THE FALCON OF DOOM

By DIEGOERI
[CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)],
 via Wikimedia Commons

The Falcon was Ford's answer to the compact car lust created by the VW Beetle. It was inspired by Ford General Manager Robert McNamara (who later become Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and a major force in the prosecution of the Vietnam War). Made from 1960 through 1970 in the United States, it was beloved by many owners and outsold the compacts offered by General Motors and Chrysler.

However, Falcons were also manufactured in Argentina from 1962 through 1991 and were far less beloved by dissidents in that country. One of the most iconic symbols of the dreaded secret police from 1976 through 1983 in that nation were the green Ford Falcons without license plates used to transport political prisoners who were never seen again. Even today many citizens of Argentina have a knee-jerk loathing of the vehicles, as green Falcons have become a trademark for despotism in that country.