Built in early 1964 on a Ford Falcon Sprint chassis, the Clan was designed for Carrozzeria Ghia by Sergio Sartorelli and appeared later that year at the Turin Motor Show. Ghia’s promotional materials for the models claimed that they had taken note of the superior performance of the new Falcon Sprint, with its 260-cubic inch V-8 engine, and were inspired to use it as the basis for this sleek coupe with very modern styling, with echoes of the body Sartorelli had famously designed for a Maserati 5000 GT.
The fastback roof could be seen as anticipating Plymouth’s upcoming Barracuda; like the Barracuda, the Clan’s rear seat folded, creating a spacious luggage area easily loaded through the large rear hatch. When the hatch was raised, it could be fixed into place, level with the roof, to carry additional luggage atop its surface; clever footholds were provided in the rear fenders for loading and unloading. The result, Ghia emphasized, was station wagon utility in a smaller coupe footprint.
The Clan was a very early example of partnership between the Blue Oval and Ghia. Ford would eventually buy controlling shares in the coachbuilder in 1970, and retains ownership to this day.
Story by RM Sotheby’s
