zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
Would You Pay CA$10,500 For This 1959 Falcon Caribbean Time Capsule?
Would You Pay CA$10,500 For This 1959 Falcon Caribbean Time Capsule?-February 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:03

Today's contender is an unfinished project… from the '60s! It's as idiosyncratic a throwback as Austin Powers and twice as British, but will its price prove to be groovy, baby?

Over in Great Britain, they use the Pound Sterling for moolah, while here in America we tell people we don't like to go pound sand. Not too many of you told yesterday's - which is from Great Britain - to go pound sand, and in fact 66% of you felt its price set a sterling example.

Paul Revere is famous for alerting the colonial militia of the impending British invasion, and,…

The Sterling may be rare Brit here in the States, but today we have an ex-pat from Jolly Olde that I'm pretty sure almost none of you have ever seen no matter which side of the pond you call home. This is an example of Britain's cottage automotive industry that arose after the war and resulted in brands like Lotus, Marcos, and TVR, as well as an incalculable number of purveyors of bodies for backyard DIY'rs. Today's car comes from that latter group.

This car's creator, Falcon Shells, was founded in 1956 in Essex England by Peter Pellandine. The company produced GRP shells in England and in New Zealand for existing chassis, as well as full-on kits that included the rolling chassis and engine. Similar to Lotus at the time, Falcon Shells produced products for both the street and the track, even taking an unsuccessful stab at Le Mans in 1963.

Falcon offered the Caribbean from 1959 though 1963 and with an estimated 2,000 sold it proved to be the company's most popular model. The bodywork is Italian-inspired, featuring a Ferrari-esque nose that ends in a simple grille and sugar scoop lights.

The fenders leading back from those lights make a jump aft of the doors and finish in pontoons that bracket a simple boot. The coupe roof is light and airy, and a fun game might be to play name that glass, identifying the production source for all the windows. Hint: the windshield is from a Hillman.

This Caribbean's body is set on a 1951 Ford Anglia chassis and the ad claims that the car was initially partially assembled back in the sixties and then left un-finished and in storage ever since. The body in fact has apparently never been mounted to the chassis, nor has work like cutting the dash for instruments ever been done. The gel coat has seemingly held up over the years, the ad noting only a crack on one of the rear wheel arches as an issue.

The Anglia was Britain's cheapest 4-wheel car in the early fifties, making them ubiquitous and an excellent resource for one-off builders. The little Fords however, were pretty rudimentary. This one has been upgraded a bit. Its I-beam front suspension having been converted to an IFS setup. The engine looks to be a Ford 10 and it comes with a head. The pistons are forty-overs and are fed by a pair of inch and a quarter SUs.

Power is sent to the rear axle through a close ratio three speed Ford box and that has the remotest Wooler shifter I think I've ever seen. Drum brakes feature all around, and are fitted with what are claimed to be honest to god Ballamy wheels. Additional parts to complete the car are included in the deal.

This car is perhaps one of the most interesting barn finds of recent memory. Oh sure, the project was started and then shelved before most of you were born, but how much win would there be in finishing it and then being the hit of every car show and concours you entered?

Such rarity of course comes at a price, and in the case of this rare car, that price is $10,500 Canuck bucks. That's about $8,350 American, £5,415 for you Brits, or 7,370 in Euros if that's what floats your European boat. Add to that the cost of the U-Haul rental required to bring the car and its minions in parts home, and that's the whole enchilada. You'd also have to consider what the cost would be to complete the car, and then factor that into the expected value the finished car. I'll leave that all to you as I am bad at the maths.

Now that it's all on you, what's your take on this Caribbean and its $10,500 price tag? Do you think that's a fair price to climb into this time capsule? Or, is that too much for a project that someone long ago must have thought was not worth finishing?

You decide!

Vancouver or go if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
Abarth's Divisive 4C-Based Classiche 1000 SP Concept Is Going Into Limited Production
Abarth's Divisive 4C-Based Classiche 1000 SP Concept Is Going Into Limited Production
You may remember the — a -based, coachbuilt-style concept from about a year and a half ago that was very divisive in its design. I hated it, some of you loved it, and it seemed as though that would be the last we’d hear of it. Abarth, however, had...
Feb 11, 2026
At $17,450, Is This 1967 Jaguar 420 a Saloon Worth Walking Into?
At $17,450, Is This 1967 Jaguar 420 a Saloon Worth Walking Into?
Despite popular opinion, today’s Jaguar 420 was not named after the number of blackbirds that could be baked in a pie. Let’s see if it’s priced so that only a bird brain would buy it. The we looked at yesterday was painted in a rare emerald green from the...
Feb 11, 2026
This Tip Will Make Searching for a New Car Less Frustrating
This Tip Will Make Searching for a New Car Less Frustrating
Trying to find a new car in this current market is an exercise in frustration. Buyers are finding that and the ones that are on the lot are often subject to market premiums. I have found a search strategy to increase your chance of success in this market. As...
Feb 11, 2026
I'm Looking For Something With Good Ground Clearance That Can Haul Parts! What Car Should I Buy?
I'm Looking For Something With Good Ground Clearance That Can Haul Parts! What Car Should I Buy?
Ryan lives in the Texas panhandle, which is home to a lot of flooding. He wants something that has a bit of lift on it that can haul project car parts. Other key requirements are that it cannot be domestic and he wants to be able to easily modify...
Feb 11, 2026
Toyota's GR Sport-ified RAV4 for Europe Deserves Some Attention
Toyota's GR Sport-ified RAV4 for Europe Deserves Some Attention
The is faster than you’d think, . But, in true Toyota fashion, it keeps any and all sporting pretense on the down low. In Europe, the brand is playing things a bit differently with the announcement of the RAV4 GR Sport. Now, I know plenty of you are rolling...
Feb 11, 2026
At $39,500, Is This 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 Worth the Bite?
At $39,500, Is This 1995 Dodge Viper RT/10 Worth the Bite?
The seller of today’s Viper describes the car as “before its time” even though most consider Dodge’s monster a throwback. Let’s see if its condition and price make it worth throwing down some cash. While the future of the automobile may be electric, the limited-range models of the past...
Feb 11, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved