Sixty years after its demise, the Edsel is still considered the biggest financial failure of the U.S. auto industry. That’s because it’s said that Ford Motor Co. took it on the chin for as much as $350 million in losses – in 1960 dollars. The seller has a rare first-year Citation 4-door hardtop, one of about 5,500 produced (but who knows how many are left). Located in a garage in University Hills, Colorado, this project needs a full restoration with an acquisition cost of $4,200 here on craigslist. Kudos to Barn Finder Mike F. for the much-lamented tip!
While Edsel managed to build and sell 118,000 cars in three model years, that figure was far below expectations as well as Ford’s break-even point. Besides the demand for a fourth Ford brand being overestimated, the car debuted at a low point in the 1950s economy, so overall auto sales trickled off in 1958. Ford quickly retreated and made the car less unique in 1959, as well as offering fewer models. Sales fell by 30% in ’59, and Edsel produced less than 3,000 more cars for 1960 before the company threw in the towel and took their lumps.
We don’t know the history of this ’58 Citation, which had the most pronounced of the “horse-collar” grilles that have been made fun of ever since, and also contributed to poor sales. It’s possible this Edsel is original except for consumables and may have been sitting for many years since the last of its 94,000 miles were driven. Adding to the rarity of this machine is that it came with the then-rare factory air conditioning.
The car’s 410 cubic-inch V8 runs, but a new head gasket is likely needed. This automobile has Edsel’s signature pushbutton automatic tranny with the controls in the middle of the steering wheel (a feature that was gone in ’59). A complete extreme makeover of this Edsel is needed, but some of the photos provided by the seller are of another car, and we’re not sure which is which. The seller is tossing in some spare parts to help get you started.
Ah Edsel. Awkward styling and answering the question no one asked. I mean what market segment were they trying to address? Fancier than a Ford but slotted below or above a Mercury? For 4200 dollars I think this would make a great restomod. And as for the grill, BMW grew the double kidney grill to ridiculous proportions and no one cares.
The BMW grille is the modern day Bangle Butt
They were doing the same thing that GM and Chrysler were doing. Looking for market share.
OK replying to my own post, but I got inspired looking at those pictures. First of all the original paint job in Garnet and contrasting Ivory redone would be awesome. Maybe tone down the chrome too. But looking at the lines of the trunk, it’s really long, this would make a great Ranchero style conversion. Finish it off with some kind of LED headlights and tail lights in back. Or did I just make it uglier?
Slanted headlights(Ala early 60’s Chrysler), Ranchero-style conversion….BAM!!!
Well worth the price just for the mightiest Engine you could get in the 58′ that’s the powerhouse that helped you run away from the looks really fast :D hehe…i love Edsels.
A Horse is a Horse, Of Course! And NO ONE can talk to a Horse Of Course! Unless The Horse is Mr. ED! And despite so much research and planning, too few bothered to even look at (or TALK about) Mr EDSEL (the car). Even The Ford family balked at using Edsel Fords name but finally agreed after numerous other suggested names failed. The long journey into failure has frequently been attributed to several factors. A deep recession as EDSEL came to market. Competition even from other FMC brands. The Horse Collar grille. IMO EDSEL was the right car at the wrong time. The first generation was far better looking than the unfortunate 59 revision. The short lived 60 was a badge engineered 60 Ford. Ironically Edsel Ford, like his automotive namesake was never fully appreciated, in spite of his design of the Fabled original Lincoln Continental. And like the car, Edsels life was short. The demise of EDSEL was mirrored when DeSoto unceremoniously dropped the Marque after approximately 3200 1961s . This marked the beginning of numerous brands from The BIG 3 exiting the industry. By then, the independents were gone or in the throws of death. So much information in my mind, with little time to share it. A Blessed Easter ✝️ to ALL. Keep driving the road to The BARN and keep talking and shopping!
RICK W– Great comments–and I agree both Edsels received short shrift from the father and public.
Thanks Chris. A film entitled THE BETSY starring Tommy Lee Jones and several notable players. (C, 80s) Is said to be based on Henry Ford and his rocky relationship with Edsel. In the film, the company builds a special car The LOREN named for the son of Hardiman Motors founder. The parallels are amazing. Great film. I’ll have to find it. It’s well worth watching again 👌
1958 was a dismal year for car sales across the board, which contributed to Edsel’s disappointing reception. Notice just about all the controls are pushbutton. Pushbuttons were the rage then for everything from radios to major appliances. The phrase ‘Don’t push my buttons’ was probably spawned around this time.
Have mercy ! These were hideous beasts. Precursors to the Pontiac Aztec.
Okay, you may call it a horse collar but I think it’s more like an anatomical part. And I think the market noticed. I was a kid when it came out; I have a strong visual memory of a car trip northeast, having crossed the Chesapeake Bay on the ferry (a momentous departure!) and as we drove up US13 passing a dealership with a half dozen or more brand new bright Edsels lined up.
Can remember when these were brand new, I was 10 yrs.old. The widow next door bought a convertible in the light Blue and white 2 tone with a white top and upholstery. I was sure it was the most beautiful car in the neighborhood, of course I had a crush on her also.Alfred her son was a yr. younger than me and my best buddy so I got to run in out of the house and played in the car.My next older sister was the baby sitter, for Alfred and his younger sister after school till their mom came home from work.Got to ride in it many times, sometimes right next Mrs. Langford was so excited when that happened especially when she was taking us swimming and she wore a 2 piece bathing suit.Great memories, till she married another Marine, and they were transferred to Okinawa.Kept in touch with Alfred till he was killed in Vietnam, found out he had put Edsel in dry storage, but I found it went up for auction, when I was unable to bid.Really bummed out about that, but no leave to go.Still good memories of that Edsel.
I own one just like it. Prone to rust. Push button shift has been a real problem. Very powerful. 10.5 compression ratio.been collecting parts for years.
The 1958 four-door Edsel Citation is one I’d love to have — only, not in this deteriorated condition. I thought it was beautiful when it showed-up around August of 1957, and it found a neat slot in the Ford lineup (or, so it would seem at the time). Above the Fairlane 500 (which Ford made particularly gag-ugly for 1958, sadly), and a nice contrast to Mercury’s “Big M”, the Edsel should have taken-off. The recession of ’58 hurt it badly, and too much ridicule was made toward its styling (at least it was far nicer-looking than Chrysler’s ridiculous “Forward Look”!). I agree with you, RICK W, about the unfortunate ’59 Edsel, which tried to graft a more toned-down version of Edsel’s unique cues onto an entirely different body which did not fit them. For 1959, Edsel should have stayed with the same body as their 1958 model, with only minor changes, and kept the “futuristic” features inside. The public would have warmed to it, I believe. It should have been introduced in Canada also, as Canadians liked slightly more adventuresome styling (as notice their Meteor Rideau 500). The 1960 four door also is one beautiful Edsel: too bad that it was only a Ford Fairlane 500 in very minimal disguise — right down to the vestigal framing around the Ford tail-lights being obvious next to the Edsel vertical units. With such a lovely front end, what were they thinking on that rear? Robert McNamera always hated the Edsel, and did everything in his power to doom it. Very sad, to me: Edsel was a fine car, even if the marketplace wasn’t quite ready to figure out what to do with it. Had they continued the 1958 version for 1959, with only slight adjustments in outside trim, Ford would have saved a lot of money and ended up with a more popular car.
Edsels were built in Canada and were available there, too. They were produced at the Oakville, Ontario plant for the 1958 and 1959 model years. The 1960 models were also available but they were all built in the USA and shipped north across the border.
I don’t care what the haters say. I had a ’59 Edsel Ranger Four Door in high school in the ’70’s. What a great car!.That wide front bench seat was perfect for having your gal snuggle up to you while out for a cruise on a Friday night. The trunk was big enough to fit another couple in while sneaking them into the drive-in movie theater on Saturday night. In the ’70’s the Edsel really turned everyone’s head – it had become real cool retro by then. Granted the grille on the ’58 was better than the ’59 and both were way better than how they ruined it in ’60.
It also saved my sister’s life when she was broadsided by a guy blowing off a red light. Spun her around and she hit a pole on the other side but came out without a scratch. His car was totaled. I found another one to use as a parts car for the repair so it was no problem fixing it. Never had any problem with rust on either car even though they were NorthEast cars.
I saw a beautiful one last year at a car show and have been thinking about getting one.
Thanks, Rick! I didn’t KNOW that.
A 1958 Edsel is one dream car I’ve always dreamed about, but this one needs a lot of work.