Back in the seventies and early eighties we had a neighbor that had a 58 Ford ranchero that had a 58 Edsel front clip on it. He called it the Edschero.
I own a 58 Ranchero with an Edsel front clip and Edsel 410CI motor. I bought it last summer out of central PA . It has an Edsel Ranger wagon rear tail lights molded in. Unrestored rat lots of rust. Runs good
This Edsel has a much more classy and stylish front end than today's "angry kitchen appliances" they call vehicles today. I do feel the rear end is very stylish and modern looking even today. Great cars, but as you stated, Ford out-thunk themselves.
I owned an Edsel Corsair 2 door hardtop in the early 2000's to 2019. People would just stare and wonder what it was. One thing, it was fast off the line. Fun car. Always a conversation starter.
Absolutely. At least they were giving it the old college try. Credit should be given. Just like today when everyone is buying suvs, I bought a sedan just to spite and to have something different.
In the 80's, traded for a 58 Edsel. It was a cool car, had lots of fun and always people wanted to look it over. Was even stopped by the CHP once, just so they could see it. Ended up selling it when the freeze plug(s) in the back of the engine started leaking. Sold it to a company that supplied cars for Hollywood movies.
I think it is unfortunate that in the controversy about the Edsel car we have lost sight of the man the car was intended to honor, Edsel Ford. Edsel was the father of two successful car lines for FOMOCO, Mercury (1939-2011) and Continental (1941-present). The Mercury was a cut above the regular Ford, and the Continental a cut above the regular Lincoln.
One of the most enormous corporate blunders in history. You’re Ford motor Company. The second largest carmaker in America. Plus millions in international sales. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around the Edsel.
Man, I have known about Edsels since i was a little kid, never crossed my mind that the grille looks like a lady garden… till now. I’ll never look at one the same again.
I grew up near the once "largest collection of Edsel cars" in the world! On a slow news day in the late 80's, CNN even came to town and did a piece on the salvage yard. As I recall, the title would go back an forth between this yard and another somewhere else in the country. The owner has since passed, and his collection scattered or crushed. However there is still a large concentration of the brand here in (of all places) the great state of North Dakota. Love what you are doing Steve, keep it up!
Great video as usual Steve. I agree that Motortrend made a mistake by canceling Roadkill Junkyard Gold. I enjoyed your show. Bitchin Rides and Texas Metal suck that show rich brats getting cars built specifically for them. Fantasy land.
if you watch the opening sequence of "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" you can see Don Knotts punching furiously away the center of the wheel to go back and forth as he tries to turn around, backing over some garbage cans in the process.
This was interesting. And I noticed the pair of 59 Edsels next to it. Maybe those will be featured in the next episode. And the doomsday red marks on the dial of the AM radio were for the CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) system. The marks are at 640 and 1240. It's an interesting sign of its times to see these on the radios of these cars from that period.
I had a 61 Comet , didn’t know at the time that they were to be a small Edsel. I loved the tail lights on it. It was a 170cu. 6 I believe. Another one I should have kept.
First Comets and Falcons were meant to sell at a reduced cost with a reduced lifespan. Buyers would be back sooner so Ford’s bottom line would be unaffected. They still lasted quite a while (not like when the British tried this strategy - reduced lifespan ideas there caused reduced reliability).
There’s an Easter egg “E” emblem on the AMT 1960 Comet promos and model kits, which suggests that the decision came late on rescuing the badge from Edsel.
It couldn’t have hurt if Edsel had had a catchier name - it SOUNDS flat-out dowdy! As far as the styling cues, everything about them said, “We are trying WAY too hard!” It certainly would have been an interesting time to be alive and anticipate what the new model cars were going to look like! Today, the answer to that is easy - pretty much exactly like last year’s model…….😕
Thank you so much for these Steve . There is no other channel like this , and I’m glad I found it . Not only are you giving great information, but you are also a great presenter. Thank you for all the hard work and great content ! 👏
My dad told me some people would call the front end of an Edsel a "flying urinal" I know the push button transmission controls in the center of the steering wheel had a lot of electrical and relay problems from talking to members of the Edsel motor club at a large car show a few years ago.
My Dad had several Edsels, two of them station wagons and one a "hot rod" (410?) he raced on a local drag strip frequently. They were the equal in every way to Fords because they were basically Fords. Good cars.
The recession of 58 was probably the worst time for anyone to try releasing a new car line. I have seen where some manufacturer's sales were down as much as 40% from the previous year. It's too bad too, cuz in the end, they were really good looking cars, regardless of the horse collar grill on the early models.
Edsel Ranger and Pacer were based off Ford drive train and chassis while the larger Corsair and Citation were larger Mercury drive train and chassis. My parents bought a new 58 Edsel Ranger 2 door hardtop. Really a nice car, more like a higher trim level to the 58 Fairlane hardtop. There’s was optioned with the push button auto and a wonderbar radio. Wish I had that car today
Good morning Steve, I kinda like the Edsels and I know MT Screwed UP but you are doing something special everyday with these videos and I know I can speak for many by saying THANK YOU.
I think I read that Ford Motor Company went public (stock) for the first time in their history to finance the Edsel. It was a huge failure and they lost millions. Good for them for recognizing this early on and correcting their mistake. Love your videos Steve
I would venture to say that Edsel has a chance at a new life. Definitely workable. Would be worth the trouble even if it couldn't be put back to 100% stock. I hope it sees the asphalt again one day.
There was a survivor model that was put back on the road on the youtube channel coldwarmotors. A lot of unusual features this car had, such as the push button transmission, made it a 6 person effort. Lots of bugs worked out. And this was not dealing with any bodywork. The finished product is worth it
“Ranger” did a little better when it returned. “Corsair” hasn’t returned as a car name (I think there were two before Edsel used it), but I’m a big fan of the WWII F4Us that used the name.
Three things worked against the Edsel when it was introduced. A short lived recession, very iffy mechanicals with the touchmatic transmission that failed eventually on all the 1958's and the front end styling. The trans used a modified windshield wiper motor as a servo motor that would fail from being exposed to moisture and dirt in its place on the transmission and also the contacts in the steering column would cause erratic operation that frustrated the owners. A great many Edsels had the entire steering column and shift mechanism pulled out and replaced by 1958 Ford equivale to keep them on the road. You could get a "big block" in a Ford in 1958 but it was a smaller version, a 332 FE witch stood for Ford/Edsel.
The name "Edsel" didn't help matters either, I suspect. I thought Edsels used the MEL series of engines, Mercury, Edsel, and Lincoln - maybe the lower trim levels used FEs?
An excellent example of badge engineering gone wrong! While 1958 was known for its bizarre styling by most manufacturers, the Edsel was doomed from the start. Robert McNamara, a Ford big shot, hated the project and was determined to shut it down. He felt it was completely unnecessary. If people wanted 'cool' they bought the new 4 seater Thunderbird. Another McNamara decision! As for styling, Detroit couldn't abandon this 1958 BulgeMobile look fast enough. However the current "Deep Sea Creature Ugly" or "Angry Giant Insect" style of cars and trucks has been going on for quite a while!! 🤢
Wasn't McNamara the same A hole that was in charge of ramping up the Vietnam War under LBJ? That Bastard got many thousands of our boys killed just to placate Johnson's war machine.
An interesting part of the story Steve didn't mention was that the two lower models were based on the Ford body but the two higher models were based on the larger Mercury body. They were not just the sane Ranger with more options.
I got serious "will it run" vibes from that car. Something was telling me that she was running when she got parked. I would be willing to give it a try just to hear it running.
I owned a 59 Edsel green and white. v8 2 door car was a older restoration. a very nice car drove and rode like a dream. I sold it to a guy in New Jersey, he had a pink and white 58 Edsel. one thing I can say ford was not scared to paint any thing weird colors lol
Great bit there with the "cancelled"!! You and Shane make a remarkable team!!! Great video content and a history lesson. Thanks for all your research and dedication to this channel!!
Part of the problem is that the whole "don't call it a Ford Edsel" when everyone and their brother knew it was a Ford pretty much ruined Ford's idea of making it a stand-alone division of the company. That's not the only time it's happened in the car industry. Try as they might, GM could not separate Saturn from the rest of the company in the eyes of consumers. They started out with their own cars that were still based on existing GM platforms, but by the end they'd just badge engineered other GM vehicles into the Saturn lineup before it fizzled out. And then it happened as recently as just a few years ago, when former Volkswagen executive Johan de Nysschen was hired by GM to run the Cadillac division, and he moved Cadillac's headquarters from Detroit to New York and tried to completely separate it from GM. GM couldn't fire him and move Cadillac back to Detroit fast enough.
The smug feeling of wellbeing from easily tuning the AM radio to a civil defense station while the sirens were blaring should have been enough to save Edsel.
I lived thru the cold war myself and oft wondered what it would've been like to be in a nuclear emergency and what those civil defense stations would help, if anything. What could anyone say to the public besides "you have 45 seconds to say your prayers"...
@@lilmike2710 Unfortunately we are under the threat again(still?). Our children and their children get to experience the senseless anxiety of worldwide destruction for political gain.
"Duck and Cover" proclaimed the DISNEY cartoon character in the school info-film strip. I was born in 1964 and experienced the tail end of this lunacy as a kid in school. -Steve Magnante
@@daynadiggle8169 IKr? 🤣 Just pretend like it's a tornado. I remember my dad making fun of them saying... "Put your head between your legs and kiss your a** goodbye". 🤣
They were good vehicles. Unfortunately they got a bad rap because of some comments made by a reviewer.about how the grill looked. Just like Steve mentioned. Edsel Ford at times look at as real designer or someone who could actually be an asset to bringing some interesting ideas to the company Unfortunately he got the shadow of Henry and in some eyes some of the employees looked at Edsel As if his father had not started the company he would not even been considered as a car designer or possibly a car manufacturer. It's unfortunate but it comes along when a son or daughter is related to the founder of any business. Large or small. Thank you Steve for posting this video.
Dave - growing up in the 70s, echos of those negative reviews were common enough that I still remember them. I was always under the impression that the Edsel had mechanical problems that led to them being unpopular but it doesn't seem like that was the case. Was it primarily a styling issue?
one of the problems with the Edsel as others have posted is the shift mechanism Steve pointed out. Because it was in the middle of the steering wheel, it was decided to not allow it to rotate with the rest of the wheel (if you have a modern car with radio or cruise control buttons in the wheel, you've probably noticed what happens to their location in a sharp corner). they used a linkage that wasn't used to being on the bottom of the car and collecting road debris and clogging up.
Steve - A correction. It is true that Edsel began as a separate marque with its separate dealership network in 1958. However, following the 1958 debacle, Ford decided to merge Edsel with Lincoln-Mercury in 1959 creating the MEL Division. I know this because my dad was an L-M dealer then who started selling Edsels as well. I still have his MEL lapel pin to show for it. I have a November 1956 brochure introducing the Edsel name and E logo to existing Ford product dealers. There are no photos or specifics to the cars that would follow. It does reveal a "Special Products Division" established in April 1955 set up to conceive a new car line. The explanatory writing of the brochure is essentially a "letter" signed by Henry Ford II. It attempts to ease existing dealers' minds of the new brand cutting into their sales by saying, "you will be selling more cars - because the entry of the Edsel will strengthen the market position of all Ford Motor Company car lines and Ford Motor Company dealers." It does go on to say that "special consideration" would be given to individual existing dealers to sell Edsels as well under separate franchise. I can say that after reading a book on the Fords, Henry II became obsessed with matching GM's business model of multi-tiered auto lines. The letter points back to 1946 as a date when product expansion for medium priced cars was first examined. Ford's CFO Robert MacNamara wanted nothing to do with the Edsel and had he had his way Mercury and Lincoln would have been history also. Maybe that was early writing on the wall. The comments I heard about Edsel from dad's salesmen of the day was that it was just too expensive. People at the top end bought a Mercury for a little more. Those at the lower end bought a Ford for a little less. Even selling Mercurys, Ford often proved to be his greatest competitor. As for actual Edsels we did take a family vacation in a 1959 station wagon from NC to Miami, FL and back. Sitting in that rear facing back seat was the best although hot as we didn't have AC under all that glass. Dad did get two 1960 Edsels. Some guy called about them when he learned production was ending. He showed up the next day, paid cash, and dad's Edsel days were over save for a random handful that were later traded in. Ford took back the Edsel specific parts inventory with reimbursement. I had a 1960 Edsel promo car, but at 5-6 years old, I didn't give it much chance for survival. So were my Edsel days. Trivia: The 1960 Comet was meant to be an Edsel. It shares the same tail lights with the Edsel although slanted. It was simply a Comet and didn't become Mercury Comet until 1961.
I’ve heard that the Edsel was the answer to an automotive question that nobody asked. Too bad as they are good cars. Edsels and Chrysler Airflows; nobody wanted them when new but now everyone wants one
that's a classic issue with engineering--my father had a company making desktop computers years before IBM, but most companies were used to hiring people to do the same work and still compete since other companies had the same high overhead. one day our grandkids may look back at oil-fueled cars and wonder what were we all thinking? :)
I found an Edsel convertible in a yard here. It was basically a shell and those bowed out side frame rails were shot. You could stand on the bumper on one side and watch the opposite corner rise up because the extra X crossmember was all that held it together. I should have saved it but I didn't. There was half of a '57 Ford convertible in the way back of the yard that could have provided all the missing stuff except side trim. But it would have taken two days to cut a path to where that sat.
Mr. B. Here ! Morning to all ! Story of H Ford Sr. & son was a sad story ! It sad it not that good looking , with said that is what makes 50’s cars were trying to win customers over unlike today . Customer respect is not there ! Very informative Steve . Thanks !
Funny thing was Chrysler was not paying attention to the market either when they insisted on moving Desoto up the ladder to Newport territory in the later 50s. This pretty much killed the upper mid range price class and Desoto would in fact BE a lesser trimmed Chrysler by 1960. In truth, even BOP knew the field was becoming flooded with cars priced within just a couple hundred bucks of 1 another. Buyers that might have been previous Ford product owners, were confused as to why the Edsel was 'better' than a Mercury aside from some gadgets and love it or hate it styling. The recession of 58-60 didn't help cars that were priced rather high but not considered premium models. Despite Edsel trying to cover all bases with 4 levels of trim and loads of options, it still fell in limbo. 1 thing of note.. the tele-shift AT controls were very problematic which also scared buyers away after it was highly publicised of the failures.
right--back when people traded in cars every few years, an automaker could offer slight differences in price ranges as "the breadwinner" moved up the corporate ladder and wanted everyone to know. meanwhile, the 1959 Edsel looked like the 1958 but its Impala competitor changed its look from 58 to 59 to 60.
Back in the mid 60’s a friends Dad had an Edsel when we were young. It was pretty beat up even then(they were what we would call low income today). It had the steering wheel push button trans. I thought it was strange then.
Hi Steve, great video on the Edsel brand. There are about 15 or 20 Edsels just down the rd from me. You couldn't buy a bolt or nut from that guy, and as every yr goes by, you can see them gradually sinking in the ground. I once owned a 55 Mercury Montclair. I had installed a 410 with 3-2s, and yes, I cut a hole in the floor 4spd. I was told this was a cop car engine from the fellow I bought it from, but I'm not sure about it. The car was yellow and white. Named her Tweetie. Sold the car to a fellow lowrider who owned a beautiful 50 Merc full custom lead sled. One day, the guy was welding in his shop, and we think he suffered a heart attack. The shop, the 2 Mercs, he himself, was consumed by the fire. I remember seeing Tweetie after the fire and seeing the front license plate baring the looney toon character embossed into it burnt to nothing but a shell. I have a picture of him, myself, my grandfather, and the 2 Mercurys. Everyone in that picture has gone away except yours, truly. Im sure I'm wrong about it, but it wouldn't be the 1st time, and damn sure not the last time. PS: I apologize to Steve and the channel for my comment in yesterday's video. My intentions were not to spread any kind of misinformation. Apologizing can be very difficult at times because admitting to ourselves that we are wrong is the biggest embarrassment. It takes a lot of courage to apologize for one’s action, and courage is being scared to death, but you saddle up anyway. Have a blessed day. Namaste 🙏🏼
Hello Chris Scearce, NO SWEAT on the little "dust up" with our Friend GUGP yesterday. You seem to be a highly qualified observer / owner and if your car had a 307 I'd bet it did. And - like me - you certainly know the difference between GM's 301, 302, 305 and 307 engine families (only the 302 and 305 are "brothers" but you knew that). My brain often skips a beat and I mis-speak...even on video. I hope its rare. Sorry to learn of Tweety's fate and the sad fate of the welder. That triple-carb 410 might have been a 1958 / 1959 Mercury Super Marauder 430 - Detroit's FIRST "400 horsepower" engine offering. Then again, it is possible that a 430 3x2 induction was transferred to your 410 - it'll bolt right on. If your 3x2 setup had a big aluminum air cleaner atop those Holley 2300-series 2-barrels, it was a factory item. Thanks again for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
@googleusergp you must be lost when the internet goes down...some of us have a life to enjoy other than trolling comments looking for something to make themselves feel good...at no point did I say you were wrong and I apologized after being proven wrong after the internet said so. But like many wives they can't except the apology and continued to try be little. Ego = Edging God Out... Namaste 🙏🏼
I read about the Edsel dealer promo where they promised a pony with every Edsel sold. Dealers had to provide enclosures and care and feeding of the ponies before the sales. It went over about as well as the car.
Hi Steve, good video! Ford was competitive to Chevrolet and Plymouth. In 1938 the Ford Motor Company came out with Mercury Division, mainly to compete with Pontiac and Dodge. As time progressed on, Ford went ahead to put Mercury towards Oldsmobile, Buick and DeSoto, but that was not working. That is why Ford came out with the Edsel to be more competitive to Oldsmobile, Buick and DeSoto. At that time, middle priced cars where not selling. This is one reason why DeSoto failed. Please reply. Dave...
Excellent way to market the hot V-8 engines of the late 1950's. Sad they didn't do a tail fin model from the get go. Those tail lights would be up to date with resto mod of Triple Red Line LED tail light board installed behind those lenses. I think they are a great car but would think the Citation owner would have wandered off and sprung for an Olds 98 or Pontiac or Buick. Regardless, a well thought out car with fabulous paint combinations. Grill damage was a mess to fix on those bumped from parallel parking and it took months for new grill parts to arrive. Would probably pick any Olds over the Edsel in today's market.
AHH the Desoto my Neighbors The cunninghams I believe, had one of those, I remember he owned a hardware store and had a hooligan living above his garage.
My Father worked for Ford at LAP. Edsel got him laid off. He always said the push button transmission was causing a lot of problems. Moved on to Fehrs brewery.
It was overstyled at a time when others were cleaning up the bodylines. Impala was similar in this 'old look' that they moved away from. Both arrived in 1958.
and the Impala would change its look in 1959, then 1960, while Edsel kept its look. so if you didn't buy a 1958 Edsel in the recession of 1958, you got the same exact look in 1959--or you bought a chevy.
You may not have realized that all model names from Edsel got brought back over the years; Ranger, Pacer, Corsair and Citation. Lincoln recently started using the Corsair name.
I found out recently that the wagon names Bermuda and Villager were also reused. The Bermuda name was used by Willys on their last sedan for the North American in 1955. As for the Villager name, it was later used on the Mercury Montego wagons, then later yet used on their minivans of the 1990s.
Whenever you say that quip about motor trend canceling your junkyard gold, I want to reply saying it’s better they did and you do it on your own. But today, when you showed that clip of you reacting to getting canceled, I giggled 😆
Drag racer "Animal" Jim Feurer raced a 57 Mercury called The Big Animalback in the 70s. The announcer at Oswego dragstrip always noted that Jim used Edsel cylinder heads on his FE engine.
Back in the seventies and early eighties we had a neighbor that had a 58 Ford ranchero that had a 58 Edsel front clip on it. He called it the Edschero.
I own a 58 Ranchero with an Edsel front clip and Edsel 410CI motor. I bought it last summer out of central PA . It has an Edsel Ranger wagon rear tail lights molded in. Unrestored rat lots of rust. Runs good
This Edsel has a much more classy and stylish front end than today's "angry kitchen appliances" they call vehicles today. I do feel the rear end is very stylish and modern looking even today. Great cars, but as you stated, Ford out-thunk themselves.
Wow, maybe......
Couldn't agree more!
Angry kitchen appliances....GREAT OBSERVATION!!!!!!
Lol angry kitchen appliances. In the trucking Community we refer to to newer aerodynamic style trucks as curb sniffers.
New cars suck 🤫
I owned an Edsel Corsair 2 door hardtop in the early 2000's to 2019. People would just stare and wonder what it was. One thing, it was fast off the line. Fun car. Always a conversation starter.
if I was around in 1958 I would have bought a Edsel . I love them all from convertibles to station wagons and in between!
Absolutely. At least they were giving it the old college try. Credit should be given. Just like today when everyone is buying suvs, I bought a sedan just to spite and to have something different.
In the 80's, traded for a 58 Edsel. It was a cool car, had lots of fun and always people wanted to look it over. Was even stopped by the CHP once, just so they could see it. Ended up selling it when the freeze plug(s) in the back of the engine started leaking. Sold it to a company that supplied cars for Hollywood movies.
Ponch or John?
I think it is unfortunate that in the controversy about the Edsel car we have lost sight of the man the car was intended to honor, Edsel Ford. Edsel was the father of two successful car lines for
FOMOCO, Mercury (1939-2011) and Continental (1941-present). The Mercury was a cut above
the regular Ford, and the Continental a cut above the regular Lincoln.
Steve one of the reasons why I canceled Motortrend on demand was they canceled your junkyard gold. I miss it . this is close. very informative
Thanks for the info
One of the most enormous corporate blunders in history. You’re Ford motor Company. The second largest carmaker in America. Plus millions in international sales. I’ve never been able to wrap my head around the Edsel.
Someone once told me Edsel was an acronym for every day something else leaks.
Man, I have known about Edsels since i was a little kid, never crossed my mind that the grille looks like a lady garden… till now. I’ll never look at one the same again.
some also referred to it as a horse collar grill...if that helps :)
@@albertgaspar627 yeah… I never worked with horses so it hasn’t the same memories.
@@ellwoodblooz as Sherlock Holmes said, "dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle"
I grew up near the once "largest collection of Edsel cars" in the world! On a slow news day in the late 80's, CNN even came to town and did a piece on the salvage yard. As I recall, the title would go back an forth between this yard and another somewhere else in the country. The owner has since passed, and his collection scattered or crushed. However there is still a large concentration of the brand here in (of all places) the great state of North Dakota. Love what you are doing Steve, keep it up!
The collection is downsized but it lives on. His son in Beulah continues the family tradition.
@@benscovil Hazen actually. 😉
Great video as usual Steve. I agree that Motortrend made a mistake by canceling Roadkill Junkyard Gold. I enjoyed your show. Bitchin Rides and Texas Metal suck that show rich brats getting cars built specifically for them. Fantasy land.
I like the edsel bit in 58 i would have bought an impala, It was gorgeous
I've seen Rancheros with Edsels front clips. Wicked cool!
if you watch the opening sequence of "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" you can see Don Knotts punching furiously away the center of the wheel to go back and forth as he tries to turn around, backing over some garbage cans in the process.
Have seen that in long time next I whatch the little ones were going see it
I never put that together. Lol even funnier now
This was interesting. And I noticed the pair of 59 Edsels next to it. Maybe those will be featured in the next episode. And the doomsday red marks on the dial of the AM radio were for the CONELRAD (Control of Electromagnetic Radiation) system. The marks are at 640 and 1240. It's an interesting sign of its times to see these on the radios of these cars from that period.
Scary times too
We're all pulling for you Steve. Hope to see you soon
Steve thank you for the automotive history
I had a 61 Comet , didn’t know at the time that they were to be a small Edsel. I loved the tail lights on it. It was a 170cu. 6 I believe. Another one I should have kept.
First Comets and Falcons were meant to sell at a reduced cost with a reduced lifespan. Buyers would be back sooner so Ford’s bottom line would be unaffected. They still lasted quite a while (not like when the British tried this strategy - reduced lifespan ideas there caused reduced reliability).
@@peters8758 Then came the Pinto.
There’s an Easter egg “E” emblem on the AMT 1960 Comet promos and model kits, which suggests that the decision came late on rescuing the badge from Edsel.
Thank you Steve Get well soon
It couldn’t have hurt if Edsel had had a catchier name - it SOUNDS flat-out dowdy!
As far as the styling cues, everything about them said, “We are trying WAY too hard!”
It certainly would have been an interesting time to be alive and anticipate what the new model cars were going to look like! Today, the answer to that is easy - pretty much exactly like last year’s model…….😕
And to today's ears, Edsel sounds a lot like incel...
Thank you so much for these Steve .
There is no other channel like this , and I’m glad I found it .
Not only are you giving great information, but you are also a great presenter.
Thank you for all the hard work and great content ! 👏
My pleasure!
My dad told me some people would call the front end of an Edsel a "flying urinal" I know the push button transmission controls in the center of the steering wheel had a lot of electrical and relay problems from talking to members of the Edsel motor club at a large car show a few years ago.
My Dad had several Edsels, two of them station wagons and one a "hot rod" (410?) he raced on a local drag strip frequently. They were the equal in every way to Fords because they were basically Fords. Good cars.
Those cars are cool looking,thanks Steve ..
The recession of 58 was probably the worst time for anyone to try releasing a new car line. I have seen where some manufacturer's sales were down as much as 40% from the previous year. It's too bad too, cuz in the end, they were really good looking cars, regardless of the horse collar grill on the early models.
The 60 Edsels had great styling. We see one at Denver area shows that a guy on the east side owns
I have to say , Being a C body man( 66 Fury III) I really like the styling of the Edsel. Pretty Dam good looking car!
Edsel Ranger and Pacer were based off Ford drive train and chassis while the larger Corsair and Citation were larger Mercury drive train and chassis. My parents bought a new 58 Edsel Ranger 2 door hardtop. Really a nice car, more like a higher trim level to the 58 Fairlane hardtop. There’s was optioned with the push button auto and a wonderbar radio. Wish I had that car today
Ahhh the vintage Tracker A/T hanging out behind that land yacht!
I hope you are feeling better Steve God bless
My dad loved these cars😘💕🥰, that's why he bought 3 of them, he's gone now, but I have them now.👌👋☺️😁👍
We're missing you out here Steve get well soon
Wow,that's the first Edsel featured on the show,great video
Good morning Steve, I kinda like the Edsels and I know MT Screwed UP but you are doing something special everyday with these videos and I know I can speak for many by saying THANK YOU.
I think I read that Ford Motor Company went public (stock) for the first time in their history to finance the Edsel. It was a huge failure and they lost millions. Good for them for recognizing this early on and correcting their mistake. Love your videos Steve
Get well soon Steve!
“It looked like an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon” 😂
One of the most beautiful oddballs out there, totally love it!
I have always liked the Edsel. Mainly because they were so unique.
Great video Steve! 👍👍💯🇺🇸
Remember the first time I looked at an Edsel. Fantastic. It was so good looking.
I would venture to say that Edsel has a chance at a new life. Definitely workable. Would be worth the trouble even if it couldn't be put back to 100% stock. I hope it sees the asphalt again one day.
There was a survivor model that was put back on the road on the youtube channel coldwarmotors. A lot of unusual features this car had, such as the push button transmission, made it a 6 person effort. Lots of bugs worked out. And this was not dealing with any bodywork. The finished product is worth it
They undertook quite an effort to get the Teletouch shifter working. Another barn find car put back on the road for and by Edsel fan Dean
It has been sinking into the Earth for a long time, probably not much left of the frame and floors.
@@jeffrobodine8579 I agree. I bet the bottom 25% of the car is gone. Once you got it off the ground and let it dry out it would just turn to dust
‘“Stock?”
Combining the names Edsel and Citation will strike fear in any car fan's heart . 😉
LOL .........Don't forget Pacer!
“Ranger” did a little better when it returned. “Corsair” hasn’t returned as a car name (I think there were two before Edsel used it), but I’m a big fan of the WWII F4Us that used the name.
@@88SC Lincoln Corsair?
Three things worked against the Edsel when it was introduced. A short lived recession, very iffy mechanicals with the touchmatic transmission that failed eventually on all the 1958's and the front end styling. The trans used a modified windshield wiper motor as a servo motor that would fail from being exposed to moisture and dirt in its place on the transmission and also the contacts in the steering column would cause erratic operation that frustrated the owners. A great many Edsels had the entire steering column and shift mechanism pulled out and replaced by 1958 Ford equivale to keep them on the road. You could get a "big block" in a Ford in 1958 but it was a smaller version, a 332 FE witch stood for Ford/Edsel.
The name "Edsel" didn't help matters either, I suspect.
I thought Edsels used the MEL series of engines, Mercury, Edsel, and Lincoln - maybe the lower trim levels used FEs?
LOVED Edsel cars!! One of your better videos of late!
I was a kid but can remember the jokes about the Edsel.
Get well Steve … we miss you buddy.
Combining the rear of a '58 Edsel with the front of a '59 Edsel would have resulted in a very handsome car.
I've always liked that front grill
My Dad called them a Mercury pushing a toilet seat!
An excellent example of badge engineering gone wrong! While 1958 was known for its bizarre styling by most manufacturers, the Edsel was doomed from the start. Robert McNamara, a Ford big shot, hated the project and was determined to shut it down. He felt it was completely unnecessary. If people wanted 'cool' they bought the new 4 seater Thunderbird. Another McNamara decision!
As for styling, Detroit couldn't abandon this 1958 BulgeMobile look fast enough. However the current "Deep Sea Creature Ugly" or "Angry Giant Insect" style of cars and trucks has been going on for quite a while!! 🤢
Wasn't McNamara the same A hole that was in charge of ramping up the Vietnam War under LBJ? That Bastard got many thousands of our boys killed just to placate Johnson's war machine.
An interesting part of the story Steve didn't mention was that the two lower models were based on the Ford body but the two higher models were based on the larger Mercury body. They were not just the sane Ranger with more options.
Thank you for the info! Dave...
I got serious "will it run" vibes from that car. Something was telling me that she was running when she got parked. I would be willing to give it a try just to hear it running.
That 410 MEL engine, (Mercury,Edsel, Lincoln) was a real bear. 375HP. Combustion chamber in the block like 348/409 Chevy.
I owned a 59 Edsel green and white. v8 2 door car was a older restoration. a very nice car drove and rode like a dream. I sold it to a guy in New Jersey, he had a pink and white 58 Edsel. one thing I can say ford was not scared to paint any thing weird colors lol
Thanks Steve. 🙏🏻😎
Great bit there with the "cancelled"!! You and Shane make a remarkable team!!! Great video content and a history lesson. Thanks for all your research and dedication to this channel!!
Good vidjya Steve. Very informative. Hope your doin' better.
I loved Junkyard Gold, I come here to get my fix!
Part of the problem is that the whole "don't call it a Ford Edsel" when everyone and their brother knew it was a Ford pretty much ruined Ford's idea of making it a stand-alone division of the company. That's not the only time it's happened in the car industry. Try as they might, GM could not separate Saturn from the rest of the company in the eyes of consumers. They started out with their own cars that were still based on existing GM platforms, but by the end they'd just badge engineered other GM vehicles into the Saturn lineup before it fizzled out. And then it happened as recently as just a few years ago, when former Volkswagen executive Johan de Nysschen was hired by GM to run the Cadillac division, and he moved Cadillac's headquarters from Detroit to New York and tried to completely separate it from GM. GM couldn't fire him and move Cadillac back to Detroit fast enough.
and then GM did it to Saab, of all companies.
I love the JUNK Yard show best content!
I love edsels, especially that quarter type
Another excellent video! I had an Edsel myself. By the time I got to it it was 54 years old and pretty tired of course. Still a very cool car.
The smug feeling of wellbeing from easily tuning the AM radio to a civil defense station while the sirens were blaring should have been enough to save Edsel.
I lived thru the cold war myself and oft wondered what it would've been like to be in a nuclear emergency and what those civil defense stations would help, if anything.
What could anyone say to the public besides "you have 45 seconds to say your prayers"...
@@lilmike2710 Unfortunately we are under the threat again(still?). Our children and their children get to experience the senseless anxiety of worldwide destruction for political gain.
@@lilmike2710 I was their too and always had the confidence that crawling under my school desk would save me . The crap they put in kids heads !
"Duck and Cover" proclaimed the DISNEY cartoon character in the school info-film strip. I was born in 1964 and experienced the tail end of this lunacy as a kid in school. -Steve Magnante
@@daynadiggle8169 IKr? 🤣 Just pretend like it's a tornado.
I remember my dad making fun of them saying... "Put your head between your legs and kiss your a** goodbye". 🤣
One of my dream cars. Thanks Steve!
They were good vehicles. Unfortunately they got a bad rap because of some comments made by a reviewer.about how the grill looked. Just like Steve mentioned. Edsel Ford at times look at as real designer or someone who could actually be an asset to bringing some interesting ideas to the company Unfortunately he got the shadow of Henry and in some eyes some of the employees looked at Edsel As if his father had not started the company he would not even been considered as a car designer or possibly a car manufacturer. It's unfortunate but it comes along when a son or daughter is related to the founder of any business. Large or small. Thank you Steve for posting this video.
Dave - growing up in the 70s, echos of those negative reviews were common enough that I still remember them. I was always under the impression that the Edsel had mechanical problems that led to them being unpopular but it doesn't seem like that was the case. Was it primarily a styling issue?
I believe Edsel died in 1943
@@ginoperretta373 Edsel had quite a bit of health problems. And I was not sure when he passed
@@wes11bravo well I don't remember reading about mechanical issues. There could have been some but personally don't know.
one of the problems with the Edsel as others have posted is the shift mechanism Steve pointed out. Because it was in the middle of the steering wheel, it was decided to not allow it to rotate with the rest of the wheel (if you have a modern car with radio or cruise control buttons in the wheel, you've probably noticed what happens to their location in a sharp corner). they used a linkage that wasn't used to being on the bottom of the car and collecting road debris and clogging up.
Steve - A correction. It is true that Edsel began as a separate marque with its separate dealership network in 1958. However, following the 1958 debacle, Ford decided to merge Edsel with Lincoln-Mercury in 1959 creating the MEL Division. I know this because my dad was an L-M dealer then who started selling Edsels as well. I still have his MEL lapel pin to show for it. I have a November 1956 brochure introducing the Edsel name and E logo to existing Ford product dealers. There are no photos or specifics to the cars that would follow. It does reveal a "Special Products Division" established in April 1955 set up to conceive a new car line. The explanatory writing of the brochure is essentially a "letter" signed by Henry Ford II. It attempts to ease existing dealers' minds of the new brand cutting into their sales by saying, "you will be selling more cars - because the entry of the Edsel will strengthen the market position of all Ford Motor Company car lines and Ford Motor Company dealers." It does go on to say that "special consideration" would be given to individual existing dealers to sell Edsels as well under separate franchise. I can say that after reading a book on the Fords, Henry II became obsessed with matching GM's business model of multi-tiered auto lines. The letter points back to 1946 as a date when product expansion for medium priced cars was first examined. Ford's CFO Robert MacNamara wanted nothing to do with the Edsel and had he had his way Mercury and Lincoln would have been history also. Maybe that was early writing on the wall. The comments I heard about Edsel from dad's salesmen of the day was that it was just too expensive. People at the top end bought a Mercury for a little more. Those at the lower end bought a Ford for a little less. Even selling Mercurys, Ford often proved to be his greatest competitor.
As for actual Edsels we did take a family vacation in a 1959 station wagon from NC to Miami, FL and back. Sitting in that rear facing back seat was the best although hot as we didn't have AC under all that glass. Dad did get two 1960 Edsels. Some guy called about them when he learned production was ending. He showed up the next day, paid cash, and dad's Edsel days were over save for a random handful that were later traded in. Ford took back the Edsel specific parts inventory with reimbursement. I had a 1960 Edsel promo car, but at 5-6 years old, I didn't give it much chance for survival. So were my Edsel days. Trivia: The 1960 Comet was meant to be an Edsel. It shares the same tail lights with the Edsel although slanted. It was simply a Comet and didn't become Mercury Comet until 1961.
Love the 58 2 door Edsel these cars had style
Another great video. Keep 'em coming!
Thanks Steve another Great Video
Glad you enjoyed it
I’ve heard that the Edsel was the answer to an automotive question that nobody asked. Too bad as they are good cars. Edsels and Chrysler Airflows; nobody wanted them when new but now everyone wants one
that's a classic issue with engineering--my father had a company making desktop computers years before IBM, but most companies were used to hiring people to do the same work and still compete since other companies had the same high overhead.
one day our grandkids may look back at oil-fueled cars and wonder what were we all thinking? :)
The genius behind the Edsel is the same guy that canceled the junk yard crawl.
Awesome video thank y'all
Recycling of model names is interesting; Ford Ranger Pick-up and Lincoln Corsiar SUV.
With due respect to Mr Ford, I think the name was the first nail in the coffin
Edsels' family was supposed to be against it. But they finally gave in. Much to their regret, I'm sure!
Another great class in school today! I wish school when I was young was this enjoyable! I would totally own a decent shape Edsul.
I found an Edsel convertible in a yard here. It was basically a shell and those bowed out side frame rails were shot. You could stand on the bumper on one side and watch the opposite corner rise up because the extra X crossmember was all that held it together.
I should have saved it but I didn't. There was half of a '57 Ford convertible in the way back of the yard that could have provided all the missing stuff except side trim. But it would have taken two days to cut a path to where that sat.
Mr. B. Here ! Morning to all ! Story of H Ford Sr. & son was a sad story ! It sad it not that good looking , with said that is what makes 50’s cars were trying to win customers over unlike today . Customer respect is not there ! Very informative Steve . Thanks !
Good morning!
The Edsel did give birth to a great family of Ford motors the FE’s.
Lots of good parts on this car. I may have to get ahold of them. Love the Edsels. I have a 58 pacer.
An interesting adaptation of these cars is to transplant the 1958 “Ranger” clip onto a 1958 Ford Ranchero…. Actually looks very appealing!
Still a super cool car. Aways wanted one. Would be kind of interesting with a 6 cylinder.
Funny thing was Chrysler was not paying attention to the market either when they insisted on moving Desoto up the ladder to Newport territory in the later 50s. This pretty much killed the upper mid range price class and Desoto would in fact BE a lesser trimmed Chrysler by 1960. In truth, even BOP knew the field was becoming flooded with cars priced within just a couple hundred bucks of 1 another. Buyers that might have been previous Ford product owners, were confused as to why the Edsel was 'better' than a Mercury aside from some gadgets and love it or hate it styling. The recession of 58-60 didn't help cars that were priced rather high but not considered premium models. Despite Edsel trying to cover all bases with 4 levels of trim and loads of options, it still fell in limbo. 1 thing of note.. the tele-shift AT controls were very problematic which also scared buyers away after it was highly publicised of the failures.
right--back when people traded in cars every few years, an automaker could offer slight differences in price ranges as "the breadwinner" moved up the corporate ladder and wanted everyone to know.
meanwhile, the 1959 Edsel looked like the 1958 but its Impala competitor changed its look from 58 to 59 to 60.
I want a 58 ranger with 3 on the tree. Only seen one for sale in 20 years should have bought it
Maaan. I just want to see Steve's collection of literature! Wow.
Back in the mid 60’s a friends Dad had an Edsel when we were young. It was pretty beat up even then(they were what we would call low income today). It had the steering wheel push button trans. I thought it was strange then.
Best "Motor Trend mistake" gag ever! lol
Great info, as usual. The rotating speedo harks back to the Model A (as did that grille).
Hi Steve, great video on the Edsel brand. There are about 15 or 20 Edsels just down the rd from me. You couldn't buy a bolt or nut from that guy, and as every yr goes by, you can see them gradually sinking in the ground. I once owned a 55 Mercury Montclair. I had installed a 410 with 3-2s, and yes, I cut a hole in the floor 4spd. I was told this was a cop car engine from the fellow I bought it from, but I'm not sure about it. The car was yellow and white. Named her Tweetie. Sold the car to a fellow lowrider who owned a beautiful 50 Merc full custom lead sled. One day, the guy was welding in his shop, and we think he suffered a heart attack. The shop, the 2 Mercs, he himself, was consumed by the fire. I remember seeing Tweetie after the fire and seeing the front license plate baring the looney toon character embossed into it burnt to nothing but a shell. I have a picture of him, myself, my grandfather, and the 2 Mercurys. Everyone in that picture has gone away except yours, truly. Im sure I'm wrong about it, but it wouldn't be the 1st time, and damn sure not the last time.
PS: I apologize to Steve and the channel for my comment in yesterday's video. My intentions were not to spread any kind of misinformation. Apologizing can be very difficult at times because admitting to ourselves that we are wrong is the biggest embarrassment. It takes a lot of courage to apologize for one’s action, and courage is being scared to death, but you saddle up anyway. Have a blessed day. Namaste 🙏🏼
Forgiven ..... carry on .
@daynadiggle8169 It was a one time thing, I shouldn't have cut a hole in the floor. Thanks for commenting 🤙🏼 Namaste 🙏🏼
Hello Chris Scearce, NO SWEAT on the little "dust up" with our Friend GUGP yesterday. You seem to be a highly qualified observer / owner and if your car had a 307 I'd bet it did. And - like me - you certainly know the difference between GM's 301, 302, 305 and 307 engine families (only the 302 and 305 are "brothers" but you knew that). My brain often skips a beat and I mis-speak...even on video. I hope its rare. Sorry to learn of Tweety's fate and the sad fate of the welder. That triple-carb 410 might have been a 1958 / 1959 Mercury Super Marauder 430 - Detroit's FIRST "400 horsepower" engine offering. Then again, it is possible that a 430 3x2 induction was transferred to your 410 - it'll bolt right on. If your 3x2 setup had a big aluminum air cleaner atop those Holley 2300-series 2-barrels, it was a factory item. Thanks again for watching and writing. -Steve Magnante
No dust up, just setting the facts straight. Bad info is never good info.
@googleusergp you must be lost when the internet goes down...some of us have a life to enjoy other than trolling comments looking for something to make themselves feel good...at no point did I say you were wrong and I apologized after being proven wrong after the internet said so. But like many wives they can't except the apology and continued to try be little. Ego = Edging God Out... Namaste 🙏🏼
Now that is some great information brother.
You are awesome, Steve! I Loved watching Junkyard Gold; Those MotorTrend execs are fools. Keep it up, Steve - you are a content machine!
I read about the Edsel dealer promo where they promised a pony with every Edsel sold. Dealers had to provide enclosures and care and feeding of the ponies before the sales. It went over about as well as the car.
Actually there was one pony per dealer and it was a contest to name the pony. There's a youtube video about it with Ward Bond.
ruclips.net/video/rZ4S24PruN8/видео.html
We used to call them flying toilet seats!
Hi Steve, good video! Ford was competitive to Chevrolet and Plymouth. In 1938 the Ford Motor Company came out with Mercury Division, mainly to compete with Pontiac and Dodge. As time progressed on, Ford went ahead to put Mercury towards Oldsmobile, Buick and DeSoto, but that was not working. That is why Ford came out with the Edsel to be more competitive to Oldsmobile, Buick and DeSoto. At that time, middle priced cars where not selling. This is one reason why DeSoto failed. Please reply. Dave...
Excellent way to market the hot V-8 engines of the late 1950's. Sad they didn't do a tail fin model from the get go. Those tail lights would be up to date with resto mod of Triple Red Line LED tail light board installed behind those lenses. I think they are a great car but would think the Citation owner would have wandered off and sprung for an Olds 98 or Pontiac or Buick. Regardless, a well thought out car with fabulous paint combinations. Grill damage was a mess to fix on those bumped from parallel parking and it took months for new grill parts to arrive. Would probably pick any Olds over the Edsel in today's market.
AHH the Desoto my Neighbors The cunninghams I believe, had one of those, I remember he owned a hardware store and had a hooligan living above his garage.
My Father worked for Ford at LAP. Edsel got him laid off. He always said the push button transmission was causing a lot of problems. Moved on to Fehrs brewery.
It was overstyled at a time when others were cleaning up the bodylines. Impala was similar in this 'old look' that they moved away from. Both arrived in 1958.
and the Impala would change its look in 1959, then 1960, while Edsel kept its look. so if you didn't buy a 1958 Edsel in the recession of 1958, you got the same exact look in 1959--or you bought a chevy.
You may not have realized that all model names from Edsel got brought back over the years; Ranger, Pacer, Corsair and Citation. Lincoln recently started using the Corsair name.
I found out recently that the wagon names Bermuda and Villager were also reused. The Bermuda name was used by Willys on their last sedan for the North American in 1955. As for the Villager name, it was later used on the Mercury Montego wagons, then later yet used on their minivans of the 1990s.
Whenever you say that quip about motor trend canceling your junkyard gold, I want to reply saying it’s better they did and you do it on your own. But today, when you showed that clip of you reacting to getting canceled, I giggled 😆
Drag racer "Animal" Jim Feurer raced a 57 Mercury called The Big Animalback in the 70s. The announcer at Oswego dragstrip always noted that Jim used Edsel cylinder heads on his FE engine.
as you may know, the MEL series of engines had the combustion chamber located in the dish of the piston, like chevy's 348/409 W engines.