Car Spot: 59 Edsel

Classic case of the wrong car for the wrong market at the wrong time

Growing up in the 50s and 60’s it was a big deal when the new models were introduced. I remember, to this day, my dad taking me down to see the new car Ford had come out with, the Edsel. Something novel at the time was the pushbuttons in the center of the steering wheel to select the transmission gear. Edsel called it Teletouch but that feature would only last one year before cars came off the assembly line with the standard lever on the column. Not going to go into a full history of the brand because unless you’ve been living in a cave you’ve read about it. Long story short, Ford’s research was bad and the car missed its mark “the smart car for the younger executive or professional family on its way up.” Not so much.

But the car stood out, at least at first, with its unique horseshoe grill. This 58 I spotted on a recent trip to Orlando, FL, and Universal Studios was famous for being one of the cars used in the 1973 film American Grafitti. This model is the longer base Corsair trim one of seven models offered in the first year. There were four sedans and three station wagons. The lower-trim Ranger and Pacer shared bodies with the 118-inch wheelbase Fairlane sedans, while the higher-trim Corsair and Citation shared bodies with the 124-inch wheelbase Monterey and Mercury Montclair sedans. The two wagons, the two-door Edsel Roundup and the four-door Edsel Villager and Edsel Bermuda shared its body and 116-inch wheelbase with Ford station wagons. Yes, a two-door wagon!

RELATED Spot: The Edsel Ford never built.

This second Edsel is one of the lower-trim Rangers but even though it’s one of the entry-level cars looks pretty loaded. I spotted this at a flying event I was at last fall in Oconto, WI which is about an hour north of Green Bay, WI. Ford had spent 10 years and $250 million on planning one of its first brand-new cars in decades like this example. Besides missing the mark in reaching its target demo, lack of quality control and confusion of parts with other Ford models were the other reasons Ford pulled the plug on the Edsel after just two years. The flaw in all the research was that when Edsel appeared in 1957 that target market was gone from the medium-priced field, and a new boom was starting in the compact field. Enter the Rambler!

What are they worth now? The rarest and most valuable Edsel model is the 1960 Ranger convertible, with only 76 units produced. These cars are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts due to their rarity, unique styling, and historical significance. Some of them have sold for as high as 100k. But the ones that I’ve shared with you here are in the 20k range or less. You can’t say they won’t stand out at a Cars and Coffee event.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this week’s spot. I have lots of others on my site so peruse them while you’re here and come back next Friday for my latest spot along with some of its history. Have a great weekend.