I really like Edsels. It's a shame that they didn't make more. I saw a picture once of what I believe was a 90s model Mercury ? Sedan that this guy had remodelled the fronte end so that it had the horse collar in it. Seen some hearses and ambulances that looked pretty stylish. I think that Edsels were perfect for modifications and alterations and customizationings. Definitely a vehicle that should always have white walls, IMO.
Ford Edsel (1958) USA The Ford Edsel recently featured on a "50 worst cars of all time" list. It even made its way into the Billy Joel song We didn't start the fire - "Edsel is a no-go". It was released in 1957 amongst a flurry of hype. In its first year, sales were expected to exceed 200,000, but only 68,000 were produced. The third production run two years later saw fewer than 3,000 made, and these were mainly due to fulfil contracts with dealers. During 1958 - 1960, approximately 900 Edsels were used as police cars by departments all over the country. It was a unique vehicle and the squad car versions were a rare sight. Advertising for the first Edsel aptly announced, "Once you've seen it, you'll never forget it". Mocked by the media, the failure was put down to a mixture of poor workmanship and bad styling, but ultimately it was example of how not to market a product. Overall, Ford lost $350 million with the Edsel. It was described as: 'The wrong car, at the wrong time.' by philosopher Jan Deutsch. A restored police Edsel is currently being used by the Bear Valley Police Department in California.
350 million back then would be somewhere in the billions today. Poor Ford. Let's pay tribute with a little American Bandstand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgtQj8O92eI
Me too. I'd go peacefully in the 58 Chevy. Whine in the Ford. Kick my feet and scream in those Edsels!
I happen to love the look of the 58 Edsel, and the 60 is nifty looking in its own way. The 59 was, to me, not so nice, not that I would say no to one were it offered me! I always did want a top of the line 58 Edsel convertible, loaded with all the options, and make mine 2 tone blue, thank you!
I heard that the real reason that the Edsel failed was because they had a low priced model that competed with the Fords, and a high priced model that could compete with the Lincoln. Because of this, the dealerships didn't want to sell the product, since it hurt sales of their staple brands. Corporate was behind the cars, but the dealerships hated it because it was different. Just like GM dropping Oldsmobile and Pontiac, since they both competed with the other GM lines. Chrysler dropped the De Soto because it was competing with Dodge, and Dodge was winning. No need to compete with yourself if there is no economic benefit. What year did Chrysler drop the Plymouth line? It went away, and hardly anyone noticed that it was gone....
I can see a lot of this being correct, but as for the Plymouth name disappearing, I think the reason nobody noticed was from 10 feet away the last few years of Plymouth you could not tell the difference it and a Dodge other than badging as they were completely identical. A lot can be said about Buick's and Pontiacs VS Chevy but they at least got some cosmetic changes.
The real problem with the Edsel was timing. It hit the market right as a recession was starting and the mid-priced cars all took a hit. Edsel being new to the market, did not have an established customer base to carry it through. Also, as noted, the lower levels were only slightly higher in price, and not much different in equipment, from the upper Fords, and the upper trim levels were up into Mercury territory, but without being terribly cheaper, and with no history in the market. It was an answer to a question nobody asked.
reasons why Another ingredient to the demise of Edsel, as a documentary on TV once explained to me was; starting in late 57, "Eisenhower's Economic Slowdown" put a lot of car companies on the skids. The new 58 Chevy "didn't go over so well" either. Part of Kennedy winning in 60, was him promising to fix the economic woes of the nation. Take a good look at styling among all of America's car companies of the time. There was pretty much a new look every year. That trend didn't stop until 64. It started over at Chevy with the 62's. Mopar was the last of the Big 3 to recover. Cars of the mid and late 60's had a tendency to "look the same" from one year to next. The first four years of Mustang, before a big change. The 62 thru 64 Chevy Impalas. Then the 65 thru 69 Chevy full size line. Etc. The documentary also explained that the Baby Boom ended in 57, because of this, as well. In 64, only half as many babies were being born, as had been born in 57. The zenith of the Baby Boom.
