Vehicle Description
This 1965 experimental Ford Falcon has a storied and well-documented pedigree as a successful drag racer. After being raced, repainted, raced again, repainted, and set on display and in storage for several years, Wild Child underwent a complete, frame-up restoration in 2003-4 that brought her back to her racing glory. Enlisting two of her former drivers to help ensure the authenticity of the project, the current owner had Wild Child ready in time for the Carlisle All-Ford Nationals in 2004. The car has since been run at many vintage drag meets and continues to perform beautifully.
She sports a 427 c.i. SOHC engine, a C6 automatic transmission, and enough power and presence to enthrall even the most discerning collectors. Still in racing condition, the owner rates every facet of this vehicle as 'excellent.' Wild Child is one of a kind and a glorious testament to the height of the drag racing era.
Rankin's Wild Child was built by Ford of Canada in 1965, one of only three 271 hp Hi-Po 289-equipped 1965 Ford Falcons made featuring additions such as the NASCAR-style top-loader four-speed transmission, a 9-inch Detroit Locker rear end, and a bevy of other special factory parts. Since the NHRA did not recognize the Falcon as being a production car with the 289 Hi-Po motor, and even more so with the special lightweight fiberglass body panels, it was classified as a B/FX (Factory Experimental) drag car. Ontario's Rankin Ford, Canada's top drag-racing dealership, acquired the Wild Child in May 1965, enlisting local racers Ev Rowse and John McIntyre to campaign it. In preparation for racing, the Wild Child motor was reassembled using special racing heads, camshaft, pistons and Weber carburetors provided through Ford's B/FX race program before it was run at a slew of Canadian drag strips. Following its successful 1965 debut in the NHRA's B/FX class, Rankin's Wild Child accumulated victory after victory. In 1966, Rankin Ford upgraded the car to an altered wheelbase 427 C.I. nitro-methane Funny Car. In 1967, it was upgraded again to A/FX class with a Holman & Moody 427 SOHC motor and a C6 transmission and, after racing in both Canada and the United states, finished the 1967 season as the Canadian A/FX record holder.
