Only in America could a saloon car measuring 15 feet long and five feet eight inches wide be called ‘compact’, but that was the designation given to the Ford Falcon when it first went on sale in 1960 as a smaller, more affordable version of the full-sized Galaxie.

It was partly aimed at the increasing number of two-car households in which wives wanted ‘something a little more manageable’ in which to collect the shopping – a marketing angle that might not be too well received in our equality-focused times, but which hit the bullseye 60-odd years ago and helped the Falcon to almost instant sales success.

With ‘cooking’ six-cylinder engines and a choice of automatic or ‘three-on-a-tree’ column change transmissions, the earliest Falcons were anything but sporting, one of the main selling points in the promotional material (which featured Peanuts comic characters Charlie Brown and Lucy) being the cars’ impressive ‘gas mileage’ of 30 to the US gallon.

But as Falcon sales soared, so the range expanded to comprise two-door, four-door, convertible and station wagon styles – and in 1963 the option of the 4.3-litre Challenger V8 from the Ford Fairlane became available to create the Sprint model that, essentially, served as the basis for the original Mustang.

With the V8 fitted, the Falcon became a completely different car – so different, in fact, that Ford put the Futura Coupé variant to use on Europe’s rally circuits with some success, especially in the hands of Swede Bo Ljungfeldt, the Ford factory driver who manhandled a Holman Moody Falcon to victory in every special stage of the 1964 Monte-Carlo Rally.

Futura Coupes also took the laurels on track, notably the Alan Mann Racing-prepared example which won the 1967 British Saloon Car Championship in the hands of Australian Frank Gardner. And today, of course, the mighty Falcons are a popular sight at the Goodwood Revival, and there’s even one available to rent as part of the circuit’s ‘corporate experience’ programme.

And if you think you’re up to handling such a beast on track, this 1964 example being sold by Hampshire-based racer Andy Edwards is worth a look. Based on a standard road car acquired in 2013 in near mint condition, it remains street legal but now benefits from a seam-welded bodyshell, bespoke FIA rollcage, lightweight glassfibre wings, bonnet, boot lid and bumpers and polycarbonate windows.

A tuned Windsor 289 V8 fed by a four-barrel Holley carburettor is said to produce a useful 438bhp which reaches the ground via a four-speed dog box and hand-built rear axle. Bespoke Quantum dampers and Kelsey Hayes front disc brakes (drums on the back) keep things under control and, since Edwards is a body shop expert, the car is beautifully finished in a gleaming coat of bottle green paint.

Said to be on the button and ready to go, all it needs is a brave enough driver. The only question you have to ask yourself is whether you are man or – indeed – woman enough?

1964 Ford Falcon Futura Coupé

On offer with Andy Hayes, Hampshire
Asking: £49,950
Contact [email protected]; 01252 217156