After a three-year vacation, Ford returned to the sedan delivery field with the stylish 1952 Courier.
When the Ford division launched its first new postwar car for 1949, the brand’s traditional sedan delivery body style was not included in the lineup. The reason was never explained as far as we know, but we can guess that Ford chose to focus on its most popular (or profitable) models. At any rate, this hole in the lineup was filled three years later in 1952 with a new sedan delivery and a new name: Courier.
Based as it was—closely—on the ’52 Ford passenger car platform, the Courier rode on a 115-in wheelbase and shared a number of exterior body panels with the two-door Ranch Wagon. However, the load deck was accessed via a single, side-opening rear door instead of the wagon’s two-piece tailgate. Equipment was basic. The 106 cubic-ft cargo area was lined with fiberboard and a right passenger seat was an extra-cost option. Both the 101-hp inline and the 110-hp flathead V8 were available, but one important $170 option isn’t mentioned in the original commercial spot below: the Fordomatic automatic transmission, which must have looked pretty attractive to city delivery operators. Video follows.
I suspect Ford had its hands full introducing an all-new passenger car line, much less all-new Lincoln and Mercury cars, to worry about sedan deliveries. Plus, there were so many issues with fit and finish on the Ford cars that the next year’s models were “50 ways finer for ’50.” (No doubt to cover the glitches in the ’49 models…)
Sedan deliveries helped build businesses. They were the best marketing vehicle