American Ford Futura 289 - today's project tempter

By: Unique Cars magazine

Date: 07.04.2021

Survivor V8

At first glance, it looks like a local XR, however there's a catch - it appears to be a left-hooker! That's right it's a third-gen American market Falcon, which were built 1965-67. The range included a two-door coupe, which we didn't see here, though you will see the occasional private import. 

Ford Australia's equivalent XR series of the sixties was hugely important for the company, as we noted in a 2020 buyer guide: 

"For Ford Australia, this represented anything but business as usual. The XR not only had to make a clear visual break from the previous generations, but had to deliver on a number of fronts, perhaps most importantly as the platform of a performance car.

"That’s right, this all-new family Falcon was now to score a V8 for the first time. And this is where the ‘Mustang’ reference used in the Ford publicity of the day has some credibility. The first offering was none other than the most popular Mustang powerplant, the sweet 289 (4.7lt). You could also argue a little styling influence had carried across from the Pony car, particularly with the raised ‘hip’ line near the C pillar."

See full review here.

This 1966 example looks like a promising project car, mostly because the seller says it's generally rust-free. That being the case, it clearly has a few battle scars, though we're told the 289 V8 is in good running order. That's backed up by a three-speed auto.

Located in Sydney, it's on the market for $28,990.

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