Classic Falcon fan? Don't forget your Argentine cousins

Y’know how Ford set up shop in Australia, locally producing the Falcon from 1960 until it was no longer economically viable?

Imagine the same thing happened in an alternate universe where technology moves a bit more slowly and you have the Argentine Ford Falcon.

Ford Argentina basically built the same car for 30-odd years, just look at those pics, though. It’s literally an XK Falcon with some newer bits here and there.

The car there is about as much of a national icon as it is here. Most Argentines remember growing up with one, or having one on the family farm. Over the three decades Ford Argentina built almost 500,000 of these things, it's by far the most popular locally-produced vehicle in the country.

Much like our favourites, too, the Falcon became renowned for its robust nature thanks to relatively simple design, despite being a status symbol to a growing middle-class. It also is entwined with local production, as the local Ford branch only imported 26 of the car's 3542 parts.

The great grandfather of our Barra engine – the Ford Straight six – was employed in one form or another for the car’s entire 30-year lifespan. Evidently built with a tight budget in mind, the engine was simply upgraded bit-by-bit to keep up with the times as much as possible.

It gradually gained power as displacement crept up, other upgrades included better heads and exhaust as well as a four-cylinder option that flopped because it ended up being less efficient than the contemporary 3.6-litre six. They also built a short-lived locally-designed diesel engine that only really ended up in a weird wagon variant.

Speaking of variants, the Argentine Falcon came in sedan, wagon (‘Rural’) and utility (‘Ranchero’), they even produced a 'Ghia' variant of the sedan. Our favourite is probably the ’82 – ’91 Falcon. At a time when you could buy a brand new (tragically ‘90s looking) EB Falcon in Australia, you could buy basically a brand-new XK (with a little more power, some mild updates, and a Ford Taurus grille) in Argentina. With the ’82 update they even removed the chrome hubcaps, replacing them with hilariously out-of-place plastic ones.

Also, just like Australia, the Falcon has numerous fan clubs associated with it. It’s a bit controversial though, and not because they once had a particularly divisive AU generation.

No, the Argentine Falcon was the official ‘death squad’ car. Up to thirty thousand Argentine activists, journalists or students were kidnapped, tortured or murdered by secret police goons in blacked-out dark green Falcon sedans during the military junta of the ‘70s. Ford’s Argentine branch was even accused of colluding or at least turning a blind eye to the persecution of union leaders in its own factory.

It’s a battle of fond memories and those of an oppressive past, but the ongoing legacy and mechanical simplicity of the locally produced legend will have Argentina’s streets resemble a Falcon-flavoured version of Cuba for some time yet. The car even has it's own local motorsport legend, taking out the vast majority of titles in the 'Turismo Carretera' stock car series.

Could you import one? Argentina drives on the left and it probably hasn’t been done before, meaning compliance will be problematic. If you know of one, or have seen one, let us know.

What do you think of the Argentine Falcon - retro-classic or just ancient garbage? Tell us what you think in the comments.