Thanks to impressive first-year sales, the Ford Falcon was now touted as “the world’s most successful new car.” Its recipe was little-changed for 1961, most conspicuous being a convex grille and vertical parking lights. Other styling tweaks included F-A-L-C-O-N spelled out on the rear panel and Falcon emblem on the front fenders. The number of colors for the exterior and interior were expanded. Plus, air conditioning appeared on the option list for the first time, although it was a dealer-installed item.
The Deluxe Trim and Ornamental Package now included full-length bright-metal body-side molding and taillight trim rings in addition to the usual brightwork and interior appointments.
Big news could be found under the hood, as Ford stroked the Falcon Six (which fell 5 horsepower to 85) to create the Falcon 170 Special Six. With 101 horses, drivability improved immensely.
Yet the biggest news of all was the spring introduction of the 1961 Ford Falcon Futura. Based on the Tudor sedan, the Futura included a center console with storage bin, fancier trim, and deep-pile carpeting. It shared much of the Deluxe’s outside trim plus included a trio of chrome bullets on the rear fenders and fancier wheel covers.
The four station wagon models were joined by a Sedan Delivery, a panel truck for the working trades featuring sheetmetal where the rear quarter glass would be. Instead of a back seat, there was a plywood floor with a rubber cover. Just over 2,000 were built.
When the model year was over for the 1961 Falcon, production had increased to 474,241, including 44,470 Futuras.
