Edsel and Why It Failed

[HarleyEarl]

Did you know that one of the reasons the Ford Edsel didn't do well, that people felt the center grill looked like a vagina? And not an attractive vagina at that. There are unattractive vaginas? Men want to drive vaginas, but not in this way.

Edited December 26, 2008 by HarleyEarl

[Intrepidation]

I think everyone who has heard of the Edsel knows that analogy, same with "Oldsmobile sucking a lemon".

It failed I think principally because it was hyped up to be like the Second Coming, when it turned out to be nothing extraordinary.

[tmp]

I think it also hit just at the point were there was a really bad recession and was looked at as too expensive for what it offered.

[HarleyEarl]

The 3 years of Edsel. It changed significantly by the end. No longer was there a grill that people mistook for a urinal, a vagina or a horsecollar.

[balthazar]

>>"It failed I think principally because it was hyped up to be like the Second Coming, when it turned out to be nothing extraordinary."<<

^-- reason #1.

>>"I think it also hit just at the point were there was a really bad recession..."<<

^-- reason #2.

The entire mid-priced market contracted heavily in '58. Edsel still set records for a new mid-priced line, over 200K units moved in '58.

The '58 was a pretty well-developed car, lots of features & details were extremely attractive, but, for me and many others, the styling wasn't one of those. Don't get me wrong- I'd drive a '58 2-dr hdtp in a second, but I do not lust after them and I don't count them among my favored styling efforts. I LOVE the vertical grille, it's the side grilles & the front bumper esp that are too after-thought-ish for me to warm to.

Here's a quickie customization which 'fixes' the 'mistakes' of the stock front for me. Sorry for the rough quality- I did half on tracing paper and xeroxed the other half. Like I said: quickie :

A buddy had the most common Edsel made, the only one to break the 5-figure production mark, a black '59 Ranger 4-dr sedan. He got it for nothing off the father of a girl he was dating. It sat out in their barn, and with a roll-up door on opposing walls, plus a few six-packs, he & I had a blast, feeling like we were on the assembly line, as we re-hung all 4 doors. Door #1 closed with a snik of perfection, but by the time we got door #4 on... let's just say it needed further adjustment. Did a crapload of work on that car over a few weeks- then he was forced to get it out of there. Towing it a good 25 miles to a storage building, we had to use a floor jack to turn the Edsal the 90-degrees to stuff it in next to the building's door. He paid storage fes for about a year, then abandoned it. We never found out what happened to it.

[Intrepidation]

Saw a black Edsel convertible ina used car lot near my house over the summer. They are unique. They aren't pretty but not nearly as ugly as other cars I've seen.

[HarleyEarl]

For me the original Edsel is an iconic design. I'd love to have one. I tend to like the 'underdog', the orphan cars, the failures. I find them interesting as a product and historically intriguing. I read that the Edsel Citation had a 410 cu in engine rated at 345 horsepower. Quite impressive. But I understand the steering and brakes weren't matched well for all that power.

Mr. Balthazar, always enjoy your insight into cars like this. I usually learn something new.

Really like your redesign of the Edsel frontend.

Edited December 27, 2008 by HarleyEarl

[Cory Wolfe]

I actually don't think the styling is that terrible. Sure, it's not going to win any beauty pageants, but I can see good qualities in the design.

[Delta Force79]

I've actually always been a fan of the '58 Edsel, IMo it actually is one of Ford's better design efforts of the era. Plus the lack of tail fins in their peek in popularity is also a daring moving, grille aside.

[CARBIZ]

Don't forget that Chrysler was in the process of killing the Desoto brand as well. The mid-priced market was flooded with too many offerings. The final Edsel was a barely warmed over 1960 Ford.

Ford's styling in the late '50s was restrained, relative to GM and Chrysler's offerings of the era; however, the Mercury and Edsels were heavy without being balanced, IMO. Similar in the way that the Plymouths were more balanced looking than the odd looking Dodges of the same era.

Oldsmobile and Buick were emerging unto themselves, which put a lot of pressure on Mercury, Edsel, Desoto and even Chrysler itself.

[HarleyEarl]

Ya..the timing was terrible for this car. It was a decent car but no market for it. Weren't even the first Edsel station wagons merely warmed over Fords as well?

[Drew Dowdell]

Did you know that one of the reasons the Ford Edsel didn't do well, that people felt the center grill looked like a vagina? And not an attractive vagina at that. There are unattractive vaginas? Men want to drive vaginas, but not in this way.

Is THAT why I like the Jaguar E-type so much!?

[HarleyEarl]

Yes it is.

[balthazar]

Edsels "warmed over Fords" -no. Different everything in '58. '59-60 was a big shift to major Ford componentry, yes, but not in '58.

DeSoto had one of it's best years every in '57, but the drop in the mid-priced segment for '58 was something it really never recovered from. Unfortunately.

[HarleyEarl]

I got curious about 1958 and the economic downturn. So I just researched abit on the web. It was much more serious than I had thought. It was worldwide and somewhat similar to what's happening currently. Did not know that.

[HarleyEarl]

I think the Edsel has an undeserved rap for being a failure as a car. It was more a victim of circumstance. It's kind of Ford's 'Corvair'? Only Ford gave up very quickly on this car. I wonder why that was. Really only two years as a true Edsel. The third being more a rebadged Ford.

[balthazar]

>>"Did you know that one of the reasons the Ford Edsel didn't do well, that people felt the center grill looked like a vagina?"<<

I do not believe this is literally factual. I believe this is hindsight conjecture.

Truth is, vertical grilles on 'horizontal' cars lean towards 'unnatural'.

'I wonder why Ford gave up so quickly'

You answered your own question: the recession.

DeSoto & Edsel never got a compact to help bolster their numbers- then again; they weren't really in the position to get one, anyway.

[2b2]

^ tho I've read that the Comet started out to be an Edsel model

[balthazar]

Yes- I've read that also. Whether it would have bolstered Edsel by '61, I don't know. Obviously, Ford decided it was better placed as a Merc.

[Sixty8panther]

The depression that hit in calendar year 1957 (model year 1958) was

a big part of the problem for sure, but like Balthazar said... the Edsel

was not the failure that it is made out to be.

The push-button trans in the steering wheel is one of my favorite

features, and while I actually like the '58 and '59 model years, I

downright LOVE the '60.... esp. the non-production mock-up that

never was.... which had a very prominent VERTICAL monolith-style

grille in the center of the '60 FoMoCo fascia instead of just the not so

bold x-theme that made production.

Also, this is kind of cool: the intermediate Edsel that never WAS but

SHOULD HAVE BEEN right from the get-go! An edsel COMET!

[Intrepidation]

The depression that hit in calendar year 1957 (model year 1958) was

a big part of the problem for sure, but like Balthazar said... the Edsel

was not the failure that it is made out to be.

The push-button trans in the steering wheel is one of my favorite

features, and while I actually like the '58 and '59 model years, I

downright LOVE the '60.... esp. the non-production mock-up that

never was.... which had a very prominent VERTICAL monolith-style

grille in the center of the '60 FoMoCo fascia instead of just the not so

bold x-theme that made production.

That is very attractive actually, it's a shame it never made it to production.

[regfootball]

Did you know that one of the reasons the Ford Edsel didn't do well, that people felt the center grill looked like a vagina? And not an attractive vagina at that. There are unattractive vaginas? Men want to drive vaginas, but not in this way.

i honestly don't know much about the edsel, other than its allegedly ugly. and i don't care much for it.

and that says a lot considering there is an aztek in my garage. i have a high pain tolerance.

this makes no inference on my preference in vag1nas however.

Edited December 31, 2008 by regfootball

[Sixty8panther]

The point is, Edsel was hardly the failure it is made out to be by some....

[Robert Hall]

The point is, Edsel was hardly the failure it is made out to be by some....

Well, considering Ford launched a new division/brand range and folded it less than 3 years makes it a pretty big failure. Imagine if GM had folded Saturn in '94..styling was part of the problem, but there were plenty of ugly cars in '58...my folks bought a '58 Mercury that year...I've seen pics of them, they were pretty dreadful looking, IMHO.

[Drew Dowdell]

But what was the point of Edsel? Why did Ford feel they even needed it?

How was Mercury not mid-priced enough?

In 1957, Packard was on the ropes. Nash and Hudson were basically gone, merged into AMC.

Desoto was pushed down market by Chrysler and Imperial, so now Chrysler was competing with itself in the mid-priced market.

[Robert Hall]

But what was the point of Edsel? Why did Ford feel they even needed it?

How was Mercury not mid-priced enough?

In 1957, Packard was on the ropes. Nash and Hudson were basically gone, merged into AMC.

Desoto was pushed down market by Chrysler and Imperial, so now Chrysler was competing with itself in the mid-priced market.

No idea, but at that time, Chrysler and GM each had 3 mid-priced brands, so someone at Ford must have felt Mercury wasn't enough...

[HarleyEarl]

Moltar that was esentially it. GM was slaughtering the competition. Ford felt it need to do more to compete.

I'll bet along with all the things lined up against this new division, the name 'Edsel' sounded a bit nerdish. I wonder. Not the best name in the car business. Maybe they should have used 'Meteor' from Canada.

[Robert Hall]

Moltar that was esentially it. GM was slaughtering the competition. Ford felt it need to do more to compete.

I'll bet along with all the things lined up against this new division, the name 'Edsel' sounded a bit nerdish. I wonder. Not the best name in the car business. Maybe they should have used 'Meteor' from Canada.

Ya, it's a bad name, IMHO. They could have called it 'Fred' or 'Elmer' which would have been equally nerdy. I've read that they hired a poet to come up with possible names--they came up with a long list, some were pretty outlandish like Utopian Turtletop. In the end, they chose the name of Henry's son. In keeping with the planet name Mercury, maybe 'Saturn' would have been a good name. (Though I think Mercury was named for the Greek God more than the planet).

Edsel did have some good model names, though--Pacer, Ranger, Corsair, and Citation, all of which have been used elsewhere since then.

Also, I would assume the decision to create the brand was made around '55 or '56, when the middle market was quite strong...then it was launched just in time for a recession.

Update:

The Wikipedia entry on Edsel has a pretty decent analysis of the failure and some backstory...makes for interesting reading while I'm sitting at the airport waiting on my flight..

Edsel story

Edited December 31, 2008 by moltar

[Z-06]

Well, considering Ford launched a new division/brand range and folded it less than 3 years makes it a pretty big failure. Imagine if GM had folded Saturn in '94..styling was part of the problem, but there were plenty of ugly cars in '58...my folks bought a '58 Mercury that year...I've seen pics of them, they were pretty dreadful looking, IMHO.

No, actually if Saturn had been ditched in 1994, then people would have had praised GM for doing that.

[HarleyEarl]

Ya, it's a bad name, IMHO. They could have called it 'Fred' or 'Elmer' which would have been equally nerdy. I've read that they hired a poet to come up with possible names--they came up with a long list, some were pretty outlandish like Utopian Turtletop. In the end, they chose the name of Henry's son. In keeping with the planet name Mercury, maybe 'Saturn' would have been a good name. (Though I think Mercury was named for the Greek God more than the planet).

Edsel did have some good model names, though--Pacer, Ranger, Corsair, and Citation, all of which have been used elsewhere since then.

Also, I would assume the decision to create the brand was made around '55 or '56, when the middle market was quite strong...then it was launched just in time for a recession.

Update:

The Wikipedia entry on Edsel has a pretty decent analysis of the failure and some backstory...makes for interesting reading while I'm sitting at the airport waiting on my flight..

Edsel story

It's interesting that the 1960 Comet was originally meant to be an Edsel. Maybe if they'd just waited a bit longer. The Comet was quite successful.

[Robert Hall]

It's interesting that the 1960 Comet was originally meant to be an Edsel. Maybe if they'd just waited a bit longer. The Comet was quite successful.

Ya, I recall reading that in Collectible Automobile a while back..the wierd canted taillights on the '60 Comet look similar to the '60 Edsel lights (which are vertical).

[CARBIZ]

Ya, it's a bad name, IMHO. They could have called it 'Fred' or 'Elmer' which would have been equally nerdy. I've read that they hired a poet to come up with possible names--they came up with a long list, some were pretty outlandish like Utopian Turtletop. In the end, they chose the name of Henry's son. In keeping with the planet name Mercury, maybe 'Saturn' would have been a good name. (Though I think Mercury was named for the Greek God more than the planet).

Edsel did have some good model names, though--Pacer, Ranger, Corsair, and Citation, all of which have been used elsewhere since then.

Also, I would assume the decision to create the brand was made around '55 or '56, when the middle market was quite strong...then it was launched just in time for a recession.

Update:

The Wikipedia entry on Edsel has a pretty decent analysis of the failure and some backstory...makes for interesting reading while I'm sitting at the airport waiting on my flight..

Edsel story

:rotflmao:

And we all know what icons of style and quality those names turned out later on in history..... This just proves that some things should NOT be recycled.

[HarleyEarl]

Ya, I recall reading that in Collectible Automobile a while back..the wierd canted taillights on the '60 Comet look similar to the '60 Edsel lights (which are vertical).

Yes, although not exactly the same, it has a similar design theme.

[Guest San Diego Auto Museum]

We were just donated a one-owner ‘59 Edsel Ranger 4-door sedan with no options except the 361ci (265hp) “Super Express” V-8 and requisite 3-speed automatic trans. All original San Diego native. 67k real miles. NOT FOR SALE!

[Robert Hall]

There is a auto resto shop in Navarre, Oh (a small town just south of Massillon) I drive by often that has a 1/2 dozen or more Edsels in various conditions on their lot, along w/ some late 50s Continentals, Galaxies, etc.