1964 Ford Falcon 260 Termite Racer

The Termite sounds like a nickname for something that eats through wood, but on the drag strip, this 1964 Ford Falcon chewed through the competition instead. Built by Johnny Hawkins and backed by Drew Ford, the 260-cubic-inch Falcon knocked down AHRA class records during the sport’s golden era. Nobody expected a compact economy platform to become a record-setter — that’s exactly what makes this one worth remembering.

Wait for the burnout!!

Termites are the last thing you want to hear about near a car, but in drag racing circles, “the Termite” earned its name the honest way — not by eating wood, but by chewing up the competition. This 1964 Ford Falcon doesn’t look like much on paper: a compact economy car platform Ford never intended for the strip. But under Johnny Hawkins’ ownership and with Drew Ford’s backing, this humble Falcon became a genuine record-setter. What does a “termite” have to do with a 260-cubic-inch V8 and a quarter-mile?

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A Nickname With Bite

The name was a play on the classic homeowner’s nightmare — termites quietly destroying a house from the inside — and on the strip, that’s exactly what this Falcon did to its competition, chewing through the field run after run during the AHRA’s (American Hot Rod Association) heyday in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Built by Johnny Hawkins and sponsored by Drew Ford, the Termite ran hard enough to knock down class records with its 260-cubic-inch small-block, proving a lightweight compact with the right combination could hang with cars carrying far more displacement.

Why the Falcon Platform Worked

The Falcon’s unassuming reputation is exactly what made it a sleeper weapon — Ford’s compact was light, simple, and cheap to build on, qualities that translate directly to elapsed times when you’re not lugging around unnecessary weight. That same platform, in Sprint trim, paired the 260 V8 with a stiffened suspension and floor shifter for buyers who wanted a taste of performance without stepping up to a full-size car, and it’s no coincidence the Falcon’s unitized chassis and drivetrain later became the literal foundation for the Mustang.

Cars like the Termite are why nostalgia drag racing still has a following — a record-setting build from fifty-plus years ago, campaigned by a name most casual fans have never heard, still gets remembered because it did something nobody expected out of a “grocery-getter” platform.

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