Ford Motor Co. had high hopes in 1958 when they expanded their portfolio to include a fourth division – the Edsel. The new line of cars was named after Henry Ford’s son, and a substantial amount of money was invested in researching and launching what would become the U.S. auto industry’s most notable failure. The seller has a first-year Pacer 4-door sedan, Edsel’s mid-level entry. It’s a barn find that has some new parts but does not run. Located in Hampton, Connecticut, this project is available for $10,000 here on Facebook Marketplace. Hats off to T.J. for another interesting tip.
You had four models of the “exciting” (?) new Edsel to choose from in 1958. The Ranger, Pacer, Corsair, and Citation were all up for grabs. And they all had the infamous “horse collar” grille and the automatic transmission with the pushbuttons in the center of the steering wheel. A lack of buyer love for the new car, plus an economic downturn, meant that overall Edsel sales in Year #1 were 68,000, far below Ford’s expectations. The company regrouped, but the ‘59s sold even fewer units, so the board of directors pulled the plug on the Edsel early into the 1960 model year.
The seller’s Pacer is one of 7,141 4-door sedans produced in 1958, so there can’t be that many left, regardless of condition. We don’t know when or why this Edsel was parked in a barn-like structure, but it may have had only 48,000 miles at the time. The seller may have had plans to restore the car, hence the appearance of a rebuilt carburetor, new brakes, and the installation of a new gas tank. He/she is trying to buy a house, so working further on this Pacer isn’t in the cards.
This two-tone Edsel will need new paint, and there’s bound to be some rust, though no corrosion is referenced. No photos of the interior are provided, so we can’t say if any small woodland creatures have gotten inside and created any havoc. A V8 resides under the hood, but its displacement would be a guess. Bring a trailer and a winch – and a pile of cash – to take this Edsel home. Be the only kid on your block to own one!
It’s surprising that only 7141 out of 68,000 cars produced were 4-door sedans.
That figure is just for Pacer 4-dr sedans. An additional 7,414 ’58 Ranger 4-dr sedans were produced for a total of 14,555. Figures per the Edsel Owners Club (past sources had lower production numbers, 6,083 for Pacer and 6,576 for Ranger). The higher trim level Corsair and Citation series did not offer a 4-dr sedan.
PACER 4dr. sedans. The Pacer/Rangers were the only ones that came in a pillared 4dr. sedan configuration. Corsair/Citation 4drs. were hardtops.
6083 Pacer 4 dr sedans in 1958……
The engine looks to be the original 361 FE.
Depends on data plate info….”W”=361, X=410 and G= 332
400 on the valve covers=361 cu.in= 400 lb ft torque
Asking price seems double what it should be
It’s high alright. Given what it needs and current state, It’s a $7K car all day.
Technically, Edsel was Ford’s fifth division. From 1956-1958, Continental was a separate division. For 1959, Ford merged Edsel, Mercury, Lincoln, and Continental into the M-E-L division (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln), renamed Lincoln-Mercury after Edsel was discontinued in late 1959.
Price is, um, ambitious at best. I see good drivers priced in the $3-6k range in my neck of the rust free PNW. Pacer, rarer but $10k 4dr hardtop non-runner?? Someone may but I’d rather $4-7k and drive one home.
There is no Hampton, CT. Hamden perhaps. Regardless, a good snag!
Tell that to the folks that live there.
There is a Hampton, CT in eastern Connecticut off Route 6 near Willimantic. Get your lunch at the Hampton General Store!
Edsel Ford was a pretty good guy, but he had a pretty bad father. Too bad, many of his ideas were very good.
I don’t understand why the Edsel was such a failure. Was it a bad car to drive? What was it about the Edsel that made it such a failure?
Recession of 1958 hurt everyone….Henry was stubborn and went his way as no one could tell him what to do…should have waited a year or so…
It really wasn’t as special as Ford advertised ; it was still a Ford or Mercury underneath and if you had the extra money, you’d go with a Mercury ,if you didnt, you’d go with Ford. there was no real reason to put in another car line with the same parts as your main line cars – Plus the recession , and its odd looks
The idea by Henry was that GM had 6 divisions and people could move up or down and their needs changed, Ford only had 2 choices so lost alot of buyers to other brands thus the Edsel nameplate was in between Ford and Mercury..again beauty is in the eyes of the beholder for most cars made..
Pretty much because it was ugly to most people at the time, and just odd now.
The recession and the fact that Henry would not build a new factory but instead built them in existing factories along with Mercurys and Lincolns which drove the assemblymen/women crazy..had to run upstairs for the Edsel specific parts when the build sheet was for an Edsel and when they came back the car was further down the line…this slowed production and quotas were hard to achieve as a result.. A few years back at the St.Ignace Car Show, a few elderly gentlemen were listening to the chatter around my Edsel..then piped in that ” That was a big problem for morale..and quotas”..They were there and told me at length of all the chaos it caused..
$2,000 seems like a generous offer. What collector, even an Edsel lover, would want a 4dr pillar model, unless they were obsessive-compulsive and just had to have one of each Edsel model ever offered?
In 1958 when I was 10 yrs old a few of my friends and I were hanging out at our local shopping center which had a Ford dealership. We went inside to check out the new Edsel. I remember sitting in it. I don’t remember what I thought of the car back then. Flash forward to the early 1990’s when I had a restored 1950 Hudson and a neighbor woman after riding in my car commented that she would love to have an Edsel now. I never knew anyone who admired an Edsel, so I was really surprised about her strange desire.
nothing strange about your neighbor woman- to each his/her own.
My mom and I were driving through Newport Beach, CA and I asked her to stop at the new Edsel dealership. It had all the searchlights. I was 13 and I would have almost taken any car. But the Edsel just never appealed to me. Now I find the Rancheros with an Edsel front clip interesting, but that’s it.
My dislike of the appearance of the Edsels does not apply to the 1960 Edsel Ranger. That car was futuristic cool. But it could not outshine the lack of reception of the earlier Edsels.
Out in the midwest they are still regularly putting 1957 -1959 Ford Mercury and Edsels in demo derbies ; out there cars dont rust out badly so there’s good panels being destroyed and I’m sure most of the trim ,glass, interior, etc. gets tossed out.