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…
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.
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