The debut of the Ford Edsel in time for the 1958 model year was also the debut of the iconic car as a punchline in automotive history.
The Edsel was a different car with a radical design sold during a time when many cars had a radical look because it was the Fin Car era in Detroit.
Jim Sutherland
Nevertheless, the Ford Edsel blazed its own trail in the radical style department during the late 1950s when cars looked ready for takeoff right out of the showroom. However, the Edsel did not have excessive tailfins on any of its models in 1958, instead it had one-of-a-kind rear and front ends that people either loved or hated-but mostly hated.
The Edsel did not look like any other car in the Ford family-or any other car family for that matter. Observers were not drawn to the car’s front end, to say the least, but nor were they attracted to the tail end of the Edsel for that matter.
This car was built to compete with mildly upscale Big Three models such as GM’s Oldsmobile and Buick models, along with Chrysler’s De Soto. The Edsel was a notch above the Ford and created to make a splash in the mid-range domestic car market.
Unfortunately, the Edsel was stricken with Ugly Duckling syndrome and had little hope to reach beautiful swan status during its brief production run from 1958 until its mercy killing in 1960.
The good news is Ford Edsels eventually became popular in the vintage car hobby and got the kind of love that was sorely missing when they were brand-new.
A good example is Dave Hansen because he is the proud owner of a 1958 Edsel Citation, along with a fleet of other Edsels. Dave loved the Edsel models and bought his ’58 Citation at a local auction about four years ago.
Dave told MyStarCollectorCar that he traded a 1958 Oldsmobile for an Edsel back in 1980 and never looked back on his decision. Consequently, Dave continued to invest in Edsels after his first one, and his ’58 became a part of his significant investment in a fleet of the formerly unloved Ford models.
Dave leans toward originality in his Edsel so it still has its original 410-cubic-inch engine coupled to the car’s factory automatic transmission. The car also has its original Teletouch pushbutton setup for the tranny located in the middle of the steering wheel and it still works well, according to Dave.
The Teletouch pushbutton automatic transmission was a nightmare for Ford because it combined electric with mechanical components and had a high rate of failure. Chrysler also had push button automatic transmission models at the time, but they were strictly mechanical and ran through cable selectors, so they were not prone to failure when compared to Edsel’s system.
The good news is Dave’s Teletouch push button selector system still works like a charm, and he has not encountered any problems with it. Even better, his Edsel’s engine still packs a big punch and is “so powerful you have to tie an anchor to it (the car) to slow it down”, in Dave’s words.
The Ford Edsel may not have been a popular part of the Elvis era, but Dave Hansen has done his level best to make sure these cars are very popular in the 21st century.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
