This 1961 Ford Falcon Sedan Delivery Has A Mystery In Its Cargo Area

I found this 1961 Falcon Sedan Delivery basking in the golden glow of sunset near the harbor in Eureka, CA. It’s got a full load of patina on the outside. But what about in its rear cargo compartment? A look inside reveals a mystery that I have not yet been able to solve.

1961 was the first year for the Falcon Sedan Delivery, and according to one source, it was the high-water mark for sales, although that really isn’t an apt expression in this case.  According to falconclub.com, only 1,988 of these were sold in the US that year, and sales went downhill from there. 1965 was the last year for the SD, with only 539 made. It would appear that the Sedan Delivery was well on its way to becoming an obsolete body style, despite the Vega’s ill-fated attempt at a come-back. Almost as quickly as it had burst onto the scene, the Sedan Delivery was gone, with Ford having made the first and the last of the era.

Of course the Ranchero, which shared some key body parts with the Sedan delivery, went on to have a much longer and more successful life.

This one is the first one I’ve run across in a long time, and it’s sporting some very well-developed patina, likely as a consequence of being exposed to well over half a century of salt air coming off Humboldt Bay. It looks like it’s had some efforts to remediate some surface rust with black primer. The nearby ocean’s salty air does tend to create surface rust, depending on how close the car is to the beach. But it still looks quite intact overall.

This is obviously a hometown car, based the “Harper Ford” license plate protector; Harper Motors is Eureka’s long-time Ford dealer and still very much in business.  I do wonder what its original job was? What business in the Eureka area bought this in 1961 to deliver its goods?

Sadly, there was no evidence of any sign painted on its side panels that might have given a clue as to its original owner or purpose. Maybe I’m just not good at reading Rorschach blotters. I see that the rust has eaten away the upper edge of the steel panel that covers the area where the glass would be on the two-door wagon version. That’s pretty classic beach rust, created when the salty air condenses on the car at night and then drips down and gets trapped in certain spots.

The interior isn’t exactly all original anymore. That upholstery and seat came from a Deluxe Falcon, as the colors don’t match the original light brown-tan of the rest of the interior.

Also, it’s not a split front seatback, which was standard on these sedan deliveries to facilitate access to the rear area and cargo box through the front door. This one I found on the web has the original split front seatback.

Obviously the steering wheel is an after-market job and the shifter “knob” is rather original, although certainly not from the Ford factories; that’s a new one for me. I’m not sure how comfortable it is for its actual intended purpose; the little Falcon six does rather need to be rowed vigorously to affect any measurable forward progress faster than a sailboat. I’m guessing it’s got (or had) the base 85 (gross) hp 144 CID inline six; the 101 hp 170 inch six became optional in 1961, but somehow it doesn’t seem likely that a sedan delivery buyer would pony up for one.

So now we get to the mystery of its cargo compartment. According to one source, there was no rear seat; just a plywood cargo floor with a storage area where the seat would have been (see picture below). But this clearly looks like a folded-down seat. And there’s the brackets for the seat to be locked into its upright position for take-off or landing.

I finally found another Falcon SD on the web with shots of the cargo compartment, and this is what I was expecting to see in the one I found. There’s a plywood storage locker with a lift-up lid, with a hole in it for a finger to make that happen. Otherwise, the two compartments look almost identical, with what appears to be hardboard faced with vinyl attached to the sides. And a rubber mat on the rear portion of the floor.

So perhaps a rear seat was an option? Makes sense, for a business that might need to carry a couple of additional workers to a job or such. Not much of a view, but they’d be busy staring at the screens of their phones. Or whatever bored guys did back then.

For our readers from down under, I will note that there was a Sedan Delivery version of the Australian Falcon too. This image is from 1962; it might be the first year for it (or not). But as is pretty readily apparent, there’s a few significant differences from the American version. The doors are the short ones from the four door (there were no two-door Australian Falcon sedans or wagons), and the whole rear body is different, the biggest change being a shorter body with less rear overhang as well as different design details. It is of course also based on the Australian station wagon, and we covered the differences of the Ozzie Falcon wagon to the American version here.

Obviously, the American Falcon Sedan delivery is based on the two-door wagon, which makes it look a bit less workmanlike and more jaunty, or hip, or whatever. As was the case with all sedan deliveries, these were very popular with the California surfing crowd, for several obvious reasons. I’m actually a bit surprised that there’s not a surfboard permanently attached to the roof of this one, as that’s more than a bit of a thing.

I hope the owner of this one can stay ahead of the encroaching rust and keep delivering the good vibes that this Falcon oozes with.

 

Related CC reading:

The Sedan Delivery – A Unique Combination Of Style And Utility by me

Curbside Classic: 1961 Falcon – How To Build A Winning Compact by me

Curbside Classic: 1974 Chevrolet Vega Panel Express – A Sedan Delivery For The ’70s by T. Klockau