Speedy Delivery

Wayne Graefen has a keen eye for old cars. He spotted this Pontiac sedan delivery from the fast lane of I-35 while towing a new acquisition home from his Kansas vacation. Closer investigation showed it to be a 1950 model, of which 2,158 were built, some (perhaps most), like this one, with six-cylinder engines, others with eights.

Sedan deliveries comprise a nearly forgotten art form. Intended for light delivery duties, they were based on car chassis, less commodious but more stylish than the truck-based panel van. The first ones were simply blind-quartered two-door sedans, when all cars were boxes, with barn doors cut into the back. Later, many were based on two-door station wagons, although not this Pontiac as GM didn't build two-door wagons until 1955. It is said that Oldsmobile built one sedan delivery as a feasibility exercise. We don't know if this one is real, or simply a Pontiac with tail- and nose job. It's not a Chevrolet derivative because Chevy, unlike Pontiac, had separable rear fenders.

Ford, which had built sedan deliveries from 1940, abandoned them with the advent of F-series trucks in 1948. It took the new wagons for 1952 to provide a base for the Courier sedan delivery (like this' 53), essentially a Ranch Wagon with a side-hinged rear door. From 1957, the Courier was given a liftgate (check the heavy hinges; the 1959-60 Chev sedan deliveries had a similar arrangement). For 1959, Ford reduced the number of Courier-specific parts, jettisoning the blind quarters and liftgate. In fact, the 5,141 Couriers built that year were simply Ranch Wagons with no rear seat. In 1960, the sedan delivery moved to the Falcon line.

Chrysler Corporation was not a big player in the sedan delivery sweepstakes, but did turn out this handsome 1956 Dodge (or at least someone did).

Ultimately, the light vans, Econoline, Chevy Van and Dodge A100, put the sedan delivery out of business, although the Falcon delivery lasted through 1965. Curiously, Chevrolet resurrected the genre in 1971 with the Vega Panel Express, continued through 1975. Ford's Pinto Cruising Wagon was somewhat reminiscent, too, if one ignored the quirky porthole. CarPort's St. Louis Bureau Chief Fred Summers still has his, purchased new in 1980.

Has Wayne bought the pretty Poncho? Those who should know are being uncannily evasive.