Remembering the Ford Edsel 66 Years Later

By Mary Carter
Eagle Times Correspondent
No advertisements were made. No pre-release photos were aired. Sixty-six years ago this month, the latest Ford model was shipped to dealerships completely under wraps. In an era of Ford frenzy, this could easily be compared to the Harry Potter series pre-shipments that could not be opened until one minute after midnight on their premiere day.

That car was the Edsel, named for Henry Ford’s only son who had succumbed to cancer in 1949. Ford Motor Company was so certain of the Edsel’s success that it poured 10 years and the equivalent of more than two and a half billion dollars into its development.

Research of that time showed that Buick, Dodge, and Pontiac cars were preferred by middle-aged drivers, while Mercury appealed to the younger set. In style, Ford wanted to meet consumers halfway, declaring it was designing “the smart car for the younger executive or professional family on its way up.”

Additional fact finding showed that more than half of the buying public chose cars in the mid-price range. This was the target for Ford Motor, which hadn’t put out a new style vehicle in years. The Edsel was to be Ford’s “car of the future.”

Released to the public on what Ford called “E Day,” Sept. 4, 1957, the vehicle also had its own televised special. Aired on October 13, “The Edsel Show” pre-empted the very popular “Ed Sullivan Show.” Featuring musical tributes by Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Louis Armstrong, and Frank Sinatra, it was the first live CBS program filmed on videotape for rebroadcasting later on the west coast.

Henry Ford II was present at the taping of this show. The performers were given Edsels to drive during rehearsals. In her autobiography, “Girl Singer,” Rosemary Clooney noted that the door handle of her purple Edsel came right off in her hands.

But when the long-developed Edsel hit the showrooms, the unthinkable happened.

Trends had rapidly veered toward compact cars. Not only that, a recession took the wind out of confident buying. Worse still, the public wasn’t enamored with the strangely styled and badly produced car.

Jokes were instantly coined. Edsel stood for: Every Day Something Else Leaks. The vehicle suffered power steering failure, and its unique teletouch shifter had wires snaked too closely to hot exhaust systems. Early buyers were outraged that they couldn’t trade their Edsels in for a fraction of what they’d just paid for them.

Ford knew a four-barrel mistake when they saw one. The Edsel was pulled three years after its splashy, overpriced, and over-anticipated entrance into the motoring world.

Despite being such a flop, there were a few firsts. The Edsel provided warnings for overheating, low oil, and engaged parking brakes. The rear doors boasted childproof locks. The vehicle’s rolling dome speedometer was innovative. The Edsel also offered a signaling device when speeding.

Those who presently own an Edsel may be in for a bit of a last laugh. During a Sotheby’s Auction in 2006, an Edsel Ranger Convertible sold for $184,500.