1963 · Ford · United States
1963 Ford Fairlane
Hardtops and wagons joined the Fairlane line; reference-site counts give 28,268 bucket-seat Fairlane 500 Sport Coupes, beside 97,444 Fairlanes and 246,443 Fairlane 500s.
United States · researched through 2026-09-25
For 1963 hardtop coupes and station wagons joined the Fairlane and Fairlane 500 lines for the first time, with 97,444 Fairlanes and 246,443 Fairlane 500s reported for the model year. As with the prior year, the Fairlane 500 total is not resting on a single source: a 1997 reference book carries the identical 246,443 in its own Ford production-by-year table, an independent match that does not itself confirm either figure against a factory record but does mean the number is no longer uncorroborated. The plain Fairlane total, by contrast, still rests on the single OldRide.com lineage, without a second source to cross-check it against.1,2
Within the plain Fairlane series, a 4-door sedan (body 32) at 44,454, a 2-door sedan (body 31) at 28,984, and a Ranch Wagon (body 38) at 24,006 sum exactly to the reported 97,444. The Fairlane 500 series is thinner on that front: its six body rows, a 4-door sedan (103,175), 2-door sedan (34,764), 2-door hardtop (41,641), bucket-seat Sport Coupe hardtop (28,268), Ranch Wagon (29,612), and Squire wagon (7,983), sum to 245,443, a full 1,000 short of the 246,443 series total the same source states; the record's own notes flag this gap explicitly rather than silently rounding it away or forcing the rows to match; the same notes attribute the underlying figures to OldRide.com's body-style table, itself following an unnamed Standard Catalog of American Cars lineage rather than a factory production report.1
Factory prices ran from $2,154 (six) and $2,257 (V8) for the plain Fairlane 2-door sedan up through $2,884 for a V8-only Fairlane 500 Squire wagon, with no six-cylinder Squire price recorded in the source at all. Between those extremes, the Fairlane 4-door sedan ran $2,216/$2,319, the Fairlane Ranch Wagon $2,525/$2,628, the Fairlane 500 4-door sedan $2,304/$2,407, the Fairlane 500 2-door sedan $2,242/$2,345, the Fairlane 500 hardtop coupe $2,324/$2,427, the Fairlane 500 Sport Coupe hardtop $2,504/$2,607, and the Fairlane 500 Ranch Wagon $2,716 with a V8, again with no six-cylinder figure given, the same gap that appears on the Squire wagon, though the source does not say whether that reflects a genuine six-cylinder omission on the larger wagons or simply an unresearched cell in the price table.1
On a 115.4-inch wheelbase, sedans measured 197.6 inches long against 201.8 inches for the wagons, with an overall width of 71.3 inches across the line, both figures published for the model year as a whole rather than broken out further by individual body style. Shipping weight with a V8 ran 3,002 lb for the Sport Coupe hardtop and 2,982 lb for the plainer Fairlane 500 hardtop. No engine ratings, transmission data, factory options, paint or interior choices, performance figures, or identification codes survive in the source material consulted for 1963, leaving production counts, prices, and a small set of chassis dimensions as the whole of what this record can document for the year the Fairlane line first added hardtops and wagons to its body-style range. The record's own notes reiterate that missing sections mean the fact was not successfully researched, not that the corresponding equipment or specification never existed.1
Fact sheet · 1963 · United States
The numbers
1963 Ford Fairlane — Hardtops and wagons joined the Fairlane line; reference-site counts give 28,268 bucket-seat Fairlane 500 Sport Coupes, beside 97,444 Fairlanes and 246,443 Fairlane 500s.
Coverage: Partial — researched sections are shown; missing ones are not yet sourced. Researched through 2026-09-25.
Every figure is labeled with how sure we are. Reported means a manufacturer, registry, or reference figure we cite but have not reconciled against factory records ourselves. Disputed means credible sources disagree and both are shown. Rows are separately scoped; don't add them together unless the note says they make up a total.
Production
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| All 1963 Fairlanes (conceptcarz total)3 all series · as published A total stated by the page. It equals the sum of the two OldRide series totals above (97,444 + 246,443), so it is the same lineage with a stated whole-year figure, not an independent count. The page's own body rows add to 342,887, 1,000 short of the stated total, the same shortfall noted for the Fairlane 500 rows. | 343,887 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairlane series total (six and V8)1 Fairlane · as published | 97,444 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 500 series total (as stated)1,2 Fairlane 500 · as published | 246,443 | built, model-year | Reported |
| What was counted | Count | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairlane 4-door sedan (32)1 Fairlane · 4-door sedan, 32 · as published | 44,454 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 2-door sedan (31)1 Fairlane · 2-door sedan, 31 · as published | 28,984 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane Ranch Wagon (38)1 Fairlane · station wagon, 38 · as published | 24,006 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 500 4-door sedan (42)1 Fairlane 500 · 4-door sedan, 42 · as published | 103,175 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 500 2-door sedan (41)1 Fairlane 500 · 2-door sedan, 41 · as published | 34,764 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 500 2-door hardtop coupe (43)1 Fairlane 500 · 2-door hardtop, 43 · as published | 41,641 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 500 Sport Coupe hardtop (47)1 Fairlane 500 Sport Coupe · 2-door hardtop, 47 · as published | 28,268 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 500 Ranch Wagon (48)1 Fairlane 500 · station wagon, 48 · as published | 29,612 | built, model-year | Reported |
| Fairlane 500 Squire wagon (49)1 Fairlane 500 Squire · station wagon, 49 · as published | 7,983 | built, model-year | Reported |
The Fairlane 500 series total (246,443) now matches a second, named lineage: Automobiles of the '60s (Publications International, 1997) and Cars of the 60s (Beekman House, 1982) both carry the identical figure in a Ford production-by-year table, read via search-inside snippets. This does not confirm either compilation against a Ford record, but it is no longer a single-source figure.
Production figures come from OldRide.com's body-style table (Standard Catalog lineage, source not named). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975 itself or a Ford production summary would allow verification.
Missing is not zero: an empty table means not researched successfully, not that nothing was built.
Rows prefixed or- come from OldRide.com's production table (Standard Catalog lineage, not stated). Production was counted by body style only, sixes and V8s together. The Fairlane rows add to 97,444; the Fairlane 500 rows add to 245,443, 1,000 short of the stated 246,443.
Whole-year total 343,887 from conceptcarz, which names no source. Searched 2026-09-29: conceptcarz year pages (read), the OldRide table already cited, Wikipedia.
Prices when new
| Model | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fairlane 500 2-door hardtop coupe (43), six1 | $2,324 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 2-door hardtop coupe (43), V81 | $2,427 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 Sport Coupe (47), six1 | $2,504 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 Sport Coupe (47), V81 | $2,607 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 4-door sedan (32), six1 | $2,216 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 4-door sedan (32), V81 | $2,319 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 2-door sedan (31), six1 | $2,154 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 2-door sedan (31), V81 | $2,257 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 4-door sedan (42), six1 | $2,304 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 4-door sedan (42), V81 | $2,407 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 2-door sedan (41), six1 | $2,242 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 2-door sedan (41), V81 | $2,345 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane Ranch Wagon (38), six1 | $2,525 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane Ranch Wagon (38), V81 | $2,628 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 Ranch Wagon (48), V81 | $2,716 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
| Fairlane 500 Squire (49), V81 | $2,884 | factory price as compiled (base list, by engine), 1963 model year |
Prices are the nominal dollars of the day, not adjusted for inflation.
Specifications
| Measure | Value | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Shipping weight, Sport Coupe (47) V81 | 3,002 lb | 47, V8 |
| Shipping weight, Fairlane 500 hardtop (43) V81 | 2,982 lb | 43, V8 |
| Wheelbase1 | 115.4 in | all |
| Overall length1 | 197.6 in | sedans (wagons 201.8) |
| Overall width1 | 71.3 in | all |
Identification
Read a 1963 Ford VIN
The VIN decoder runs in your browser and never sends the VIN anywhere. How the factory numbered this year's cars:
Same model year
Also in 1963
- Buick Riviera Buick's first Riviera, a four-seat personal-luxury hardtop limited to 40,000 cars, with a 401 Nailhead standard and a 340-hp 425 added in December 1962.
- Buick Wildcat The Wildcat became its own series, adding a convertible and four-door hardtop; 35,725 built.
- Chevrolet Chevy II and Nova First Nova Super Sport year in the source production table. Enthusiast-compiled production: 372,626 cars; Super Sport 42,432.
- Chevrolet Impala SS Super Sport (RPO Z03) peaks toward the 1960s high: 153,271 built, plus the Z11 427 drag package.
- Chrysler 300 letter series Hardtop-only and trimmed exclusively in Claret Red leather, the 300J carried a 390 hp short-ram 413 as its only engine; 400 were built, the smallest letter-car run.
- Dodge Dart 330/440, Polara and Max Wedge The Max Wedge grew to 426 cu in, rated at 415 or 425 hp, and a Ramchargers Dodge driven by Herman Moser won Stock at the 1963 NHRA Nationals; Ramcharger production remains unsourced.
- Ford Falcon Sprint The mid-year 1963 1/2 Sprint put the Fairlane's 164 hp 260 V8 into the compact Falcon for the first time, as a hardtop and a convertible.
- Ford Galaxie The 406 opened the year and was replaced mid-year by the 427, in Q-code (410 hp, one four-barrel) and R-code (425 hp, two four-barrels) form, while a fastback Sports Hardtop was offered in the Galaxie 500 and 500 XL series.
- Ford Thunderbird The Sports Roadster's second and last year: only 455 were built.
- Mercury Marauder and S-55 The S-55 line grew to four bodies, and the mid-year fastback Marauder hardtop arrived with 390, 406 and 427 V8s available.
- Oldsmobile Starfire A squared-off roof with a concave rear window; production fell 38 percent to 25,890.
- Plymouth Savoy, Fury and Max Wedge The Super Stock engine grew to 426 cu in at 415 or 425 hp, a Stage II revision followed, and Chrysler's own four-speed arrived in May 1963; Super Stock production remains unsourced.
- Pontiac Catalina 2+2 and Super Duty Three Super Duty 421 ratings up to 410 hp, then GM's racing withdrawal ended them early in the model year.
- Pontiac Grand Prix Production more than doubled to 72,959 at an unchanged price.
- Pontiac Tempest and LeMans A V8 for the Tempest, and about a dozen Super Duty Tempests built for racing before Pontiac's January 1963 withdrawal.
- Studebaker Avanti Studebaker's fiberglass four-seat coupe went on sale with a 289 V8 and an optional $210 Paxton supercharger. It was billed on the strength of a 1962 run of Bonneville records, and 3,834 were built as 1963 models.
- Studebaker Hawk The GT Hawk could now be ordered with the Avanti's R1 and supercharged R2 engines, and a spring 1963 package created the Super Hawk. Old Cars Weekly counts 396 R1 cars among 4,009 domestic GT Hawks.
- Studebaker Lark and Super Lark Studebaker offered the Avanti's R1 and supercharged R2 engines in the compact Lark and added a Super Lark package in April. No source read gives an R2 Lark count; the estimates run from about 200 to a few hundred.