THE EDSEL REVISITED

The year is 1957, and the venue is the internal launch party for the Edsel. There Robert McNamara, the General Manager of the Ford division, tells the advertising guru Fairfax Cone that the company is already planning its demise even before the first customers took delivery. It did not augur well for the new marque.

For many years, the name ‘Edsel’ has been a convenient punch line, referenced in films as diverse as Peggy Sue Got Married and The Love Bug. Yet, it stemmed from Dearborn’s logical decision to create a range of cars that bridged the gap between their Ford and Mercury line-ups.

Nor should it be forgotten that The New York Times thought the grille had ‘continental flair’ while the tail lights resembled the wingspread of a gull. The Los Angeles Times stated ‘road handling was excellent under the most difficult conditions’, and when Henry Ford II saw the Edsel, he was so impressed that he stood up and applauded.

The target market was ‘the younger executive or professional family on its way up’ i.e. those considering a Pontiac or De Soto. Ford invested some $250 million in the project and created a separate 1,300 strong dealership chain. The first adverts stated, ‘Edsel is Coming’ and featured neither photos nor footage of the car. Management instructed sales teams to keep their pre-launch demonstrator models under threat of fines or even losing their franchise.

As for the styling, Roy Brown was inspired by various European models to create a vertical radiator grille. He also eschewed tail fins, later remarking that he loathed the look of the contemporary Cadillac. The official unveiling date was the 4th September 1957, and customers were offered the Ford derived Pacer and Ranger and the larger Mercury derived Citation and Corsair.

Sadly, the Edsel was bedevilled with problems virtually from the outset. One model distinguished itself by its oil pan falling off at a press day, thereby seizing the engine. Another suffered from brake failure, which did not help endear it to the test driver. Meanwhile, too many consumers reported similar maladies and just 63,000 Edsels were sold in its first year — less than half of the projected amount.

Even sans these durability issues, it rapidly became apparent that the Edsel also suffered from an overcomplicated range and an uncertain identity. The US recession of the late fifties also reduced sales of ‘mid-price’ cars by 40%; Chrysler dispensed with their De Soto brand in 1961. Perhaps equally importantly, few vehicles could have fulfilled such hyperbole.

Of course, the Eisenhower era was famous for outlandish marketing claims; just look at virtually any GM or Chrysler brochure of the period. However, after watching the promotional films, the average motorist might have reasonably expected an atomic-powered car that was possibly capable of flight.

At one stage, Ford was so desperate that dealers arranged a competition to win a pony.

Before the end of the decade, its reputation was so low that when rioters pelted Richard Nixon’s Edsel during a visit to Peru, he remarked, “They were throwing eggs at the car, not me.”

The last models were built in 1959, and the Edsel now sported muted frontal treatment. In reality, the infamous radiator grille was the least of its challenges, even if Time magazine once referred to an Oldsmobile ’sucking a lemon’. The latest versions featured rather attractive lines reflecting the contemporary Galaxie and Fairlane, but it was all too late. Production ceased on the 19th November of that year, with Ford’s losses believed to be $350m.

One result of the brand’s demise was the rebranding of its planned ‘B’ compact model developed in parallel with the Ford Falcon. The result was the Comet, sold via the Mercury division, and it is not impossible to envisage an Edsel badged Mustang. As it was, Roy Brown was sent/exiled to Dagenham, where he devised the Cortina. He returned to the USA in 1966 and for many years drove an Edsel convertible. When people stopped him and offered to buy it, his standard response was, “Where the hell were you in 1958?”.