1959 Edsel Ranger

[cawimmer430]

Seen near Dachau. Good-looking car. I never understood the hate. 

[shp4man]

Michigan plates? Near Dachau.      Interesting. Almost bought one of these a while ago. It was a project some guy gave up on. Rebuilt 6 cylinder engine, no rust, auto trans, all there, new paint, all torn apart. He was asking $3000- could have got it way cheaper. There were of course just a Ford under the skin. Weren't bad cars.

[Galaxy]

I believe you posted this exact vehicle a few years ago, and it already was in this precarious state.

[93JC]

Good-looking car. I never understood the hate. 

Mostly a result of not living up to the hype Ford's advertising had created. It was touted as a revolutionary new car and people were understandably disappointed when the actual car was finally shown, as it was obvious at first blush that it was a very conventional car that brought nothing new to the table.

[FoMoJo]

Well, push button transmission and a grille like a horse collar.  I never understood where it was supposed to fit in to the lineup.  They had Mercury as an intermediate brand and Lincoln as the luxury brand.  Maybe they thought that GM having Buick and Oldsmobile as intermediate brands was some sort of advantage.

[GoCougs]

Actually, Mopar had push button transmission in '56 .

[FoMoJo]

Actually, Mopar had push button transmission in '56 .

I know, you could have the car in Reverse and Drive at the same time.  The trick was the get the car started.

[cawimmer430]

Michigan plates? Near Dachau.      Interesting. Almost bought one of these a while ago. It was a project some guy gave up on. Rebuilt 6 cylinder engine, no rust, auto trans, all there, new paint, all torn apart. He was asking $3000- could have got it way cheaper. There were of course just a Ford under the skin. Weren't bad cars.

Makes you wonder about the cars' history. Was it originally registered in Michigan? Was it owned by a US Army member in Germany and the German owners added that plate? Mysteries, mysteries...

[cawimmer430]

I believe you posted this exact vehicle a few years ago, and it already was in this precarious state.

I did, but this time I actually took the time for some detailed snapshots! 

[cawimmer430]

Mostly a result of not living up to the hype Ford's advertising had created. It was touted as a revolutionary new car and people were understandably disappointed when the actual car was finally shown, as it was obvious at first blush that it was a very conventional car that brought nothing new to the table.

Well, push button transmission and a grille like a horse collar.  I never understood where it was supposed to fit in to the lineup.  They had Mercury as an intermediate brand and Lincoln as the luxury brand.  Maybe they thought that GM having Buick and Oldsmobile as intermediate brands was some sort of advantage.

[Soup DeVille]

Well, push button transmission and a grille like a horse collar.  I never understood where it was supposed to fit in to the lineup.  They had Mercury as an intermediate brand and Lincoln as the luxury brand.  Maybe they thought that GM having Buick and Oldsmobile as intermediate brands was some sort of advantage.

It was supposed to be both above Mercury and between Mercury and Ford. Mercury was supposed to move into a more "performance premium" segment, and Lincoln was supposed to be the luxury brand; and of course there was Continental, which was the super-lux brand nearly every has forgotten about.

The disappointment was very much a let down because of the advertising hype. The '50s really believed in futurism and people were really expecting some sort of 4-wheeled space ship. Instead they got a conventional car with some goofy styling cues and gimmicks like a push button transmission.

They weren't bad cars by all accounts; but they weren't the world changers the public had been promised.

[FoMoJo]

It was supposed to be both above Mercury and between Mercury and Ford. Mercury was supposed to move into a more "performance premium" segment, and Lincoln was supposed to be the luxury brand; and of course there was Continental, which was the super-lux brand nearly every has forgotten about.

The disappointment was very much a let down because of the advertising hype. The '50s really believed in futurism and people were really expecting some sort of 4-wheeled space ship. Instead they got a conventional car with some goofy styling cues and gimmicks like a push button transmission.

They weren't bad cars by all accounts; but they weren't the world changers the public had been promised.

I agree. 

Perhaps styling is somewhat subjective, but the styling of the Edsel, imo, was what really did it in.  I believe it overrode pretty much anything else about the brand.  Many vehicles, including mercury and Ford were much more appealing to many people.

However, what always bothered me was that the name was a tribute to Edsel Ford who, it could be said, was the inspiration for some of the most beautiful cars that FMC made.  It was a big let down.

As for the Continental Mark II, very much super lux.

[Soup DeVille]

I agree. 

Perhaps styling is somewhat subjective, but the styling of the Edsel, imo, was what really did it in.  I believe it overrode pretty much anything else about the brand.  Many vehicles, including mercury and Ford were much more appealing to many people.

However, what always bothered me was that the name was a tribute to Edsel Ford who, it could be said, was the inspiration for some of the most beautiful cars that FMC made.  It was a big let down.

As for the Continental Mark II, very much super lux.

The styling was just hokey. Let make horizontal grilles vertical! Let's make vertical tail fins horizontal!

The name was a let down to a lot of people at Ford too; there had been nationwide surveys looking for names; amongst the top contenders was "Saturn" IIRC. Then, after spending millions in research, somebody at Ford jist said "let's call it the Edsel," and that was that.

[93JC]

I recall watching a documentary about it that said the members of the board were the ones who wanted to call the new brand 'Edsel', except for chairman "Hank the Deuce". Henry Ford II was vehemently opposed to naming the brand after his father (or his brother Benson), and the board approved the name behind his back in a meeting that he didn't attend.

A lot of people at Ford actually liked the name because they liked the man; Edsel was a far more accommodating, personable man than his father.