Wheels Galleries

Elegant design cues appear in the dash and instrument pod, with plenty of chromed brightwork, the requisite (rare) Sprint tachometer and a beautifully restored woodgrained Sprint steering wheel giving the convertible a sense of luxury.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

Fresh red vinyl bucket seats and a matching rear bench give the Sprint a splash of style that marked the top of the line in the last of the round-bodied Falcons.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

The Nelsons, loaded in their Rangoon Red Sprint convertible, top down, ready to cruise, with Phillip at the wheel, wife Shelley riding shotgun and daughter Rebekah staking claim to the back seat.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

Phillip Nelson's 1963-1/2 Falcon Sprint convertible has been returned to a near-pristine state, after having a 351 V-8 removed and replaced by an appropriate 260, meaning fewer trips to the gas pump.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

Sprint V-8 badging adorns the front fenders; the standard 13-inch wheels were upgraded to 14-inch versions fitted with 1957 Thunderbird wheel covers. The thin whitewalls and body-colored wheel lips were standard fare in the mid-1960s.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

The swooping Falcon logo is captured in the Mylar swooshes on the inner door panels; few Falcons' Mylar trim survived the rigors of time, and these are reproduction pieces.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

From the rear, the Sprint convertible shows off pleasing proportions, with round contours accented by classic Ford bullet-style tail lights, a chrome spear giving the car more width visually and a pair of chrome tailpipe tips peaking out from under the smoothly flowing rear bumper.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

Nelson is keen to keep his Sprint as close to factory original as possible, pointing out the iconic center console is a one-year-only version of the storage bin. The ring encircling the latch button confirms that; earlier consoles didn't have that ring, he says.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

One of the owner's favorite period-correct touches is the under-dash Realistic FM radio converter that he added to the basic sound setup. It provides musical accompaniment through the factory speaker set into the top of the dash.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

New carpet and fresh upholstery give the rear seat area plenty of appeal for warm summer night cruising.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

Nestled under the hood of the Falcon is the correct 260 cubic inch V-8, wearing an original chrome-topped air cleaner atop the 2-barrel Autolite carburetor, factory-issue chrome Sprint valve covers and a chrome-topped power steering pump.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

Just as pretty when viewed from the front, the Sprint convertible used the standard horizontal Falcon grille and straight front bumper found throughout the lineup.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle

Nelson's Sprint has been treated to an upper front suspension drop, which along with a 1-coil cut to the front springs, not only lowers the car by about an inch and a half, but improves the handling noticeably. Note the spearhead leading the way on the body side molding.

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Mike Berry / The Wichita Eagle