Archived · Classic Cars · 2 min read
Unique Cars and Parts: Edsel
The 1957 Edsel has been rather unceremoniously referred to as a marketing blunder. Timing was probably the major reason for its reputation, as car…
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Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2004-12-09.
The 1957 Edsel has been rather unceremoniously referred to as a marketing blunder. Timing was probably the major reason for its reputation, as car buyers at the time were looking more for smaller vehicles and the Edsel became a victim of its own massive hype. Ford pitched this car at the lower medium market sector and forecast sales to be in the 200,000 region.
Unfortunately only 62,000 cars were purchased in its first year after Ford spent an enormous $250,000,000 to develop it. Its critics blamed its unusual looks with one pundit describing its vertical grille as “like an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon”.
In reality the Edsel was quite restrained with well clipped fins and a nice clean profile. It was produced under 15 different models creating a separate division within Ford.
There was the usual six cylinder and V8 models running on a three-speed manual or automatic transmission. In 1959 Ford tried a mild restyle to cease the slide in sales, and in 1960 a totally new shell appeared. At any rate the Edsel stopped being produced by the start of the new decade. Ironically this once ridiculed car is now seen as a prized collectors piece.
