We would've needed a helicopter...
We would've needed a helicopter and a very wide-angle lens to capture a representative shot of the 300-plus registrants in the Falcon Club of America's "Fantastic 50th" event held in Dearborn, Michigan, last July. There were Falcons of every conceivable configuration on hand-not to mention some inconceivable configurations like this one. Visible in the background is Ford World Headquarters.
As one of those "seasoned" enough to personally remember its rollout, it's chronologically depressing to realize that Ford's fine-feathered Falcon turned 50 years old in 2010. Still, any half-century anniversary is good reason for a party, so the Falcon Club of America decided to schedule last summer's annual Nationals event in Dearborn, fittingly enough in a location directly across the Southfield Freeway from Ford World Headquarters. There, over the span of three uncharacteristically hot and humid Michigan July days, FCA president Chuck Beason and the Metro Detroit Chapter welcomed home more than 300 pre-registered Falcons, spanning the sporty compact's amazingly diverse model lineup from 1960 through 19701/2. They also made this Modified Mustangs & Fords correspondent feel very welcome. My main task there was to digitally capture some feature-worthy modified Falcons-which you'll see in upcoming issues-but what follows here is a sampling of the broad selection of cars on hand.
Most of the event festivities and tech sessions took place in and around the host Hyatt Dearborn, but some of the more popular side trips were to the Henry Ford museum just down the road, the Roush Racing museum in nearby Livonia, and most significantly, to the secretive, sprawling test facilities of Ford's Dearborn Development Center (formerly known as the Dearborn Proving Grounds). There, participants got to learn some of the history of this Dearborn landmark, and then even drive their Falcons on portions of the test track.
The Falcon owner community is a dedicated, knowledgeable, and friendly flock, but one whose feathers can get a bit ruffled if their rides are perceived or remembered only as sedate economy transportation. These folks like nothing more than to point out that much of the original Mustang's mechanical DNA was Falcon-based, and that even though the ponycar ultimately dominated the popularity race, there were plenty of sporty coupe and convertible offerings in the Falcon's prolific lineup, too. Not to mention wagons, sedan-deliveries, Rancheros, and even Econolines.
If you missed this one, FCA's 2011 National event is scheduled for Steamboat Springs, Colorado, on July 14 through 17.
For some attendees, the highlight...
For some attendees, the highlight of the event was the chance to get into, and onto, Ford's Dearborn Development Center (DDC)-a walled, security-intense collection of the company's test facilities, tracks, and skidpads that take up about 400 acres of downtown Dearborn and are normally closed to prying public eyes (not to mention magazine hacks' cameras).
An unusual juxtaposition is...
An unusual juxtaposition is this cluster of visiting vintage Falcons lined up within Ford's DDC complex, while a camouflaged new prototype SUV (the now-revealed '11 Explorer) speeds by on one of the facility's various test courses. At this point, participants were inside learning about the facility, including its early history, commencing in the 1920s, as the site of Ford's corporate airfield.
Edsel B. Ford II-great-grandson...
Edsel B. Ford II-great-grandson of Henry Ford, and current member of Ford's Board of Directors-dropped by to "inspect" some of the Falcons lined up at the Development Center. Mr. Ford remains a dedicated car enthusiast and in this shot, is chatting with FCA president, Chuck Beason and grandson Alex, while checking out Chuck's '65 Springtime Yellow Sprint.
Though it may look like a...
Though it may look like a highway, these folks are lapping a short section of the Dearborn Development Center's 2.5-mile, high-speed oval track where Ford's future products spend hours under instrumented test conditions. Just getting into the DDC grounds is special on its own, but having the opportunity to drive one's ride on-track is a rare pleasure indeed
This Shaker shot may seem...
This Shaker shot may seem out of place in our story-until you remember the final (American) model to wear the Falcon nameplate. We rode back from the test track in Jerry Ostalecki's killer '701/2 Falcon (essentially a trim-stripped Torino) with its ultra-rare 429 SCJ big-block and C6 auto combo. Economy car indeed.
Ostalecki, in fact, brought...
Ostalecki, in fact, brought his pair of Super Cobra Jet Falcons to the event. Within the Torino bodystyle, the Falcons were unique in having this pillared two-door-sedan body configuration (and were also offered as four-door sedans or wagons). Jerry's yellow SCJ is a rare four-speed, while his white one has the even-rarer automatic behind the top-dog 429.