@@What.its.like. As I remember Fats Domino covered a lot of old music. For example Blueberry Hill was an old song from before world war 2. And I think the song you mentioned on this video was also an old song.
These were the years that when you came home with a New Car, or a (new car to you) Your Neighbors, Co -workers would all come out to look at your new ride. Congratulate you and tell you how beautiful it is. Come home in a brand new car today and unless you’re somebody no one cares. Merry Christmas Jay!
@@What.its.like. I sold the last of my Edsels (a Citation 2HT) back in 2020 so I could travel. The Ranger/Pacer will always be my fave bodystyles. Spring Green, Turquoise & Sunset Coral are my fave colors for 1958. I'm in Seattle.
What did you think of the citation versus the pacer always wondered are the big black cars better beings that you sold your citation kind of answers my question.. I’ve never been to Washington state maybe one day
@@What.its.like. Citations/Corsairs are not as "nimble" to drive as Rangers/Pacers. The best handling was the station wagon. I owned two Bermudas and they were great driving automobiles.
Already enjoying your site. I like cars you don't see all the time and Edsels fit in. I've got 2 Edsels 59 2dr hardtop and a 58 2dr hardtop. Everyone in my family said stay away from the Edsel it's a lemon that was in the 60s . After reading up on them the 58 had horrible problems with the transmission. If you own one you must hit the neutral position in between selections in other words don't go from drive to reverse hit neutral first. The other thing that killed the transmission is people would hit the center of the horn in a panic to blow horn and through the trans in reverse while driving if they survived the transmission didn't and back to dealerships they went. I much better prefer the 59 it's basically a Ford and no Edsel gadgets. But it was too late the Edsel name got a black eye. No problem with 59s and in 60 they lost exterior Edsel styling but quickly pulled the plug on production run. Today they are all definitely a historical keepsake. Very interesting cars and history
Awesome thank you so much for sharing all the insite and information =) greatly appreciate it Curious where are you located ? What model 58,59 edsel do you have I totally agree about the 60 but it’s grown on me the 58 is my favorite of the three
My 58 Bermuda 9 passenger was my favorite, but the one I drove the most was my Metallic brown/white Villager 9 passenger with the optional glowing red speedometer ( when you went over your set speed.) Bought the ‘59 Villager for my girlfriend at the time, rebuilt the 352 in it and she drove it for about 10 years until her Aunt stuffed it into a tree.
I first saw the ads all in model form I was about 14 or 15 and I was like what is that hideous car it was in a model kit right next to the Chrysler turbine car very first time I ever saw that car as well. The more I researched about the heads or the more I fell in love with it I think 58 was the best year. It got watered down after that. I really want to cover a citation this year and maybe a wagon if that’s possible. The plan is to cover every single body style that I can find I want this to be one of the most in depth channels/communities talk about more than just the two doors the four-door hard tops are really cool as well. I have no idea why they failed aside from the whole recession thing there was a huge recession in 1958 I guess it was comparable to what happened in 2008. Every time I see a new alpha I think of an Edsel they look very similar
Dean on Cold War Motors has a survivor , 58 I think. The teletype transmission required extensive work by the teletech to get it working properly. Probably never reliable.
Jay, you're a genius in doing your shoots at these classic car dealers - an almost unlimited supply of common and rare models, peaceful and quiet, unlike car shows, and no worries about the weather as long as you can get to the dealer. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that 2023 will be a great year.
Hey Jay, I think that 1958 is the best looking Edsel!!! This Ranger is gorgeous!!! My buddy had a 58 Edsel Citation with the push button transmission in the center of the steering wheel!!! Thanks for sharing another exciting video!!! 🎄🤶⛄
I agree the '58 Edsel is the best looking model. Then again, the '60 is also very slick; it's similar to the '60 Pontiac, save for the split grille. It was Bob MacNamara who killed the E-Car before he became secretary of defense. His dream was to make Ford like Volkswagen; one model fits all. Thanks for showing a right nice '58 Ranger... not the current pick'em-up truck version!
Happy holidays to you as well =) more stuff coming I’m contemplating on what episode I want to do next I have one more Packard in the pipeline very call car I think that one’s going to be the next one I’m going back to Classic Automall Wednesday.. but I got a lot of cars in the pipeline just trying to figure out what I would like to do next.. The Packard might wait =)
Some did the Teletouch option afterwards. They were only Corsair upwards. But honestly, I love it! Personally I would prefer Tha Ranger before the others.
Nice car. So many factors against it and it still sold very well for a new introduction. Only DeSoto beat it. In 1960, the Comet was originally intended to be an Edsel but it gradually "became" a Mercury in 1961
@CJ Colvin not exactly....I read that it was an unintended coincidence that the '60 Edsel resembled the '59 Pontiac. But it's a good that it did, because one 1960 Edsel front-end proposal had a singular, large, center bumper-guard type of grill.....so prominent and weird that it was rejected by management....thank G-d..... There is however at least one member of the Edsel clubs who built a one-off 1960 Edsel with the center grille guard.....it's not attractive.
Saw an Edsel somewhere up towards Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. I didn't stop in to look at it, but I will eventually. Don't remember where I saw it off the top of my head.
One more observation - The 1958 junior series ( Ranger, Pacer, and all wagons were built on Ford frames - easily seen when you look at the roof, specifically the C-pIllar. ) drive & handle in a controlled, reasonably tight & responsive manner. The senior series ( Corsair & Citation were built on a Mercury frame, again the roof helps you identify ) and handled more like small boats. I know, I drove a '58 Corsair for years. Keep up the good posts and research, thanks again.
@@What.its.like. Thanks for including important details, I don’t recall seeing many if any Edsels in Manitoba back in the day. They were probably more rare then a Skyliner Ford. I do find the engines that they used interesting as they seem more powerful than the Ford and Mercury versions.
I too like to pore over all the lines and details of cars. The Edsel headlights remind me of ET.. but I never made the connection to the protruding taillights. Designers back then did wonderful jobs matching styling cues from front to the rear. You pointed out the "floating" headlights, but the so-called gull wing taillights float to, complete with the small chrome "spacers". . I learned to recognize and appreciate the character and shadow lines, and other details, reading Collectible Automobile magazine, a pub. I highly recommend. Another Edsel design attraction I recently learned about is the green thing in the steering hub, which also appears in many other locations, is called by fans and loyalists, the Edsel Pickle! As for Edsel's place in the FoMoCo hierarchy, I understand that was a source of confusion for many customers. The way I understand it was that the Ford based cars were positioned above Ford, but the Mercury based cars were priced equal to or above Mercury. Just my 3 cents' worth.. Enjoyed the vid!
Song: "Ain't That A Shame" performed by Fats Domino. Nice review of the 58 Edsel. Yes, just look at a 1958 Alfa Romeo, very similar front end. Lots of chrome and other styling feature for a base model.
Jay, thanks for this review. Love the 2 tone seperation of the paint job on this. Powder blue was always my favorite. My dad had a powder blue 60 Ford.
Wow!! I've been waiting to see this one! This Edsel is totally stunning !!🤩 Incredible automobile inside and out, love every beautiful line of it! I can never comprehend someone not liking this awesome design !! So 😎👍🎄☃️
Well comprehend that I don’t care for it. It was ugly in 1958 and it is just as ugly now. But that’s just me. There weren’t many cars that I did like in those days. I remember that some tv shows had the slogan “You ‘auto’ buy now!” The Dinah Shore Chevy Show was one such show.
When did cars get solid state transistor radios if they still had tubes in the radios in 1958? I had a 1970 Chevy as my first car and it had a transistor radio.
@@What.its.like. Kinda like Brussels sprouts? I like the 1960 Edsel since they were a bit more conservatively styled. The grille on that resembles the grille on the 1959 Pontiac. I vaguely remember that this country was in the middle of a recession in 1958 and to introduce any new product would have been foolish at best.
The "Eisenhower Recession" of 1957-58 is somewhat to blame but the styling really was the major factor. I was there--as a little kid--& stood in our local just-opened Edsel dealer's showroom. There was a big crowd eating donuts & drinking coffee or punch. Adults just seemed to gape at the car with an amazed look--or in some cases made crude jokes about the grill resembling a certain part of a women's anatomy (which I was too young to understand). Few if any bought an Edsel that day. My Dad just muttered 'no way' as we perused the car.
You're mainly correct, the Eisenhower recession hurt all makes. Then, once people like your Dad realized the Edsel wasn't radically new or different under the fenders, they probably reasoned a Mercury was a better choice - no first-year gremlins, established dealer network, and contemporary, attractive styling.
Edsel are on my top ten list of cars from the 50’s , i had a 59 Ranger 223 cube 3 on 3 with 3.50 diff . Long story short wound upin the crusher :( , how ever i saved front grill bumpers , back tail lights , fender mirrors and speedo cluster , and hanging in my shop for over30 years ! Lol . May own one more before i kick the bucket lol . What a treat ! Well done Jay !❤ have a fantastic xmas holiday , again well done ,
Thank you edsel is one of my favorite cars as well I think it translated into this video =) it’s never too late and some people don’t know what these cars are, last year I found a 57 silver hawk for $5k in great shape it’s possible to find some really cool things out there still
Fun Fact - the 1960 Comet was supposed to be an Edsel model. If you ever see a '60 Comet, notice that it doesn't say Mercury anywhere on it, that didn't happen until '61.
I read that it was mercury edsel Lincoln for 1958 only then moved down market ( engines where called MEL mercury edsel Lincoln) in 59 and 60 was ford edsel mercury Lincoln that’s what I’ve read so idk finding out there is a lot of conflicting information
Those Edsel station wagon tail lights were used a lot on customized 1957 Thunderbirds and 1957 Fords by customizers like George Barris. I have an old Car Craft magazine that shows you how to convert the tail lights to either point inward or outward and the types of sheet metal panels you need to create to mount them to the 1957 ford or Thunderbird. (Since they have 2 points on the rim circle)
It's funny....my dear late Mom recalled seeing the Edsel station wagon boomerangs in the rear of '57 Thunderbirds!! I myself installed a pair in my 1958 Edsel Ranchero conversion.
The front grille on the ‘59 is an improvement over the ‘58, and the car - when I saw it in person - was not as ugly as I expected. Not beautiful but at least not as ugly.
I like the 58 the best I think it had the most innovation especially the citation series that 410 is definitely an underrated engine for what it was and it’s a pity it was only lasted one year.. The 60 is growing on me the 59 in my opinion is the one that I like the least But it’s cool that you like them the wagons I do like to look at the wagons from all of the years
You bet! The '58 Edsels were absolutely beautiful cars. Don't look now, but it seems like there are a few people in the loop that probably don't even have taste in their mouths... The Edsels really we're absolutely beautiful. Totally unique. Very similar to the Packard Predictor show car of a year or two before. Their demise was actually that TeleTouch Drive setup.... It was all controlled in a box that was down near the end of the steering column. Most of them never sealed correctly and would leak when splashed by water... Shorting out the command for whatever gear you were in... As far as the rest of the story, they were mechanically just like any other Ford product... Absolutely reliable and well built. The grill was something that Comedians started making fun of when those cars started having electrical problems with the TeleTouch Drive... It was the Comedians that started calling it a "horse collar"... And even worse, likening it to a certain part of a woman's anatomy. By then, FOMOCO tried to change the styling a bit. By 1960, the cars looked a whole lot like Pontiacs. I had a '58 Pacer sedan for a few years... It was pink, with a white roof and a sable brown side cove... The TeleTouch setup was removed from it years before I owned it, it was replaced by a standard 57-58 Ford steering column and wheel. I never had ANY trouble with that car and drove it daily for about six years. It was in the Nineties... I must have put 30,000 or more miles on it. I knew a guy in Kentucky, who had a '57 Ford retractable hardtop back then... But his was SUPER KOOL because he built it out of a '57 Ford retrac, but used the front clip off of a 58 Edsel, the dash and TeleTouch column... And had the rear quarters of a 58 Edsel wagon grafted on... It had those Uber Kool boomerang taillights on it! It was dark green metallic and Colonial White, wow what a beautiful car that was! Hey... YET ANOTHER great car review... You're doing GREAT 👍
Thank you so much for sharing those stories what great memories. =) What do you like the most about the Edsel Was it floaty that’s the vibe I got that I would ride really well (but have that floaty feel)
@@What.its.like. no... The smaller ones rode like any Sixties/early Seventies type of car. The bigger ones (Citation) had more of a floaty luxury ride, though. My Pacer got around pretty well. I was actually getting about 15mpg around town with it... It'd get something like 18 on the freeway. My favorite thing about those '58 Edsels was completely unique body styling... The whole car is just beautiful. Have you seen the Packard Predictor show car? I'm pretty sure that the Ford Design Department took a lot of cues off of that car. Oh... And the dash was incredible! It really was "Intuitive" way before that was "a thing"... Everything was exactly where you'd expect it to be.
Sweet, I think it’s absolutely crazy that Edsel offered all these options and 58 and then by 59 they watered it down to offer the 292 which was on its way out just like the edsel I guess.
Hi Jay, I hope you had a great Christmas day with family & friends, and I wish you all a happy new year. You guys are going through some pretty shitty weather, so take it easy on those crazy roads. In Melbourne, Australia, it is Summer, and it is so hot in the house, my notebook is overheating and misbehaving. We still have a pretty big world, even with our tech. (PS, you need a fill light for foot wells sometimes. A flashlight.) Your show keeps on getting more interesting. I look forward to your daily reveals According to my copy of "Great American Automobiles of the 50s" R.M Langworth & Chris Poole, the front grill was called the 'Horse collar.' by the tolerant and the 'ladies parts,' by the lessor. I could cope personally, and it did come with some great gear.
Yeah the last few days really sucked I mean you know it’s bad when you walk out side and are like man it’s nice out today and temperature is only 12 but feels like 30 it’s been -4, -5 the past two days going to get in the 50s by the end of this week =) those are degrees Fahrenheit
I would've bet a nickel that the camera would have fit into the glovebox. I hope all the manufacturers pick up your test. Glad the 1956 Packard passed that test.
@@What.its.like. What might be a good thing to make a list of is all the models that have passed the test with the big camera. I suggest keep the big camera as the litmus test. I was surprised that Edsel cut corners on the size of the glove box.
I have a friend that is probably the only person ever to be kicked out of the Edsel Club of America! He has a '58 Ranger, with a 427 side-oiler and top-loader, jacked up with Torq-Thrust mag wheels with big 'ol tars! It'll rattle your windows 2 blocks away!
Hi Justin, I love all of the Edsel cars but my favorite is the Bermuda 9 passenger wagon. I would love to see an in depth review on it. thanks Justin 👍
I plan on doing all of the Edsel wagons as well as all of the Edsel cars in depth =) I have never seen a round up or a Bermuda wagon in person.. I think I’ve only come across one Edsel 1958 Edsel wagon in person and that was at the Hershey car show.. =) Definitely want to hit more wagons this year
I can't get anyone else to do an Avanti. Maybe you could. Dennis Collins recovered a supercharged one in mediocre condition. Fastest American car at the time like 140 mph.
We covered the avanti would love to find an R3 OR R4 I might cover another one this year format changed a little bit ua-cam.com/video/XbJXYmIrlX4/v-deo.html
It really is a mystery to me that Ford dropped it early in its third year. I think, besides the recession year hurting sales, that its pricing was wrong. You could get a Mercury or Lincoln at just about the price of the Edsel. The '57 Fairlane 500 outsold the Chevy Bel Air by some reckoning and the new Edsel faired pretty well initially. Macnamara didn't lick the idea from the beginning because he feared he'd lose his status in the company and endanger his pet Falcon in the works at the same time as the Edsel. He killed it, then he left Ford for the government, where he never did as well as the did at Ford. His Falcon changed the direction of auto production, but he played Hell in Washington.
"Mel" stood for Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln. This engine is the custom/hot rod engine found in the AMT 1925 Ford Model T kit. You can build it one of 3 ways and I have a "Let's Build It" UA-cam video where I show you how to build that engine block right here : ua-cam.com/video/JCicT88X3Yo/v-deo.html
I think the main problem with the Edsel was the push button transmission. It was rushed to market and wasn't tested like Chrysler. I don't think GM used the push button transmission in any of their cars, but i could be wrong.
I never had a problem with my Teletouch, but was careful to keep it dry of course. Also, the Edsel Club published an excellent, simple and direct flowchart to diagnose any and all Teletouch problems, so these days it really isn't the headache it used to be.
It was a shame Ford didn’t engineer their push button shifter better. Chrysler did it right, especially after they added the “park” lever. I never especially liked the push button shifters, feeling them to be only a gimmick, but if manufacturers chose to do it, at least they should do it right.
@@sking2173 My 2017 Ford Fusion has a knob on the center console to select what "gear" you are in. Works the same way except a knob rather than push buttons.
@@67marlins My Mom's boss back at that time had an Edsel and my Dad said it was always in the shop getting fixed. I'd imagine that there would be some aftermarket wiring for the Teletouch that came out post-Edsel to correct the problems.
That very first Continental was probably the most classically beautiful car of the mid-century? The simplicity of its lines was the style much later seen and copied (I believe) by all the Italian manufacturers in the 60s, except for Ferrari, initially anyway. The key to the design was restraint, textured over a big canvas. It is nice to see artistic cross pollination at work. My opinion, obviously, but I'm all in for a good discussion. If you ever get a chance, I would love to see you do a special on the model, even if you use a museum specimen. You can very legitimately ask for that now. (they'd probably want a storyboard and script?)
I love the Continental mark II so classy was the most expensive car in america until Cadillac built the El Dorado brougham and that became the most expensive car offered by one of the big three in the 50s Here is a link to the Continental episode it was a while ago and the format has definitely come along way definitely going to hit again ua-cam.com/video/iDudLvVpuaA/v-deo.html
Now the issue is the Mercury and Ford frames. The Mercury are longer, but ALSO 2" wider. So this leads to the problem -- length can be resolved by a longer fender and/or longer rear fender overhang, but to change the width it requires everything to be different. The two versions, the high version (Citation and Corsair) are totally different from the lower version (Pacer and Ranger). Not a single piece metal or trim is the same -- different front and rear glass, horse-collar, bumper widths, tail lights, hoods, rear deck, seats etc. etc. etc. l cannot reconcile how Ford even thought they were going to make any money with two seemingly identical bodies, yet every single body item had to duplicated to accommodate a 2" wider car. l find no discussion about it -- a major flaw in why Edsel failed because they could only sell well into the 100s of thousands of units to make any profit with so much tooling required. This is the reason for the failure. GM always made cars with different lengths within families of cars (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Olds vs. Buick & Caddie), but maintaining the frame width consistent to save money on unnecessary tooling. Anyhoo, nice video.
Thank you so much for sharing all that insight and information. I totally forgot that they spent all that money on tooling costs citation, Corsair senior series are totally different than Ranger and pacer =)
This is a nice-looking car. And I like how you spend the time going over the contours of the car...it gives me more of an appreciation of the efforts the car manufacturer made. I don't like the name Edsel for a car, though. I think it sounds very stodgy...maybe that turned off potential car buyers. And to think Ford conducted a contest to come up with a name for this car. And the winner was Edsel?
Retrospective? OK, probably an impossible question, but of the cars you've reviewed, if you were given the choice of being gifted just one of them, which one would it be?
Oh man that’s a hard one.. I really like the 37 packard 115 C it would be between that and 1959 rambler wagon.. I really liked this edsel too (just not crazy about powder blue )
I could see why many conservative women of the time would be taken aback by the front end of the 1958 Edsel … In 1960, the styling was less controversial, but by then, the damage was done.
I like it though I think there’s super underrated for what they are. If you got a citation with a stick shift which was optional, the car would go 0 to 60 in 7 seconds one of the fastest cars of the 50s
Pricing was one of Edsel's problems. It was supposed to slot in BETWEEN Ford and Mercury. In reality, Edsel's prices over lapped both. The Ranger sedan cost $2592, the Fairlane 500 sedan (with a higher level of trim) cost $2565, but the Medalist sedan (a strippo) cost $2617. The Pacer sedan cost $2735, even more than the $2721 Monterey sedan. The only Mercurys that cost more than the comparable Edsels were the Park Lanes. It was all very confusing for the consumers.
Yeah I read it both ways, I was always under the impression that for 1958 it was mercury Edsel Lincoln that’s why they named the engines MEL.. but then by 1959 they moved the Edsel down market to put it in between Ford and mercury.. unfortunately I couldn’t find the article that I read that in otherwise I would’ve shared the link..
@@What.its.like. at its conception (1952, when Mercury was a dressed up Ford) Edsel WAS supposed to slot in BETWEEN Mercury and Lincoln, kind of like the 49 through 51 Mercury based junior Lincoln. By 1957,when FoMoCo was readying the Edsel for release, they did not seem to know where to position it. I maintain that if Edsel had been released as a 1957 model and the pricing had been rationalized, then we might still have Edsel dealers today.
That’s super interesting I never thought that they did and I had to stop and think about whether or not they actually offered a pushbutton transmission it was only offered by Ford and Chrysler.. and AMC as well as other Independent auto manufacturers
The official Edsel song was called "sell the car". The only thing that killed this car, was the nasty crude comments that people made comparing the grill to a vagina and the rear deck, to a lady with her legs spread open
Thank you so much for sharing that’s information, I honestly don’t think the Edsel design was any worse than what else is producing right now Pontiac had a design 61 that looked very feminine as well.
i love edsel's it's not so much they were considered ugly the quality was not so good. my dad when he worked on the line hated the extra work they entailed.
I did it was a good balance the thing that sucked was this is the 2nd Version.. I did the whole episode and software editing program glitched and lost the whole thing I had to redo to whole episode everything all over again.. it’s nice because I did it twice =D
@What it’s like - I'm sorry to disagree, but I think Edsel was always the step above Ford, but just below Mercury. You're absolutely correct that the "M-E-L" engine designation for the 410 cubic-inch ( "E-475" for its torque rating just for the '58 Edsel Corsair & Citation ) was an acronym for "Mercury- Edsel - Lincoln", but please don't think that order implied market position.....I just think it was easier to say/write/relay in literature and marketing. As I'm sure you know, that "MEL" also served in Mercurys as a 368. 383, and 430-cid versions. The 430 also served in Thunderbirds and Lincolns. I think also the "MEL" was enlarged to a 462 just for Lincoln in maybe '67 and '68, right before being mercifully retired to make way for the new-for-1969 460 in Lincolns. The 429 and 460 were called the '385' series engine, for the 3.85" stroke. That new 429/460 was designed for lighter-weight, newer technology casting production and tightening emissions. The 429 was more powerful, clean and efficient than the old "MEL", and vastly lighter, too! I'll have to dig up the weight difference, but I recall being astounded how well designed and progressive the 429/460 was for that time. I own a '70 Marquis, and have achieved 17mpg with the 429 2-barrel. I also owned a '58 Corsair, and while the 'E-475' was certainly powerful, it was just as leaky and inefficient as a typical Y-block, sorry to say...... Also, the "FE" engine family originally stood for, "Ford/Edsel". That excellent engine of course came-in, 352. 390, 406, 427 and 428 sizes for Ford and Mercury, ( and also a one-year 410-cid variant only for the Mercury division in 1966 I think ), and of course also the 361-cid just for the '58 and '59.Edsels that you've described. I belonged to both the Edsel Owners Club and the International Edsel Club for decades. The International group were known to be much friendlier, but that could have changed in the many years since I belonged. Also, the International name didn't mean that overseas folks were unwelcome in the EOC, it was just an alternative name to separate themselves from the EOC. Thanks for the post, and keep in touch. Hope your family had a Merry Christmas.
Thank you so much for all of that insight I know that they want to produce more than just the 410 edsel was supposed to be a staple instead it was a very expensive dud.. =) I had a great Christmas I hope you guys had a merry Christmas as well
@What it’s like Ford actually came close to building the 1961 Thunderbird as front-wheel-drive: one working 'mule' test prototype was built. Some Ford engineers also almost convinced management to develop and import a front-wheel-drive V-4 powertrain from their European arm to power what was to be the 1960 Falcon..... My point is, it's amazing how cutting edge Ford could have been, possibly wresting the #1 position from GM. If their Continental and Edsel divisions had been profitable and gave them the financial courage, emboldening them to step forward with ideas like the above.....who knows? At that point, Edsel division could have been what Olds was to GM - the 'experimental car' that led the Ford family with the newest technology and engineering. A recession and accountants like McNamara kept Ford from possibly being successful with the multi-division family setup like GM had built.....it's a thought.
@@67marlins - That 429 was a fine engine. And the 2-V version was my favorite “385” engine in the full-size Fords. And you’re right, the 385 was far superior to the MEL engine family.
What it's like ... if a car manufacturer makes 100,000 cars, how many cars are produced, in parts, to satisfy demands for body and other parts? Like 10%?
I have to admit that "Edsel" is a terrible name. Bud, dang it, these cars are cool! They may look a little frumpy. Especially when compared in that ad to the 58 Belvedere. They are definitely unique!
I think they were always underrated I would have loved to take this one for a drive I’ve driven 57/58 fords before this just getting inside felt better then both of those fords
IMO, the ‘58 Edsel was a bit “frumpy”, but it lived in a sea of frumpy models. To me, 1958 was a styling low-point for Ford and GM. The Edsel was one of Ford’s more attractive offerings that year. But you hit it on the head, the winner of the style award for ‘58 was the Plymouth Belvedere. I had been no huge Chrysler fan to that point, but the Belvedere opened my eyes. And they had modern 3-spd. automatics (TorqueFlite 466 cast iron trans in ‘58), and they had the A-block 318 that was a fine engine. The B-block was introduced in ‘58, and that proved to be one of the best engines of the era.
Your failure with the Mercury Marauder. Amazing forgotten muscle car or even performance sedan. But, do you know of the '58-'59 Mercury Super Marauder with 3 deuces feeding it through a cold air duct in the fender ?
I knew about the mercury marauder makes like 400 hp super underrated engine I didn’t know about the super marauder I’ll have to see if I can find one this year to review that would be really cool i’ll have to see if I can find one this year to review that would be really cool =)
@@What.its.like. It was one of Ford's early muscle cars along with the "F code" cars. I'm not sure if production numbers... They're similar to the big Turnpike Cruiser with a little less bling and the big Lincoln 430 with the 3 carbs. I stumbled on an article about them. I guess they could be had with a stick or auto and other things like a continental kit.
The Edsel had many positives as far as design features go. But it was three strikes and you're out in the real world. Strike one, poor build quality. Strike two, the bad recession of 1958. Strike 3 the fugly toilet seat grill.
@@sking2173 it's definitely a love it or hate it type of grille. I personally never really cared for the looks of it but one thing was for sure. When you saw that either coming at you or in your rear view mirror, it was no doubt whatsoever what car it was.
Ed-sell is how it was pronounced. Your pronunciation sounds better. Edsel styling was ugly. Got a little bit better later. (Please don't say toodle-loo at the end. Sounds ... hahaha)
I agree. It’s a shame that 1 design feature ruined the car line. Certainly the economy played a part, but other expensive cars sold well enough. It was ugly then, it’s ugly now. It doomed the car.
Fats Domino, Ain't that a shame!
Yeah buddy you got it =)
@@What.its.like. As I remember Fats Domino covered a lot of old music. For example Blueberry Hill was an old song from before world war 2. And I think the song you mentioned on this video was also an old song.
Beat my correct response by that much......
For me it's hard to believe people used to hate these, I've always found them beautiful.
I love the 58 edsel, I think they aged like fine wine. =)
True, this is not ugly at all. There must be other reasons why this didn't became a success. May be many.
@@eucitizen78 The recession that year was probably the biggest cause
@@uox179 That, and they were built along the '58 Ford's, which made the workers angry, so they purposely sabotaged them.
Yeah my favorite year is the 58.
That Edsel is a great looking car. Excellent condition.
These were the years that when you came home with a New Car, or a (new car to you) Your Neighbors, Co -workers would all come out to look at your new ride. Congratulate you and tell you how beautiful it is. Come home in a brand new car today and unless you’re somebody no one cares. Merry Christmas Jay!
Merry Christmas =)
I've owned over 12 Edsels since 1995, my faves being Ranger & Pacer. I'm not really fond of Powder Blue, but this is absolutely lovely!
That’s awesome do you still have a pretty big collection which is your favorite.
Just curious where are you located?
@@What.its.like. I sold the last of my Edsels (a Citation 2HT) back in 2020 so I could travel. The Ranger/Pacer will always be my fave bodystyles. Spring Green, Turquoise & Sunset Coral are my fave colors for 1958.
I'm in Seattle.
What did you think of the citation versus the pacer always wondered are the big black cars better beings that you sold your citation kind of answers my question.. I’ve never been to Washington state maybe one day
@@What.its.like. Citations/Corsairs are not as "nimble" to drive as Rangers/Pacers. The best handling was the station wagon. I owned two Bermudas and they were great driving automobiles.
Justin, you have an artful eye! I love how you admiringly pour over every curve and crease of the sheet metal! Great job!
Thank you these are like rolling art I just like pointing all the lines out =)
Already enjoying your site. I like cars you don't see all the time and Edsels fit in. I've got 2 Edsels 59 2dr hardtop and a 58 2dr hardtop. Everyone in my family said stay away from the Edsel it's a lemon that was in the 60s . After reading up on them the 58 had horrible problems with the transmission. If you own one you must hit the neutral position in between selections in other words don't go from drive to reverse hit neutral first. The other thing that killed the transmission is people would hit the center of the horn in a panic to blow horn and through the trans in reverse while driving if they survived the transmission didn't and back to dealerships they went. I much better prefer the 59 it's basically a Ford and no Edsel gadgets. But it was too late the Edsel name got a black eye. No problem with 59s and in 60 they lost exterior Edsel styling but quickly pulled the plug on production run. Today they are all definitely a historical keepsake. Very interesting cars and history
Awesome thank you so much for sharing all the insite and information =) greatly appreciate it
Curious where are you located ? What model 58,59 edsel do you have
I totally agree about the 60 but it’s grown on me the 58 is my favorite of the three
I’ve owned 3 ‘58 Edsel Villager wagons, 1 ‘58 Bermuda wagon and 1 ‘59 Villager. One day I’ll buy another! Great shoot and info on this car!
Awesome what did you think of the 58 wagons also which was your favorite
My 58 Bermuda 9 passenger was my favorite, but the one I drove the most was my Metallic brown/white Villager 9 passenger with the optional glowing red speedometer ( when you went over your set speed.) Bought the ‘59 Villager for my girlfriend at the time, rebuilt the 352 in it and she drove it for about 10 years until her Aunt stuffed it into a tree.
When I first saw the Edsel, I’ve always thought that it was a beautiful car. I wonder how the Edsel cars would look like now if they never failed.
I first saw the ads all in model form I was about 14 or 15 and I was like what is that hideous car it was in a model kit right next to the Chrysler turbine car very first time I ever saw that car as well. The more I researched about the heads or the more I fell in love with it I think 58 was the best year. It got watered down after that. I really want to cover a citation this year and maybe a wagon if that’s possible. The plan is to cover every single body style that I can find I want this to be one of the most in depth channels/communities talk about more than just the two doors the four-door hard tops are really cool as well. I have no idea why they failed aside from the whole recession thing there was a huge recession in 1958 I guess it was comparable to what happened in 2008. Every time I see a new alpha I think of an Edsel they look very similar
The fact that you point out the details is so awesome. TY!
Glad you dig =)
Dean on Cold War Motors has a survivor , 58 I think. The teletype transmission required extensive work by the teletech to get it working properly. Probably never reliable.
Jay, you're a genius in doing your shoots at these classic car dealers - an almost unlimited supply of common and rare models, peaceful and quiet, unlike car shows, and no worries about the weather as long as you can get to the dealer. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that 2023 will be a great year.
=)
Hey Jay, I think that 1958 is the best looking Edsel!!! This Ranger is gorgeous!!!
My buddy had a 58 Edsel Citation with the push button transmission in the center of the steering wheel!!! Thanks for sharing another exciting video!!! 🎄🤶⛄
Hoping to shoot a citation next year =) Merry Christmas
@@What.its.like. that will be great!!! I really enjoy your videos!!! 👍👍🙂
I agree the '58 Edsel is the best looking model. Then again, the '60 is also very slick; it's similar to the '60 Pontiac, save for the split grille. It was Bob MacNamara who killed the E-Car before he became secretary of defense. His dream was to make Ford like Volkswagen; one model fits all. Thanks for showing a right nice '58 Ranger... not the current pick'em-up truck version!
love the hinges for the glovebox...
Me too I love edsels =)
And a cup holder!
Happy holidays and thanks for the all the great history on these pieces of rolling art.
Happy holidays to you as well =) more stuff coming I’m contemplating on what episode I want to do next I have one more Packard in the pipeline very call car I think that one’s going to be the next one I’m going back to Classic Automall Wednesday.. but I got a lot of cars in the pipeline just trying to figure out what I would like to do next.. The Packard might wait =)
Interesting. Neat car.
I hope to find a citation convertible this year to feature on the channel as well as some wagons
Cool with the air conditioning knob and how they made the lighter look like a switch.
Some did the Teletouch option afterwards. They were only Corsair upwards. But honestly, I love it! Personally I would prefer Tha Ranger before the others.
Nice car. So many factors against it and it still sold very well for a new introduction. Only DeSoto beat it. In 1960, the Comet was originally intended to be an Edsel but it gradually "became" a Mercury in 1961
The 60 Edsels was basically copying the Split grill design from Pontiac to basically making it Ford's version of Pontiac.
@CJ Colvin not exactly....I read that it was an unintended coincidence that the '60 Edsel resembled the '59 Pontiac.
But it's a good that it did, because one 1960 Edsel front-end proposal had a singular, large, center bumper-guard type of grill.....so prominent and weird that it was rejected by management....thank G-d.....
There is however at least one member of the Edsel clubs who built a one-off 1960 Edsel with the center grille guard.....it's not attractive.
Dean Gammey - that's exactly right, you can see the carry-over grille end design of the Edsel within Comet.
Saw an Edsel somewhere up towards Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. I didn't stop in to look at it, but I will eventually. Don't remember where I saw it off the top of my head.
I’ve owned both a 58& 59 edsel😊
Which did you like better ?
Nice job Jay... I like the Edsel commercial -- It was a nice touch. Hope you and your family had a great Christmas.
Glad you dig this episode =)
One more observation -
The 1958 junior series ( Ranger, Pacer, and all wagons were built on Ford frames - easily seen when you look at the roof, specifically the C-pIllar. ) drive & handle in a controlled, reasonably tight & responsive manner.
The senior series ( Corsair & Citation were built on a Mercury frame, again the roof helps you identify ) and handled more like small boats. I know, I drove a '58 Corsair for years.
Keep up the good posts and research, thanks again.
Thank you so much for sharing that insight =)
Merry Christmas!! Excellent video thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for digging this episode =)
@@What.its.like. Thanks for including important details, I don’t recall seeing many if any Edsels in Manitoba back in the day. They were probably more rare then a Skyliner Ford. I do find the engines that they used interesting as they seem more powerful than the Ford and Mercury versions.
I too like to pore over all the lines and details of cars. The Edsel headlights remind me of ET.. but I never made the connection to the protruding taillights. Designers back then did wonderful jobs matching styling cues from front to the rear. You pointed out the "floating" headlights, but the so-called gull wing taillights float to, complete with the small chrome "spacers". .
I learned to recognize and appreciate the character and shadow lines, and other details, reading Collectible Automobile magazine, a pub. I highly recommend.
Another Edsel design attraction I recently learned about is the green thing in the steering hub, which also appears in many other locations, is called by fans and loyalists, the Edsel Pickle!
As for Edsel's place in the FoMoCo hierarchy, I understand that was a source of confusion for many customers. The way I understand it was that the Ford based cars were positioned above Ford, but the Mercury based cars were priced equal to or above Mercury.
Just my 3 cents' worth.. Enjoyed the vid!
Song: "Ain't That A Shame" performed by Fats Domino. Nice review of the 58 Edsel. Yes, just look at a 1958 Alfa Romeo, very similar front end. Lots of chrome and other styling feature for a base model.
I thought the same I guess two tone was an option I think came standard on pacer ( don’t hold me to that )
Merry Christmas Jay!
Merry Christmas =)
Jay, thanks for this review. Love the 2 tone seperation of the paint job on this. Powder blue was always my favorite.
My dad had a powder blue 60 Ford.
The power blue isn’t for me I really like teal and white or black and white looks classy too
Nice historical info. The voice in the video sounds like Ronnie Bob Reagan
You found a really nice example. The "teletouch'" drive was somewhat problematic, but the location was cool! Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Yeah this was a super clean one thank you so much I hope you guys had a merry Christmas as well =)
Wow!! I've been waiting to see this one! This Edsel is totally stunning !!🤩 Incredible automobile inside and out, love every beautiful line of it! I can never comprehend someone not liking this awesome design !! So 😎👍🎄☃️
Well comprehend that I don’t care for it. It was ugly in 1958 and it is just as ugly now. But that’s just me. There weren’t many cars that I did like in those days. I remember that some tv shows had the slogan “You ‘auto’ buy now!” The Dinah Shore Chevy Show was one such show.
When did cars get solid state transistor radios if they still had tubes in the radios in 1958? I had a 1970 Chevy as my first car and it had a transistor radio.
Totally agree but get it’s an acquired taste
@@What.its.like. Kinda like Brussels sprouts? I like the 1960 Edsel since they were a bit more conservatively styled. The grille on that resembles the grille on the 1959 Pontiac. I vaguely remember that this country was in the middle of a recession in 1958 and to introduce any new product would have been foolish at best.
@Glenn Lego Exactly - the Eisenhower recession was brief, but hurt the entire industry.
The "Eisenhower Recession" of 1957-58 is somewhat to blame but the styling really was the major factor. I was there--as a little kid--& stood in our local just-opened Edsel dealer's showroom. There was a big crowd eating donuts & drinking coffee or punch. Adults just seemed to gape at the car with an amazed look--or in some cases made crude jokes about the grill resembling a certain part of a women's anatomy (which I was too young to understand). Few if any bought an Edsel that day. My Dad just muttered 'no way' as we perused the car.
You're mainly correct, the Eisenhower recession hurt all makes.
Then, once people like your Dad realized the Edsel wasn't radically new or different under the fenders, they probably reasoned a Mercury was a better choice - no first-year gremlins, established dealer network, and contemporary, attractive styling.
Edsel are on my top ten list of cars from the 50’s , i had a 59 Ranger 223 cube 3 on 3 with 3.50 diff . Long story short wound upin the crusher :( , how ever i saved front grill bumpers , back tail lights , fender mirrors and speedo cluster , and hanging in my shop for over30 years ! Lol . May own one more before i kick the bucket lol . What a treat ! Well done Jay !❤ have a fantastic xmas holiday , again well done ,
Thank you edsel is one of my favorite cars as well I think it translated into this video =) it’s never too late and some people don’t know what these cars are, last year I found a 57 silver hawk for $5k in great shape it’s possible to find some really cool things out there still
Fun Fact - the 1960 Comet was supposed to be an Edsel model. If you ever see a '60 Comet, notice that it doesn't say Mercury anywhere on it, that didn't happen until '61.
Actually, the Edsel Division was positioned between Ford and Mercury, not between Mercury and Lincoln. Otherwise, enjoyed the video!
I read that it was mercury edsel Lincoln for 1958 only then moved down market ( engines where called MEL mercury edsel Lincoln) in 59 and 60 was ford edsel mercury Lincoln that’s what I’ve read so idk finding out there is a lot of conflicting information
Those Edsel station wagon tail lights were used a lot on customized 1957 Thunderbirds and 1957 Fords by customizers like George Barris. I have an old Car Craft magazine that shows you how to convert the tail lights to either point inward or outward and the types of sheet metal panels you need to create to mount them to the 1957 ford or Thunderbird. (Since they have 2 points on the rim circle)
It's funny....my dear late Mom recalled seeing the Edsel station wagon boomerangs in the rear of '57 Thunderbirds!!
I myself installed a pair in my 1958 Edsel Ranchero conversion.
@@67marlins They are cool.
The front grille on the ‘59 is an improvement over the ‘58, and the car - when I saw it in person - was not as ugly as I expected. Not beautiful but at least not as ugly.
I like the 58 the best I think it had the most innovation especially the citation series that 410 is definitely an underrated engine for what it was and it’s a pity it was only lasted one year.. The 60 is growing on me the 59 in my opinion is the one that I like the least
But it’s cool that you like them the wagons I do like to look at the wagons from all of the years
I don't doubt that for a minute
Thank you for posting my link.
I should paint my model car like this. just have to find that light blue color in a rattle can.
No worries =)
I'm very interested in the station wagon model of the Edsel
They are so cool I’ve only seen a handful of them in my lifetime
You bet!
The '58 Edsels were absolutely beautiful cars.
Don't look now, but it seems like there are a few people in the loop that probably don't even have taste in their mouths... The Edsels really we're absolutely beautiful. Totally unique.
Very similar to the Packard Predictor show car of a year or two before.
Their demise was actually that TeleTouch Drive setup.... It was all controlled in a box that was down near the end of the steering column.
Most of them never sealed correctly and would leak when splashed by water... Shorting out the command for whatever gear you were in...
As far as the rest of the story, they were mechanically just like any other Ford product... Absolutely reliable and well built.
The grill was something that Comedians started making fun of when those cars started having electrical problems with the TeleTouch Drive... It was the Comedians that started calling it a "horse collar"... And even worse, likening it to a certain part of a woman's anatomy.
By then, FOMOCO tried to change the styling a bit. By 1960, the cars looked a whole lot like Pontiacs.
I had a '58 Pacer sedan for a few years... It was pink, with a white roof and a sable brown side cove... The TeleTouch setup was removed from it years before I owned it, it was replaced by a standard 57-58 Ford steering column and wheel.
I never had ANY trouble with that car and drove it daily for about six years.
It was in the Nineties... I must have put 30,000 or more miles on it.
I knew a guy in Kentucky, who had a '57 Ford retractable hardtop back then... But his was SUPER KOOL because he built it out of a '57 Ford retrac, but used the front clip off of a 58 Edsel, the dash and TeleTouch column... And had the rear quarters of a 58 Edsel wagon grafted on... It had those Uber Kool boomerang taillights on it!
It was dark green metallic and Colonial White, wow what a beautiful car that was!
Hey... YET ANOTHER great car review... You're doing GREAT 👍
Thank you so much for sharing those stories what great memories. =)
What do you like the most about the Edsel
Was it floaty that’s the vibe I got that I would ride really well (but have that floaty feel)
@@What.its.like. no... The smaller ones rode like any Sixties/early Seventies type of car.
The bigger ones (Citation) had more of a floaty luxury ride, though.
My Pacer got around pretty well.
I was actually getting about 15mpg around town with it... It'd get something like 18 on the freeway.
My favorite thing about those '58 Edsels was completely unique body styling... The whole car is just beautiful.
Have you seen the Packard Predictor show car?
I'm pretty sure that the Ford Design Department took a lot of cues off of that car.
Oh... And the dash was incredible! It really was "Intuitive" way before that was "a thing"... Everything was exactly where you'd expect it to be.
i have a friend his Dad bought a Edsel new its a 1959 with a 292 with 3 speed manual
Sweet, I think it’s absolutely crazy that Edsel offered all these options and 58 and then by 59 they watered it down to offer the 292 which was on its way out just like the edsel I guess.
Thanks for this great review of the 58 Ranger.
I have enjoyed this bad luck entry buy the Ford Motor Company for many years.
I love the 58 edsel.. maybe we get to hit a citation this year that would be really cool I’d like to do all of the 18 different models eventually =)
@@What.its.like.
I'm on board with that idea!
Hi Jay, I hope you had a great Christmas day with family & friends, and I wish you all a happy new year. You guys are going through some pretty shitty weather, so take it easy on those crazy roads.
In Melbourne, Australia, it is Summer, and it is so hot in the house, my notebook is overheating and misbehaving. We still have a pretty big world, even with our tech. (PS, you need a fill light for foot wells sometimes. A flashlight.)
Your show keeps on getting more interesting. I look forward to your daily reveals
According to my copy of "Great American Automobiles of the 50s" R.M Langworth & Chris Poole, the front grill was called the 'Horse collar.' by the tolerant and the 'ladies parts,' by the lessor. I could cope personally, and it did come with some great gear.
Yeah the last few days really sucked I mean you know it’s bad when you walk out side and are like man it’s nice out today and temperature is only 12 but feels like 30 it’s been -4, -5 the past two days going to get in the 50s by the end of this week =) those are degrees Fahrenheit
I would've bet a nickel that the camera would have fit into the glovebox. I hope all the manufacturers pick up your test. Glad the 1956 Packard passed that test.
It might have fit with the other lens that new lens is pretty big
@@What.its.like. What might be a good thing to make a list of is all the models that have passed the test with the big camera. I suggest keep the big camera as the litmus test. I was surprised that Edsel cut corners on the size of the glove box.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas =)
Excellent!
=)
I think you should pick songs from the era of the cars. Would be easy for the 1950's to now cars, but tougher on the 1940's and back.
That song was from the era =)
@@What.its.like. true...but do that for all of them going forward! :D
I have a friend that is probably the only person ever to be kicked out of the Edsel Club of America! He has a '58 Ranger, with a 427 side-oiler and top-loader, jacked up with Torq-Thrust mag wheels with big 'ol tars! It'll rattle your windows 2 blocks away!
That's crazy
Hi Justin, I love all of the Edsel cars but my favorite is the Bermuda 9 passenger wagon. I would love to see an in depth review on it. thanks Justin 👍
I plan on doing all of the Edsel wagons as well as all of the Edsel cars in depth =) I have never seen a round up or a Bermuda wagon in person.. I think I’ve only come across one Edsel 1958 Edsel wagon in person and that was at the Hershey car show.. =)
Definitely want to hit more wagons this year
Good looking car by todays standard......only zonk is the quad headlights look odd .
I can't get anyone else to do an Avanti. Maybe you could. Dennis Collins recovered a supercharged one in mediocre condition. Fastest American car at the time like 140 mph.
We covered the avanti would love to find an R3 OR R4 I might cover another one this year format changed a little bit
ua-cam.com/video/XbJXYmIrlX4/v-deo.html
@@What.its.like. The ones I've seen have great interiors.
It really is a mystery to me that Ford dropped it early in its third year. I think, besides the recession year hurting sales, that its pricing was wrong. You could get a Mercury or Lincoln at just about the price of the Edsel. The '57 Fairlane 500 outsold the Chevy Bel Air by some reckoning and the new Edsel faired pretty well initially. Macnamara didn't lick the idea from the beginning because he feared he'd lose his status in the company and endanger his pet Falcon in the works at the same time as the Edsel. He killed it, then he left Ford for the government, where he never did as well as the did at Ford. His Falcon changed the direction of auto production, but he played Hell in Washington.
Awesome information thank you so much for sharing that =)
"Mel" stood for Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln.
This engine is the custom/hot rod engine found in the AMT 1925 Ford Model T kit. You can build it one of 3 ways and I have a "Let's Build It" UA-cam video where I show you how to build that engine block right here : ua-cam.com/video/JCicT88X3Yo/v-deo.html
Was that also 58 Ford market position that’s what I’ve read and then a 1959 Edsel moved down Market
@@What.its.like. Yes, the MEL came out in 1958. Edsel was suppose to try and fit in the "Buick" market slot, but didn't quite get there.
I think the main problem with the Edsel was the push button transmission. It was rushed to market and wasn't tested like Chrysler. I don't think GM used the push button transmission in any of their cars, but i could be wrong.
I never had a problem with my Teletouch, but was careful to keep it dry of course.
Also, the Edsel Club published an excellent, simple and direct flowchart to diagnose any and all Teletouch problems, so these days it really isn't the headache it used to be.
It was a shame Ford didn’t engineer their push button shifter better. Chrysler did it right, especially after they added the “park” lever.
I never especially liked the push button shifters, feeling them to be only a gimmick, but if manufacturers chose to do it, at least they should do it right.
“Back in the day”, GM never did the push button shifters, but some newer models use them.
@@sking2173 My 2017 Ford Fusion has a knob on the center console to select what "gear" you are in. Works the same way except a knob rather than push buttons.
@@67marlins My Mom's boss back at that time had an Edsel and my Dad said it was always in the shop getting fixed. I'd imagine that there would be some aftermarket wiring for the Teletouch that came out post-Edsel to correct the problems.
That very first Continental was probably the most classically beautiful car of the mid-century? The simplicity of its lines was the style much later seen and copied (I believe) by all the Italian manufacturers in the 60s, except for Ferrari, initially anyway. The key to the design was restraint, textured over a big canvas. It is nice to see artistic cross pollination at work. My opinion, obviously, but I'm all in for a good discussion.
If you ever get a chance, I would love to see you do a special on the model, even if you use a museum specimen. You can very legitimately ask for that now. (they'd probably want a storyboard and script?)
I love the Continental mark II so classy was the most expensive car in america until Cadillac built the El Dorado brougham and that became the most expensive car offered by one of the big three in the 50s
Here is a link to the Continental episode it was a while ago and the format has definitely come along way definitely going to hit again
ua-cam.com/video/iDudLvVpuaA/v-deo.html
Merry Christmas talk about a 63 Fairlane sometime
Merry Christmas =) I’ll look for 63 fairlane
Now the issue is the Mercury and Ford frames. The Mercury are longer, but ALSO 2" wider. So this leads to the problem -- length can be resolved by a longer fender and/or longer rear fender overhang, but to change the width it requires everything to be different. The two versions, the high version (Citation and Corsair) are totally different from the lower version (Pacer and Ranger). Not a single piece metal or trim is the same -- different front and rear glass, horse-collar, bumper widths, tail lights, hoods, rear deck, seats etc. etc. etc. l cannot reconcile how Ford even thought they were going to make any money with two seemingly identical bodies, yet every single body item had to duplicated to accommodate a 2" wider car. l find no discussion about it -- a major flaw in why Edsel failed because they could only sell well into the 100s of thousands of units to make any profit with so much tooling required. This is the reason for the failure. GM always made cars with different lengths within families of cars (Chevrolet, Pontiac, Olds vs. Buick & Caddie), but maintaining the frame width consistent to save money on unnecessary tooling. Anyhoo, nice video.
Thank you so much for sharing all that insight and information. I totally forgot that they spent all that money on tooling costs citation, Corsair senior series are totally different than Ranger and pacer =)
This is a nice-looking car. And I like how you spend the time going over the contours of the car...it gives me more of an appreciation of the efforts the car manufacturer made.
I don't like the name Edsel for a car, though. I think it sounds very stodgy...maybe that turned off potential car buyers. And to think Ford conducted a contest to come up with a name for this car. And the winner was Edsel?
These cars were works of art
I'm an old guy and I would rather hear ft. lbs. not the other way, after all that's how torque specs are done.
Retrospective? OK, probably an impossible question, but of the cars you've reviewed, if you were given the choice of being gifted just one of them, which one would it be?
Oh man that’s a hard one.. I really like the 37 packard 115 C it would be between that and 1959 rambler wagon.. I really liked this edsel too (just not crazy about powder blue )
I could see why many conservative women of the time would be taken aback by the front end of the 1958 Edsel …
In 1960, the styling was less controversial, but by then, the damage was done.
Agree but I think the design has aged well some cars even from the 2000s looked great when they came out but look bad now
I agree that it’s aged well. Times have changed and people aren’t as prudish as they used to be …
If you get beyond the controversial front end styling, the Edsel was a lot like Mercury.
I like it though I think there’s super underrated for what they are. If you got a citation with a stick shift which was optional, the car would go 0 to 60 in 7 seconds one of the fastest cars of the 50s
Pricing was one of Edsel's problems. It was supposed to slot in BETWEEN Ford and Mercury. In reality, Edsel's prices over lapped both. The Ranger sedan cost $2592, the Fairlane 500 sedan (with a higher level of trim) cost $2565, but the Medalist sedan (a strippo) cost $2617. The Pacer sedan cost $2735, even more than the $2721 Monterey sedan. The only Mercurys that cost more than the comparable Edsels were the Park Lanes. It was all very confusing for the consumers.
Yeah I read it both ways, I was always under the impression that for 1958 it was mercury Edsel Lincoln that’s why they named the engines MEL.. but then by 1959 they moved the Edsel down market to put it in between Ford and mercury.. unfortunately I couldn’t find the article that I read that in otherwise I would’ve shared the link..
@@What.its.like. at its conception (1952, when Mercury was a dressed up Ford) Edsel WAS supposed to slot in BETWEEN Mercury and Lincoln, kind of like the 49 through 51 Mercury based junior Lincoln. By 1957,when FoMoCo was readying the Edsel for release, they did not seem to know where to position it. I maintain that if Edsel had been released as a 1957 model and the pricing had been rationalized, then we might still have Edsel dealers today.
I would imagine what Edsel would've looked like in the muscle car era had Ford done a better job with the Edsel brand.
It would have been interesting
GM never offered push button transmissions.
That’s super interesting I never thought that they did and I had to stop and think about whether or not they actually offered a pushbutton transmission it was only offered by Ford and Chrysler.. and AMC as well as other Independent auto manufacturers
@@What.its.like. Weird but true 👍.
The official Edsel song was called "sell the car".
The only thing that killed this car, was the nasty crude comments that people made comparing the grill to a vagina and the rear deck, to a lady with her legs spread open
Thank you so much for sharing that’s information, I honestly don’t think the Edsel design was any worse than what else is producing right now Pontiac had a design 61 that looked very feminine as well.
i love edsel's it's not so much they were considered ugly the quality was not so good. my dad when he worked on the line hated the extra work they entailed.
=)
You should be celebrating Christmas with your family.
I did it was a good balance the thing that sucked was this is the 2nd Version.. I did the whole episode and software editing program glitched and lost the whole thing I had to redo to whole episode everything all over again.. it’s nice because I did it twice =D
It was positioned between Ford and Mercury, NOT Lincoln and Mercury
After 1958 it moved down market ( Mel engine is for mercury edsel Lincoln) or at least that’s what I read could be wrong
@What it’s like - I'm sorry to disagree, but I think Edsel was always the step above Ford, but just below Mercury.
You're absolutely correct that the "M-E-L" engine designation for the 410 cubic-inch ( "E-475" for its torque rating just for the '58 Edsel Corsair & Citation ) was an acronym for "Mercury- Edsel - Lincoln", but please don't think that order implied market position.....I just think it was easier to say/write/relay in literature and marketing.
As I'm sure you know, that "MEL" also served in Mercurys as a 368. 383, and 430-cid versions. The 430 also served in Thunderbirds and Lincolns.
I think also the "MEL" was enlarged to a 462 just for Lincoln in maybe '67 and '68, right before being mercifully retired to make way for the new-for-1969 460 in Lincolns. The 429 and 460 were called the '385' series engine, for the 3.85" stroke. That new 429/460 was designed for lighter-weight, newer technology casting production and tightening emissions. The 429 was more powerful, clean and efficient than the old "MEL", and vastly lighter, too! I'll have to dig up the weight difference, but I recall being astounded how well designed and progressive the 429/460 was for that time. I own a '70 Marquis, and have achieved 17mpg with the 429 2-barrel. I also owned a '58 Corsair, and while the 'E-475' was certainly powerful, it was just as leaky and inefficient as a typical Y-block, sorry to say......
Also, the "FE" engine family originally stood for, "Ford/Edsel". That excellent engine of course came-in, 352. 390, 406, 427 and 428 sizes for Ford and Mercury, ( and also a one-year 410-cid variant only for the Mercury division in 1966 I think ), and of course also the 361-cid just for the '58 and '59.Edsels that you've described.
I belonged to both the Edsel Owners Club and the International Edsel Club for decades. The International group were known to be much friendlier, but that could have changed in the many years since I belonged. Also, the International name didn't mean that overseas folks were unwelcome in the EOC, it was just an alternative name to separate themselves from the EOC.
Thanks for the post, and keep in touch.
Hope your family had a Merry Christmas.
Thank you so much for all of that insight I know that they want to produce more than just the 410 edsel was supposed to be a staple instead it was a very expensive dud.. =) I had a great Christmas I hope you guys had a merry Christmas as well
@What it’s like Ford actually came close to building the 1961 Thunderbird as front-wheel-drive: one working 'mule' test prototype was built.
Some Ford engineers also almost convinced management to develop and import a front-wheel-drive V-4 powertrain from their European arm to power what was to be the 1960 Falcon.....
My point is, it's amazing how cutting edge Ford could have been, possibly wresting the #1 position from GM.
If their Continental and Edsel divisions had been profitable and gave them the financial courage, emboldening them to step forward with ideas like the above.....who knows?
At that point, Edsel division could have been what Olds was to GM - the 'experimental car' that led the Ford family with the newest technology and engineering.
A recession and accountants like McNamara kept Ford from possibly being successful with the multi-division family setup like GM had built.....it's a thought.
@@67marlins - That 429 was a fine engine. And the 2-V version was my favorite “385” engine in the full-size Fords. And you’re right, the 385 was far superior to the MEL engine family.
The numbers on the valve covers tell you the horsepower instead of the cubic inches. that was only on the Edsels.
It was the torque rating, not the horsepower.
It was the torque figure =)
@@What.its.like. exactly
@@What.its.like. thank you for the clarification. i forgot, but I did know it wasn't cubes like all the other manufacturers.
@@stephenholland5930 thank you for the clarification. i forgot, but I did know it wasn't cubes like all the other manufacturers.
What it's like ... if a car manufacturer makes 100,000 cars, how many cars are produced, in parts, to satisfy demands for body and other parts? Like 10%?
That’s an excellent question I don’t have the answer for
😎👍🏻👌🏻👏🏻
60/40 split on the seats.
I have to admit that "Edsel" is a terrible name. Bud, dang it, these cars are cool! They may look a little frumpy. Especially when compared in that ad to the 58 Belvedere. They are definitely unique!
I think they were always underrated I would have loved to take this one for a drive I’ve driven 57/58 fords before this just getting inside felt better then both of those fords
IMO, the ‘58 Edsel was a bit “frumpy”, but it lived in a sea of frumpy models. To me, 1958 was a styling low-point for Ford and GM. The Edsel was one of Ford’s more attractive offerings that year.
But you hit it on the head, the winner of the style award for ‘58 was the Plymouth Belvedere. I had been no huge Chrysler fan to that point, but the Belvedere opened my eyes. And they had modern 3-spd. automatics (TorqueFlite 466 cast iron trans in ‘58), and they had the A-block 318 that was a fine engine.
The B-block was introduced in ‘58, and that proved to be one of the best engines of the era.
Your failure with the Mercury Marauder. Amazing forgotten muscle car or even performance sedan. But, do you know of the '58-'59 Mercury Super Marauder with 3 deuces feeding it through a cold air duct in the fender ?
I knew about the mercury marauder makes like 400 hp super underrated engine I didn’t know about the super marauder I’ll have to see if I can find one this year to review that would be really cool i’ll have to see if I can find one this year to review that would be really cool =)
@@What.its.like. It was one of Ford's early muscle cars along with the "F code" cars. I'm not sure if production numbers... They're similar to the big Turnpike Cruiser with a little less bling and the big Lincoln 430 with the 3 carbs. I stumbled on an article about them. I guess they could be had with a stick or auto and other things like a continental kit.
How many people got mad and hit the horn and threw it in park.
Fats Domino "Aint that ashame"
You got it someone bet you to it
Want a ranger wagon or a birmida wagon
I would love to review a Bermuda wagon this year or any ads or wagon in general.. =)
The color combinations alone are outstanding. A shame this car was a failure.
Totally agree =) I will say though teal and white is my favorite color combination for this car or black and white
The Edsel had many positives as far as design features go. But it was three strikes and you're out in the real world.
Strike one, poor build quality.
Strike two, the bad recession of 1958.
Strike 3 the fugly toilet seat grill.
Some people actually found that vulviform grille quite attractive. It’s very subjective …
@@sking2173 it's definitely a love it or hate it type of grille. I personally never really cared for the looks of it but one thing was for sure. When you saw that either coming at you or in your rear view mirror, it was no doubt whatsoever what car it was.
.......ED-ZULL?.....ED_ZULL?.....did you study pronunciation under Professor F.N. Artard?
What peach we all say things different.. bless your heart =)
Ed-sell is how it was pronounced. Your pronunciation sounds better. Edsel styling was ugly. Got a little bit better later. (Please don't say toodle-loo at the end. Sounds ... hahaha)
That’s my thing though it’s about as polarizing as this car some people love it others hate it..
Toodle-loo.
This car never aged well. It’s just as hideous as the day they debuted in ‘58
I agree. It’s a shame that 1 design feature ruined the car line. Certainly the economy played a part, but other expensive cars sold well enough. It was ugly then, it’s ugly now. It doomed the car.
GROOVY CAR............................................NOT
Some think the ‘58 Edsel’s grille is a bit TOO groovy …