• A beautifully restored Ford Falcon 2 door sedan from the inaugural year of Falcon production

• Subject to a full restoration by renowned Californian specialist Romance with Rust

• Professionally lowered and stanced with bespoke alloy wheels made specifically for this particular car

By the mid 1950’s the big three US automakers were seeing their traditional market share being eroded by smaller, imported cars by the likes of Fiat, Renault, Toyota and Volkswagen. It become obvious to them that the manufacture of purely big, premium cars was not sustainable.

The Ford Falcon, launched in 1960, became Ford’s first entrée into the “compact” market. Not that compact by today’s standards at 4.8m long the Falcon, none the less, was a significantly shrunken version of the Ford Galaxie sedan.

Ford’s instincts were sound with over half a million Falcons selling in 1960 and over 1M selling the following year.

This beautiful green Falcon, known as “Green Genie” by the current owner, has an interesting past to compliment those good looks. The car was bought off a customer by Chris Ashworth from Californian restoration specialists Romance with Rust. Chris bought the car to flip but liked it so much he decided to restore and modify it to his own liking.

A full schedule of specialist restoration followed, most obviously including a respray in this glorious green and the commissioning and fitting of a bespoke set of one-off alloy wheels. Our photographic package includes photographs of an article about the restoration of the car from Rod & Custom magazine and also a link to additional photographs from the restoration process.

The car made its way to the UK and was registered here in 2015. The car was then stored with the current owner purchasing it in 2017 and attending many UK based American car shows in the car.

The car comes with the UK V5 in the name of the current owner. There is also some invoices for interior parts purchased for the car. 

There is the article featuring the car from 2014 and also a digital archive of photographs from the restoration process for the new owner to cherish and enjoy.

The interior appears very period correct indeed but in really excellent condition throughout. The fabric and vinyl front and rear bench seats are finished in a light grey and are extremely commodious and accommodate six people. This is a compact car after all!

The dash-top and door-tops remain in painted steel whilst the door cards are a mix of fabric and vinyl with an unmarked fabric headlining. An original, period Ford radio (not currently working) adorns the centre of the dash.

The only aspects of the interior that may have been modified are the retro fit chrome steering wheel and a row of auxiliary gauges under the dash. The overall ambience of the interior is clean, fresh and unmarked with just some subtle signs of tasteful modification.

The exterior of this 1960 Ford Falcon is a genuine feast for the eyes. The car was professionally lowered and stanced by Romance with Rust and has a purposeful demeanour with a slight forward rake to the suspension.

The custom mixed green paint suits the car incredibly well and ensures that every head is turned your way as the car passes. The paintwork was applied by Romance with Rust’s spray-paint supremo Osmar Mata and the quality of the respray is immediately evident.

The other stand-out feature are the unique and bespoke alloy wheels, designed and made specifically for this car by Curtis Speed of California. The fronts are 15x5” with the rears coming in at 15x7”. They are shod with hight quality Yokohama S Drive tyres all round – 185/55 at the front and 205/50 at the rear.

As you will see from the photographic package the exterior of this car is in exceptional condition and despite our shoot being on a grey January morning the car really popped.

Chris Ashworth bought this Falcon as a reliable and regularly used example so only routine servicing work was required to the engine. The engine is the surprisingly economical “mileage maker” 144ci straight six Ford engine, originally rated at around 95 bhp.

At the point of purchase by Ashworth the two speed Ford-o-Matic automatic transmission had been reconditioned so no additional work was required to that either.

Romance with Rust did significant work to the suspension of the car with a completely new suspension kit fitted. This comprised lowered Ford Mustang springs, KYB gas shock absorbers and de-arched and retempered rear leaf springs with Ashworth quoted as saying “the car handles pretty well now.”

The current owner reports that all mechanical systems are working as expected with no areas of concern noted.

It is a challenge to know where to start with the appeal of this “Green Genie!” Those in the know will be familiar with Romance with Rust and the quality and reputation of their restorations. Those who aren’t only need to look at our photographic package to appreciate the outstanding quality and individuality of this Ford Falcon.

This is a classic American car which is roomy, useable, and reasonably economical and yet an almost guaranteed head-turner with a fascinating back-story. It is very hard indeed to imagine getting such a compelling package for such a reasonable budget anywhere else so don’t miss out.