Towe Auto Museum hosts 50^th Anniversary exhibit of Ford’s Edsel

By Mark Ayer, Docent, Towe Auto Museum

   The mid 1950’s was arguably the zenith of the American automobile industry. The Korean War had ended, our economy was relatively robust and the public was buying cars in greater numbers. Many engineering changes had taken place since WWII and the General Motors idea of planned obsolescence was firmly entrenched. As America moved from the cities to the suburbs, the need for a second car for the family became necessary. Henry Ford II had decided that Ford should have a competitor for each of the five General Motors and four Chrysler makes. At the time Mercury was the only real competitor for Olds, Pontiac, Buick, Dodge and DeSoto.

Research had begun in 1955 for just such a car. It was called the “E-car”, short for “Experimental Car.” Francis Rieth, who had joined the company after WWII, along with Robert McNamara and other members of the “Whiz Kids,” had suggested that there be only one make of car, with models above and below the Mercury. After much study and with resistance from the Ford family, the new car was named Edsel, after Henry Ford’s only son.

With tremendous publicity, the new Edsel was introduced on “E-day,” September 4, 1957. Originally supposed to be sold through a Ford division, Robert McNamara succeeded in combining Edsel, Mercury, and Lincoln into one entity ostensibly to save money. In 1958, about 67,000 Edsels were sold in the U.S. and Canada. In 1959 the upper two models of the car were eliminated, and sales fell to nearly 45,000. In the Edsel’s last year, only two models were produced. The distinctive styling and many of the features had been eliminated. The last year for the Edsel was 1960, leaving the Ford Motor Company with a loss of over $350 million.

There is any number of reasons why the Edsel failed. Some blame it on the unusual front styling. Some feel that Ford didn’t define the customer base properly. There are insiders who believe that Ford executives themselves didn’t support the car. Others feel that the car was rushed to market with some design and quality flaws that didn’t appear until the car was in the showroom.

One of the main reasons for Edsel’s failure was a recession in the economy that started in 1958. Many of America’s large cars were seen as too large and ostentatious, leading many consumers to flock to makes such as Rambler and Volkswagen. Ford’s executives didn’t seem to notice that other makes comparable to the Edsel in price, were in trouble; for example, Studebaker, Hudson, Nash, DeSoto and Packard. By 1960, everyone had a compact car in the marketplace; Edsel was planning to sell a compact called the Comet.

With the failure of Edsel, the Comet became Mercury and easily became a sales success.

 Its easy to make fun of the Edsel, Jack Paar, the host of The Tonight Show at the time, is reported to have called the Edsel “an Oldsmobile sucking on a lemon” As a matter of fact, Edsel became synonymous with failure and became somewhat of a laughingstock.

There is still a following of collectors in the American car     culture, with approximately 6000 Edsels in existence. The     Towe Auto Museum will be hosting a display of Edsels     from June 28 until August 30, 2008. The exhibit will     feature a variety of Edsels, including a rare 1960 nine     passenger Villager Wagon. The Towe Auto Museum is     located at 2200 Front Street, on the banks of the     Sacramento River. 

 On Sunday, August 17, the public is invited to attend a lecture about the Edsel presented by Mr. Steve
Luth.The lecture will take place at the Museum and will begin at 2:30pm. Mr. Luth has graciously provided five of his Edsels from his private collection to be part of this two-month exhibit. $5 for CVF and SADS members and $7 for non-members (includes Museum admission).