Ford has long offered a sedan delivery, skipping only the 1948–1951 period. The new two-door Ranch Wagon for 1952 provided an ideal opportunity to return the style to the catalogue, but this time with a new name, the Courier. The recipe was simple: replace the Ranch Wagon’s rear side windows with blank panels and leave out most of the seats. A side-hinged rear door replaced the liftgate and tailgate, and the buyer had a choice of six-cylinder or V-8 power. Many chose the six for its low cost and economy of operation.

This general approach, mirroring the Ranch Wagon year by year, continued until 1956. A tailgate and liftgate eventually became optional. As the Courier Sedan is a utility vehicle by nature, its upholstery and appointments generally followed the entry-level Mainline car series. A few business people, however, desired more style and better amenities.

The Courier offered here was built in Dearborn on May 7, 1956. It was finished in Raven Black and equipped, as it is today, with the hard-wearing, legendarily durable 137-brake horsepower, six-cylinder engine, which was mated to a three-speed manual transmission. In the course of a cosmetic restoration, its appearance was dressed up with Fiesta Red side panels and the interior was reupholstered in black and red vinyl. The electrical system has been converted to 12 volts. The car still has numerous original components, including its vent windows, and numerous accessories, including a power seat, an AM radio, chrome vents over the windows, front and rear stone guards, stainless rocker moldings, a sun visor, and a roof rack. The odometer records 67,693 miles, which may well be the mileage since new.

This Courier is clean and well presented, yet it is still very much a “driver,” and it is the perfect vehicle for local cruise-ins or classic journeys to the parts store.