Ford's
Falcon introduced for 1960 was the most successful new American "compact" car, as I posted
here.
For 1962 it was decided to enhance the line by adding a sportier Futura series. This was further upgraded for 1963 -- the last year for the original body -- by marketing convertible and hardtop versions. Some background can be found
here.
The Futura hardtop is illustrated below.
Gallery
The original 1960 Ford Falcon 4-door sedan.
Rear quarter view, Owls Head auction photo.
Side view of a two-door Falcon. This was the basis for the hardtop version.
The 1963 Falcon Futura hardtop coupe, Barrett-Jackson auction photos. The new top design is more angular than the rest of the car, which has a more rounded look. But the rounded parts of all Falcons were counterpoised by strong horizontal character lines, allowing the top to blend better.
Another horizontal element is the decorative spear trim on the side.
Rear quarter view. The aft end is the same as regular Falcons aside from the Futura name and chrome strip. This view shows off the new top best.
But Futura's top was not exclusive. Also for 1963, Ford placed a similar top on its sporty Galaxie 500s, as can be seen in this Mecum auctions photo.
The Sports Futura roof shown with its "Thunderbird Roofline" was introduced mid-'62. It was not an actual "Hardtop" in American parlance as it still had a full B-pillar. In mid-'63 however, Ford did introduce a true Falcon 2-door pillarless Hardtop for the Futura and Sprint.
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