles (like the 0 door Buick LeSabre)! The Sprite had sliding plexiglass windows that allowed (anyone) access to the inside where there was a cable you would pull to open the door.

I’ve got a few old cars – ‘31 Model A pickup, ‘30 Chevrolet 4 door sedan, ‘01 BMW Z3 roadster.

I’ve found that the vast majority of old car people are great people, and I include you in that grouping.

Thanks for the great articles!

Take care, Bob Whitmoyer, Bloomsburg, Pa.

A: Bob, I have a library of old car ads on my computer and have access to many more online. I must admit that the 1962 Buick LeSabre advertisement I used in my column just plain got by me. It was no joke; I used it, just a classic mistake I’ll blame on my getting older. I just plain missed it as someone along the way was playing a joke on someone.

Unfortunately, the joke played on someone turned out to be me.

In the end, you mention your 1963 Chevy Impala as your car in high school. Well, the car I owned in high school was a 1963 Chevy Impala sport coupe. So yes, we do have a lot in common.

Thanks again for our online chats leading up to this column being published. We indeed have a lot in common.

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader input on collector cars, auto nostalgia, and motorsports at extramile_2000@yahoo.com or at Greg Zyla, Roosevelt St., Sayre, Pa. 18840.)