Anyone familiar with 1950s automobilia knows the ill-fated story of the Edsel. It was Ford’s big 1958-60 market miscalculation that ended up costing them hundreds of millions of dollars. The Edsel arrived in 1958 as a new FOMOCO division, and sales were lighter than expected. So, the 1959 Edsel had fewer Edsel-specific cues than the 1958 – and sales dropped again. The seller, a dealer, has a nice ’59 Ranger 2-door sedan with apparently low miles – but no details otherwise. Located in a nice warehouse with loads of other vintage cars, this Edsel is available here on eBay in Orlando, Florida. The current bid is just $2,550 with an unmet reserve.
The Ranger was the entry-level 1959 Edsel and was probably on a trim level similar to the Fairlane (the Galaxie had taken the top spot). Though the seller says this car has a V6 engine, it looks like an inline-6 to me, which would have displaced 223 cubic inches. I think those motors were referred to as “Mileage Makers” to help save gas over the V8s. An automatic transmission is said to be included, though those sixes were commonly paired with a “3-on-the-tree” manual shifter.
One of the complaints about the 1958 Edsel was its “horse collar” grille, so the 1959 versions were toned down but still prominent. This Ranger appears to be wearing Jadeglint Green Metallic paint, which looks perfect except for a couple of tiny dings. Perhaps the finish and all of the sheet metal are original. The minor glimpses we get of the interior show one that may need restoring, witness the discolored steering wheel, Walmart cover on the front seat, and the cracked upholstery below the rear glass.
For a dealer, the lack of details is surprising, as is the limited selection of photographs. This 2-door sedan in Ranger trim is one of 7,778 to be produced by Edsel in 1959. After a brief introduction of the 1960 models in the Fall of 1959, Ford pulled the plug on the Edsel, and it became an expensive experiment. Perhaps with a bit of work, this Ranger could be a great weekend show car on the local circuit. Thanks for the tip, Curvette!
I know the listing description shows “automatic” for transmission type, but the position of the shift lever in the lousy interior photo tends to indicate otherwise . . . auction ended yesterday RNM but bet that dealer would jump for joy with an inquiry. Nice example.
Innkeeper,
Good eye and I agree. The position of the shifter doesn’t scream automatic to me either. Of course the engine doesn’t appear to be any type of “V-6” I ever seen up to now. Just saying…
Seems all too common these days to describe any six-cylinder engine as a “V6”. I originally was going to say it’s mostly common with younger folks but looks like the author of this piece is of a certain age, like many of us here. So just a minor slip rather than thinking all sixes are bent.
Let’s be fair to Mr. Dixon. In the write-up, he says: “Though the seller says this car has a V6 engine, it looks like an inline-6 to me, which would have displaced 223 cubic inches.”
@NHDave, you are correct, I didn’t catch that. Apologies to Mr. Dixon!
When the photo is enlarged there appears to be a clutch pedal in it.
love the 2-tone steering wheel. nothing but dealer listings
looks like a 3 on the tree – they didn’t opt for the problematic Teletouch auto in the steering wheel hub. This looks like a stripper if I ever saw one. No power anything a radio and a heater.
No Teletouch in ’59 — it was ’58 only.
The dealer re-listed for another auction, it still won’t sell. They previously listed it with a BIN price of $24,000it has even run for auction 4 times, ending at $6.1k, $3,8k, $3.2k and $2.5k respectively. So far the market thinks its value is well under $10k, it’s probably right.
Steve R
I’ve seen this on ebay for quite a while. It’s been relisted a number of times without bids getting even close to the asking price. It appears to be a nice entry level Edsel, but not worth what the seller wants. Apparently, he’s in no hurry to sell.
Current listing has ended. Here’s the new listing.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/376945601757
Steve R obviously knows his stuff because he does his research. He’s often pointed out that a lot of these sellers, especially dealers; can’t understand that the old stuff they are trying to sell is not commanding the prices of a decade or so ago. But they keep on repeating the same old unrealistic narrative. There also seems to be a mindset that since the price of everything, especially new cars has gone stupid expensive; then WTH just pile on. So sorry but your vehicle may be nice and all that but it ain’t worth your pie in the sky sales offer. Of course there are notable exceptions as we all know. Take Tri Fives and C3 Corvettes for example. But I seriously doubt that there are any buyers out there that will buy this Edsel at anywhere near the BIN. And the dealer needs to cop themselves on and lower their price if they really want to sell it. In 2025 I kept my resolution not to comment on price if I weren’t a serious buyer. But later this year or next if things go according to plan then I will more than likely be a buyer. But not if sellers continue to be so out of touch with the market. The changing dynamics that have been a topic of discussion here in BF for some time are not going to do anything but get more onerous. I for one don’t want to be left holding the bag. I don’t want to seem like I’m picking on this particular listing either. Recently it appears to me that the sellers of a large portion of the cars for sale shown here have become even more unrealistic than ever before. Sooner or later I believe this impasse has to change.
I agree with the comments above, but it is possible that the format did not allow for just a “6” without a “V6”. It MAY be worth $10,000 with what we can see which is not much except what may be decent paint and chrome but interior issues. No telling about how good the engine is or how it drives. I did have a good running 223 in a 54 F-100, nothing wrong with that and very easy to work on. A couple of things with this dealer. It appears that he is shooting for the moon with his prices, however there are some interesting and rare cars on his site. Quite a few VW’s including a 1950, second year for the import here.
Old Ford guy here. With all the gremlins that plagued the Edsel, I still see the charm of FoMoCo in them.
If I had the extra room and the extra coin to go with it, I’d love to park this Beautiful Edsel with my small toy box, which includes a comparatively newer Ford. My latest, is a Shadow Grey, Convertible GT, 40th Anniversary, “Ole Smokey”