Chrysler Falcon
Encyclopedia
The Chrysler Falcon was a two-seater roadster concept car
designed by Virgil Exner
, and built by Chrysler
for the 1955 model year. The car was never put into production, but many of the ideas and styling elements used in the Falcon would be used in other Chrysler designs. Some features would not appear for many years, like the exposed side exhaust pipes which would not be used in a Chrysler production car until the Dodge Viper
in 1992. The name Falcon was originally intended to be the name of the Plymouth Valiant
, but Ford Motor Company
released a production car with the name first, after Henry Ford II
requested use of the name. Chrysler agreed, scrambling to change it at the last minute with a contest among their employees.
Designed to be the basis for a competitor to the Ford Thunderbird
and Chevrolet Corvette
, the Falcon had a carbureted, cast iron, 276 cid overhead valve
V8 engine, rated at 170 hp, with 255 lbft of torque, mated to a two-speed automatic transmission
. With a weight of 3300 lb (1,497 kg), it gave the car impressive performance for the time. For long time everybody believed only a single vehicle was produced, which was shown at several autoshows, and eventually it was sold to a private owner, but Ghia really built three copies. One is in the Chrysler Museum and another, originally painted dark blue with white soft top, was sold in the U.S. and sent to Venezuela, where it stayed for long time, after coming back to the United States.
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
designed by Virgil Exner
Virgil Exner
Virgil Max "Ex" Exner, Sr. was an automobile designer for numerous American companies, notably Chrysler and Studebaker. He is known for his "Forward Look" design on the 1955-1963 Chrysler products and his fondness of fins on cars for both aesthetic and aerodynamic reasons.-Early life:Born in Ann...
, and built by Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
for the 1955 model year. The car was never put into production, but many of the ideas and styling elements used in the Falcon would be used in other Chrysler designs. Some features would not appear for many years, like the exposed side exhaust pipes which would not be used in a Chrysler production car until the Dodge Viper
Dodge Viper
The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January...
in 1992. The name Falcon was originally intended to be the name of the Plymouth Valiant
Plymouth Valiant
The Plymouth Valiant is an automobile manufactured by the Plymouth division of Chrysler Corporation in the United States from 1960 to 1976. It was created to give the company an entry in the compact car market emerging in the late 1950s...
, but Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
released a production car with the name first, after Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II
Henry Ford II , commonly known as "HF2" and "Hank the Deuce", was the son of Edsel Ford and grandson of Henry Ford...
requested use of the name. Chrysler agreed, scrambling to change it at the last minute with a contest among their employees.
Designed to be the basis for a competitor to the Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
and Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
, the Falcon had a carbureted, cast iron, 276 cid overhead valve
Overhead valve
An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...
V8 engine, rated at 170 hp, with 255 lbft of torque, mated to a two-speed automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
. With a weight of 3300 lb (1,497 kg), it gave the car impressive performance for the time. For long time everybody believed only a single vehicle was produced, which was shown at several autoshows, and eventually it was sold to a private owner, but Ghia really built three copies. One is in the Chrysler Museum and another, originally painted dark blue with white soft top, was sold in the U.S. and sent to Venezuela, where it stayed for long time, after coming back to the United States.