The Edsel: A Brilliant Failure
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2013
- Join Host Alex Lefriec and Special Guest Eric Etzel in a 1958 Edsel Ranger.
The Open Road: The Last Honest Car Review.
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When 58 Edsels were new, I liked them and still do although I've never owned one. In the Pacer and Ranger series you could get a standard 3-sped manual transmission, or an automatic with column-mounted shifter eliminating the troublesome Tele-Touch drive. Most people didn't do that. My choice wudl be a Pacer convertible with stick shift. I don't know if any were produced like that. I'd like to time travel! Back in the late 60s a friend of mine's older sister's boyfriend had a black 58 Edsel convertible, I don't know what model it was. They abandoned it at the local drive-in because it needed an exhaust system! He rode along for the last trip. Imagine that!
I had a 58 Pacer during my college years. Black with a white top and tail fins, with a red and white interior. It actually had quite a bit of power, ... as on a couple of occasions, I could stick her in "Low", got up to a good speed, and could "chirp" the tires when I punched in the "Drive button". Only did that a couple of times though. I took it cruizing once in my home town, where cruizing was the big thing before the city put a damper on such activities. Had a nice pair of "fuzzy black and white" dice hanging from the rearview mirror, an 8-track player, and a nice amp that pumped out the sound. I can remember jamming to the Beach Boys, Beatles, Doobie Brothers, Styx, ... you name it, I had those 8-track tapes. Those were the fun years.
I had 7 of them at one point! And they are better on the freeway!
Love my 58 edsel pacer convertable !
Sweet looking car. I've always loved the styling of the 1958 and 59 Edsel.
i realize I am pretty off topic but do anybody know a good site to stream newly released series online ?
@Sergio Benton try Flixzone. Just google for it =)
@Jared Hudson Yup, I have been using Flixzone for since march myself :D
@Jared Hudson thank you, I signed up and it seems to work :D I appreciate it!!
@Sergio Benton glad I could help :D
Edsel Ranger averages 13.02 mpg. Pretty good. My old 1958 Chevy Biscane v8 got 11 mpg.
great job guys! Felt like I just got done time traveling for a few minutes
I love the '58. It's absolutely beautiful. I'd settle for a '59 if I had to compromise. I've never even seen a 1960 here in the UK and am aware that even in the States they are the rarest of the 3 model years.
Is that due to lower production numbers, poor sales or just lower survival rate? I'm not someone who could just have a car like this for shows and sunny days.
I'd want to drive and enjoy the thing.
Do any current or former owners have a preference of which year is the best for them?
I will own one one day.
The car was too far ahead of its time. I can't believe you said you wouldn't take this car on the highway..This car is noted for its highway cruise ability.
Agreed! The lower end Ford-based models such as this one had 303 horsepower standard. It was a 361 cu. in V8 that produced 400 ft lbs of torque. There should have been no problem running it on the highway, any Edsel is capable of at least 90 mph all day long. The higher-end Mercury based models came with a 410 cu. in V8, producing 333 horsepower and 475 ft. lbs of torque.
Yeah I wouldn't take it on the freeway much either
Loved your driving monologue. Love the car.
It would be so cool if all the car companies brought back the 1950's body design on all of their cars but with today's up to data technology in the inside.
sonny12681 No, that wouldn't be a good idea, quite frankly it would be quite tacky. In order for auto makers to succeed and move forward in the car business they have to be innovative with their designs and styles and move with the times instead of stepping backward into the past. If the auto makers took your advice and did what you've suggested then say for example, the cars in the 1950s would still be designed and styled after the 1920s. It just wouldn't work, it wouldn't be a good business model, auto makers should be innovative and move forward not backward.
+sonny12681 Even though the companies themselves don't do it, its not all that uncommon for the "classic cars" you see rollin down the road to really be classic bodies transplanted to more modern chassis and drivetrains. That beverage guy is full of crap. Good looks good. While modern cars in my opinion are gaining their uniqueness and identity yet again, all that good business model moving forward stuff is what eventually led to the 80's, 90's, and 2000's. Three decades of BLAH just because that's what the trend (moving forward) was supposed to look like.
***** Chrysler did it and that did not fail.
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/2001-2005_Chrysler_PT_Cruiser.jpg
If they put electric motors in 50s-style cars (thus eliminating the poor gas mileage problem), they couldn't make them fast enough. Most cars made in the past 20 years are just plain ugly!
1950s-1970s American car designs are heavy and boxy, which made them aerodynamically inefficient gas guzzlers. The only reason it was tolerated in the US the first place was because the Americans had so much cheap oil and cheap manpower to produce plenty of elaborate body parts that they can afford to waste them on overindulgent car designs. Then the 1973/1979 oil crisis happened and unraveled the illusion that this design could be sustainable.
The cost of producing a modern equivalent would be unrealistic. Design elements would had to be stripped down to save cost and streamlined to reduce production costs and improve efficiently. And that's not even getting into the process of convincing cash-strapped consumers that these designs are a good investment.
You brought up the PT Cruiser but they had to streamline the profile to the point that it only remotely resembles the original (In fact the PT Cruiser looks nothing like a mid-century car. It's more accurately based on the 1930s Airflow, which was an aerodynamic oddball in a decade when it didn't sell well for the same reasons I mentioned in the first paragraph). It's the same problem with the Chevrolet HHR, FJ Cruiser, New Beetle, New Fiat 500 and the New Mini. The only success stories are the muscle/pony car derivatives, which are based on already aggressive, streamlined designs from the late-1960s.
Who wouldn't take it out on the highway?! They rode slick as hell from what I hear. I know a guy up here in Canada that has one and he said the faster you go, the nicer it is actually. I haven't been in it yet myself, just seen it when he was still working on it in his garage last winter. I'm currently doing some scouting around on a '56 Mercury M100 (Canadian version of a Ford F100) that is similar to what my grandpa had on the farm when my dad was a kid in the 50s and 60s. Bit of a 50s nut to begin with: the vehicles, the music, etc.
A nice vid! A couple of weeks ago I spotted a 1959 Edsel 4D Ranger here in Finland, Scandinavia. The light blue beauty was in mint condition. There's a small group of Edsel drivers here. They're treasured by the owners.
This is a lower end model in the Edsel line. Would be nice to see a higher end Citation in this shape.
Who came here to learn how history will repeat itself with the Mach-E..
My Dad bought an Edsel in 1957. We went cross country in it. Only had two breakdowns.
3:43 - My thoughts and feelings exactly. I have ALWAYS ever since a little kid have had more respect and love for seeing classic cars on the road, especially American classics over ANY
modern time sports car like a Porsche. I just shrug when a Porsche is on a road because I just don't care for there cars but if I see an old Ford, Cadillac, Buick, Dodge, Chevrolet and more, I always give it my attention and many times give a wave or a thumbs up with a smile to its driver/owner.
A 58 Edsel with a 361, 4 barrel carb is a car you WOULDN"T want to drive on the freeway because it's not "fast enough"??? I nearly fell off my chair when this jerk said that? Are you kidding? What do you think this is; a smart for two???
He doesn't know much about old cars or that the horsepower race was on in '58.
Clearly the guy is some kind of a dope addict
No kidding, my friend has a 67 bel-air with a 283, 2 barrel and 2 speed powerglide. A lot less power than this Edsel and it does totally fine on the highway
This thing would use Toyotas like speed bumps. I bet it floats like a dream on highways. What a wanker.
Edsel had a tri-tone interior, not a two-tone. White grey and black. Most cars of the middle late fifties had a tri-tone interior.
Looks good inside and out ! ★★★★★
nice guy to let you drive it , cool car as well.
the most AMAZING car of the Great 50`s
Could the help have waited until after the taping to do the vacuuming?
WHO is this space cadet, and HOW did he get a car channel/show?
"Marque" - (pronounced "MARK" - not mar-key) = the brand. Edsel is the Marque, (ie: Ford is a marque) - Ranger is the the model/series. Sheesh.
A marquee is a tent or a roof projecting over an entrance.
Mach-E
As the owner of an old Ford and as difficult as parts can be to find, I wonder if they used standard FoMoCo parts on Edsels. I could still buy Nissan parts for my 30-year-old Datsun when I still had it (rust monster got him).
They did. My grandpa used to own a 1958 Edsel Corsair. He gave me an old spare part he bought in the sixties and it says "FoMoCo" on the box :)
are they smiling or smirking that you are driving this.....
I like the Edsel Ford design. Beautiful car. I think society missed it. Unique
Nice car! Thanks for posting.
Love the Edsel & would buy one in a heart beat if I was able!
Same speedometer as the Futura Batmobile.
Very surprised to see a low end Ranger with the techtronic push button centre transmission. They were usually only equipped with a automatic stick on the tree.
Exterior and interior design was so cool and elegant in the 50s/60s. It's crazy to me how automotive design got so ugly in the late 70s and 80s. It's like the car industry devolved for that period and I never understood why. Why did carmakers ditch elegant curves for choppy, boxy design?
What the Hell do you mean you wouldn't want to take it on the freeway. Good God that's where they were meant to be driven with the whole family and a trunk full of luggage. Power, there was more than enough to run circles around any four banger they make today. And they had style = more than the upside bananas they churn out today.
The interiors are tri-toned not two toned. Black, white and gray. Many 50s cars had tri-toned interiors and that's why we notice the difference.
The owner was a great guy for sure.
I would like to have one. They have personality and made by U.S.
That Ford Edsel makes a great street rod and racer in Xbox One's Forza 6 version. Also great swapping a 750hp Nascar engine in that also. Perfect converting to solar electric using Tesla technology.
I have a 58 Edsel ranger
jesus man, its called vinyl. you run a car review show.
I think they call the upholstery fabric a hounds-tooth check.
Big series cars, meanwhile, had a bunch of differently-sized rectangles they called Random Pattern Check Cloth.
Sweet car
do you get paid to make car reviews or is it for fun
The Edsel wasn't a failure it was over hyped.
Best way to describe it.
And now we have the Mach-E being launched during the brink of another recession. SMH.
Still a failure considering it never made profit and ford lost 350 million on it, over 2.5 billion in today’s money, nearly drove ford into bankruptcy, scorned Henry Ford II from trying to innovate and in his words, ruined his father’s (Edsel ford) good name. I’d say that’s a pretty solid failure.
All FoMoCo cared about is that they had at least 300 million fewer dollars when the Edsel marque ended than when they dreamed it up.
True the Edsel was over hyped before the introduction. In reality it was no better or worse than the others. Financially it was a failure though most of the reasons were not because of the car itself.
It's the top model that I always liked best!
Good choice of paint scheme -- Black overall. That way, the oil leaks will be difficult to notice. NOTE TO HOST: Quit leaning on the g***damned car!
what a queen
If a quote unquote failure of a car is still driving 50 years later, then hell yeah we're going to give you a thumbs up if you drive by in your Edsel.
I once saw a baby blue Edsel parked abandoned in a car lot by a McDonald's in Chattanooga... it was gorgeous. Just looking through the windows was stepping back in time. I wanted it so bad but was flat broke at the time (still flat broke 20 years later).
I actually like the the front grill of the car. The dash is incredible. Totally retro 50's. I gave up wanting one because of the teletouch transmission which I thought would be a bitch to work on and I read they were flakey. Plus the horrid gas mileage. I now drive motorbikes exclusively and will never go back to cars.
The 58 Edsels could also be had with a regular automatic (stick on the column) or in manual. Neither of those gave any problems.
Only on the smaller Edsels. TeleTouch pushbutton gear selector was a "mandatory option" on both big-series (Mercury-based) cars; you couldn't factory-delete it.
Powerful steering wheel!
What is that red stuff comming out the steringwheel? Am i the only one that sees it ozzing out?
Probably lubricant oil for the Teletouch column, so it won't get damaged by the rotation of the steering wheel.
It's blood.
it probably drives just like A 58 Ford or Mercury.
The Ranger was really just a restyled Ford Fairlane with a different engine and a few other minor details like the self-adjusting brakes. As a matter of fact, Ford introduced the Fairlane precisely so that it could share a platform with the soon-to-arrive lower priced Edsels (Ranger and Pacer). The Fairlane and the low priced Edsels were actually built on the same assembly line. The higher priced Edsels (Corsair and Citation) shared a platform with Mercury and were also built on the same assembly line. So yeah, drives just like a '58 Ford or Mercury.
dlwatib has
I've driven lots of 50s 60s and 70s cars across the country on interstates with no problems. The Edsel would have no trouble keeping up with traffic.
Is anyone from the book "Business adventures" or other book that used Edsel as a business case?
I wonder whether the Edsel would have sold better had it been badged with a sportier name? Sometimes the name is all it takes for a product not to sell.
side window is cracked :)
Good catch. This was the result of the first owner's unsuccessful last-minute attempt to escape the car before signing the purchase order.
They just don't make cars like this anymore. Everything new seems boring by comparison.
$10K to find an Edsel? Highly unlikely. Gave $1500 for my non running '59 & will spend maybe $3K to put it on the road mechanically. As for not being advisable to take it on the freeway, he doesn't know what he's talking about. The 1950s was the first era of the horsepower race (later eclipsed in the 1960s) & by 1958 they were geared to run 70 mph. He needs to go back to school.
Speed-wise there's not a problem driving an Edsel, especially with the E-475, but I suspect that he was referring to the, by modern standards, bad handling.
The guy is clearly a dope
Somewhat true, yes. Car's weren't really geared to go that fast even though they were capable. I like old trucks and even though I keep the drive trains stock, the rear ends are the sticking points as with something geared 3.73 or 4.10 or lower, the engines start screaming after about 60 mph. and they weren't built for that, so I always go for the later rear ends. I used to drive those CA freeways during my younger day such as 101, I-5,I-405 etc (wow those were the days !) but haven't since 1989, I'm sure a lot has changed since. I like your Cad, them big 472s were one of the first 200,000 motors (except the valve lifters, lol) gas eaters but one of the best big blocks ever made.
No I'm from Phoenix, AZ less than 400 miles away from LA but had many older relatives live in the LA area. Went there many times, had some great summer vacations back the the 1970s.
I might add, seeing the original Gone In 60 Seconds really brings back the southern Cal memories as I recognized some of the locales.
Must be hard to parallel park this huge car.
And if you will, make sure, if you will...we don't have that fly on the left side on the passenger side 'cause that--we don't have that in frame, but make sure we don't have any flies here. And we don't have any flies.
Too bad you weren’t a salesman back in the late 50s for the Edsel
Be nice to look at the road only , while you're moving
Get this car if you want to be an old lady chic. mag.. Lol, Though it is a quite cool car!
FoMoCo definitely did not want the Edsel to be a fast car. They felt that the Mercury had a "plush hot rod" image that appealed to a "working man", and they didn't want to cannibalize Mercury sales. They wanted the Edsel to appeal to women and to men in high prestige professions like lawyers, doctors and clergymen. They wanted to go after people who bought Buicks. edsel.net/succeed.html
How they intended to do that with the Ranger I have no idea. It had a black rubber floor mat instead of carpeting, had a painted metal dash instead of padded. Power steering, power brakes and automatic transmission were all extra cost options, as were power seats and power windows. Even a clock was an extra cost option. It was about as plain-Jane as you could get, except that it had a V8 standard, the straight 6 was a reduced cost option. FoMoCo researchers knew what audience they wanted to reach, they just did a horrible job of executing on it. This car definitely did not appeal to up-and-coming "well-to-do" executives and to women. The people they got to give testimonials says it all: edsel.net/owners.html
FoMoCo did a lot of focus group research to find out what people thought about various brands of low and mid-priced cars. But they apparently did no research into the prices and features of those cars, because they were completely wrong in their comparison charts. Competing makes did not have rubber floor mats like Edsel literature claimed, and they were priced below the '59 Edsel Corsair instead of above it. edsel.net/museum/comp59.JPG
It rattles and shakes...it feels alive. No, that just means it wasn't built well, lol
My 79 Lincoln Town car handled like my Camaro.
E: Every
D: Day
S: Something
E: Else
L: Leaks
@ 2:14 OMG! Someone got killed in this car, there's still blood on the steering wheel!!! LOOK!!!
A negroe got shot by someone in the back seat
not a bad looking car.
It always was a good looking car, except they hit that grill with an ugly stick.
EDSEL Has what it Takes !!!!! Power Steering and Power BRAKES !!!!!!!!
I would have liked to see him light up those skinny shitty cross plies in front of the owner and pull a hand brake turn...built "Chevy tough" with donuts and fries? You betcha! Oh what the fuck am I talking about? I have never seen an Edsel in my life.Greetings from Manchester England.
I like the Edsel.
Alex Lefreic not so much.
Correction: The Edsel is the embodiment of one of Ford's WORST Failures.
Can the Hype and get Real....
The car with a cunt in the front
He could have washed the car for the video.
What is that noiiiiseeee
Wow, 2 minutes with a fucking horn or something in the background...
Still a fugly car......and I restored and own a 1963 Falcon! One of Ford's BETTER ideas than the Edsel!-Gearhead222
I own a 62 ford falcon, I liked it at first, had several breakdown after that transmission was weak then engine blew up, I will sell it, i rather own a edsel than a falcon
The Ford Edsel is the epitome of why American car enthusiast should never be talking about automotive styling.
What is that annoying sound.
The begaeona on wiiols. Look in CAR.👍🥸