V-8 Trivia Question of the Week: 1. During what model years were Edsels produced? 2. What inspired Ford Motor Company to choose the name Edsel for their new, mid-priced line? 3. On January 4, 1958, a Soviet spacecraft reentered the atmosphere and fell to earth after spending three months in orbit and traveling 37 million miles. What was the name of this spacecraft? 4. The pop song Chantilly Lace was a big hit in the year 1958. What performer made it famous? 5. This popular TV game show was only three years young when it was yanked from the CBS lineup on September 4, 1958 amidst a brewing scandal over illegally ‘fixed’ game shows. What was the name of this show which held the number one spot in viewership during 1955 and 1956? 6. On March 25, 1958 this boxing great became the first to win five championships. Who was this champ who many considered to be the greatest boxer of all time and who, in 2006, was featured on a commemorative postage stamp by the United States Postal Service? 7. Ray Kroc was the founder of the McDonalds restaurant franchise chain as we know it today. Do you know who started a Midwest and southern favorite... Steak ‘n’ Shake? 8. The average price of a new home in 1958 was: A. $12,750.00; B. $16,408.00; C. $20,000.00; D. $22,350.00 or E. $28,725.00?

Does the picture above depict you and the family this past holiday weekend– cruising over hill and dale, over the mountain and through the woods to grandma’s house or your favorite camping spot... mom by your side, kids in the back and a rooftop carrier loaded with all sorts of necessities for the holiday weekend trip? If that was your agenda, you were probably in an SUV or a minivan and not a 1958 Edsel like the family shown in the illustration.

Edsel’s palate of color choices for ‘58 would make an Easter basket envious! Rich metallics and a wide array of typical fifties pastels were available dubbed with provocative names including Jonquil Yellow; Sunset Coral; Durez Gold; Copper and Ice Green to name but a few. Our feature car this week, the Bermuda wagon shown above, was done up in Snow White over Ember Red. A total of nineteen base colors were offered, but with the mid-fifties trend of two-tones (a $26.00 option) and even tri-tones ($30.00) being offered, a total of more than ninety combinations were possible.

Ford dumped an extraordinary amount of money plus unlimited hopes and dreams into production and marketing of the Edsel and, in a rather odd sales brochure for the 1958 model, ever optimistic ad men stated, “The Edsel look is here to stay and 1959 cars will prove it.” Well, they certainly didn’t live up to all the media hype. Ford execs had set a production goal of 200,000 for the 1958 model year, but only 63,107 units rolled off six assembly lines located in Los Angeles; Somerville, Maine; Wayne, Michigan; Mahwah, New Jersey and San Jose, California.

The Bermuda was Edsel’s top-of-the-line family wagon for 1958... roomy, comfortable and with the obligatory fake wood trim that adorned nearly every flagship station wagon of the day. The Edsel, mechanically, was nearly identical to its cousins in the Ford and Mercury family, and that was but one of the reasons for the premature failure of the marque. Contrary to popular belief, the Edsel wasn’t a bad car mechanically. Rather it was a mistake of monumental proportions from a marketing viewpoint. Arriving in the midst of a serious worldwide recession, it was intended to be the latest and greatest, most advanced motor vehicle in the Ford family of fine cars.

Prospective Edsel buyers were treated to some intriguing new features once they slipped behind the wheel for a test drive. The first thing one noticed was the unique and fascinating “Teletouch” automatic transmission controls located smack dab in the middle of the steering wheel hub. Optional on “junior” Edsels but standard on “senior” models including Citation, the array of buttons included Park; Neutral; A series of gears, located in the steering column, allowed the push-buttons to remain stationary while the steering wheel rotated around them. A full ninety-five percent of Edsels for ‘58 were equipped with automatic transmissions.

As the potential buyers pulled out into traffic, they immediately noticed the novel “floating speedometer” which had the form of a small, inverted bowl, rotating on a vertical axis, on which the m.p.h. numbers were printed around the side.

A huge list of convenience, power and appearance options were offered up... heavy hitters including, a/c with heater packages priced at $460.00 on Citation and $417.00 for lesser models; “Teletouch” automatic transmission at a little over $200.00; the “Town & Country” signal seeking radio with power antenna for $119.50; power windows $100.95;
power steering $84.95 (standard on the top two lines); power front windows, $55.65; 8:50x14” whitewall tires, $44.25; power brakes, $38.25 and power seats priced at $76.45. Others included, tinted glass; wheel covers with spinners; spotlight; foam rubber seat cushions; speed warning light; bright rocker panel mouldings; dual rear deck antennas (a hot styling cue of the late fifties, early sixties); rear seat speaker; electric clock; full wheel covers; heavy duty battery; carpet (standard on Citation and the model just below); power trunk release; windshield washer; front bumper guards; backup lights; low fuel indicator light; padded sun visors; compass; color-keyed floor mats; traffic light viewer; hooded side mirror; courtesy lamps; exhaust deflectors; license plate frames; side mirror; non-glare rearview mirror; engine compartment light; luggage compartment light; locking gas cap (I think I need one of those again what with today’s prices!); rear door child safety lock covers; oval side mirror; parking brake warning light; glove box light and curb feelers for cryin’ out loud! Whew... did I miss anything? And, do you notice how many of these “options” are standard on even the cheapest cars today? They sure don’t make ‘em like they used to... and that’s a GOOD thing! The car did not live up to many of the pre-introduction claims and marketing hype. Once a prospective buyer got behind the wheel, it was nothing more than a restyled Ford with a few gimmicks thrown in... like the push-button gear selector in the middle of the steering wheel hub, for instance. And as far as the styling went, it was bold all right, but not well accepted. The most obvious styling cue was the ‘horse collar’ grill which the vast majority of consumers at the time thought was downright ugly.

That said, an Edsel would be a unique and rather attractive collectible car to own in 2008. But, due to low public acceptance when new, and the resulting low production, it is not the easiest car to find on today’s collectible market. They are out there if you really want to claim one, but you might want to think twice before taking a long weekend trip with it because with city M.P.G. in the 8-9 range and highway mileage barely in the double-digit range, at four bucks a gallon, you might pay more for a tank of gas than you will a steak dinner for the entire family!

I’ll never forget a cartoon I once saw in a business magazine shortly after Edsel’s demise. It showed two salesmen on a used car lot dancing and jumping for joy. The caption said, “we sold the Edsel... we sold the Edsel.” A frequent recipient of sarcastic jokes, the Edsel’s radical face featuring what was dubbed a “horse collar grill” was often described as looking like “an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon!”

Perhaps no more perfect icon could be found to represent history’s greatest automotive failures than Edsel. You’ve heard of D-day, but did you know there was an “E-day”? Introduced September 4, 1957, amid a great deal of hoopla, the 1958 Edsel would survive only two model changes. One of the most highly publicized, yet shortest lived marques in automotive history, ended with just a handful of 1960 model year examples which were, for the most part, redressed Fords.

Join the FIN MAN for the Route 66 celebration which takes place on the historic Chain of Rocks Bridge on Saturday, October 4, 2008. Mark your calendars!

The FIN MAN is available for your group’s special event and is currently booking dates for 2007 and 2008. During his appearances, he presents an overview of the collector car hobby plus a detailed look at American cars from the fifties and sixties. His program includes a Power Point presentation with images of collectible automobiles and various associated nostalgia and Americana. Guests also play “FINS for FUN,” the video car trivia game he produced in 1987, which inspired his nickname, The FIN MANTM. The players compete for auto related prizes donated by supporting Fin Man sponsors. For more information, click on this link: http://groups.msn.com/the-fin-man/seminaragenda.msnw.

The FIN MAN is a member of the Society of Automotive Historians, the St. Louis Chapter of the Buick Club of America and the Monte Carlo Owners Association of America. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. To e-mail him, click here > mailto:the_fin_man@msn.com.