SP Rides: Flight of the Falcon
PHOTOS BY JERRETTE KAMAKA
OWNER – Randy Tadao Bart
YEAR – 1964
MAKE – Ford
MODEL – Falcon
ENGINE – 289 cubic inches, 4 Barrel, Edelbrock intake, Hi Performance cam, headers
DRIVETRAIN – 4–speed manual transmission
WHEELS – American Racing rims, Firestone P215/70R 14
ELECTRONICS – MSD ignition
INTERIOR – Factory
STEREO – Ford cassette deck, amp
EXTERIOR – Two-tone warrior blue on blue
The Classic Car Club of America defines a classic car as one that is between 30 and 50 years old, and an antique car that’s over a half-century. Some car enthusiasts who buy such models usually have a connection to them from their childhood. Driving a classic car today takes many back in time to the days without hand-held electronics and when looking through a car’s window to admire the scenery was the norm.
“My grandma drove a ’68 Dodge Dart and the body shape reminds me of this car,” said Randy Bart, boys’ water polo coach at Kamehameha School Kapalama. “And my grandma on my dad’s side had an orange early ’70s Camaro that we called the rolling pumpkin. Also, watching the old Hawaii Five-0 (shows) and seeing all of the cars of that time period … does take me back to the days when I was a kid, which is pretty cool.”
In 1964 Ford rolled out the second generation of Falcons, which were being marketed to a younger demographic. The new design gave the Falcon an edgier body style, and Ford offered a Sprint model that contained a bigger engine, tougher suspension and improved exhaust. But this is the same year that Ford introduced the Mustang, and that affected the Falcon’s bottom line.
“My dad liked pickup trucks, and he passed that truck down to my brother and eventually me. So we’ve always been car guys,” said Bart. “So after college I started working as a teacher, and I bought a ’71 VW bus and fixed that up then sold it. After that I got a ’64 VW bus, which I had for a longtime, but I wanted something smaller and faster. I bought this four years ago.”
For most car enthusiasts, there is always another car on the short list of must-haves, and for Bart that next hot rod he sees in his future is a vintage Chevy truck. He’s in no rush to buy that truck, but if he gets the right offer on this Falcon, he’s more than willing to let it fly the coup.
