WHEN Ford Motor Company launched the Edsel brand, the manufacturer thought it was launching an award-winning technology hero.
After more than 60 years, car enthusiasts are salvaging remnants of the defunct brand, trying to restore rarely sold vehicles for use on American roads.
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The US Sun spoke with Ben Klein (@ITGarage), a YouTuber who is rebuilding an Edsel in his spare time.
Ford launched the Edsel brand in 1958 with plans to take on other automakers with mid-level offerings.
The company’s goal was to attract buyers with the premium technology of the time at sub-luxury prices.
Its direct competitors were expected to be Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Dodge and DeSoto – American-made automobiles with some luxury touches.
Edsel hoped to make his mark as a tech driver’s dream.
But drivers suffered from the car’s front bumper, which made a lemon-sucking grimace.
“Edsel is just a Ford in fancier clothes,” Klein told The US Sun.
“The biggest thing with these Edsels is their silliness.”
The Edsel brand brought several neglected technologies to American cars for the first time.
The brand featured speed warning on the speedometer, dashboard-mounted warning lights for engine part failures and Teletouch – a system that allowed drivers to change the car’s gears via the steering wheel rather than the gear selector.
“The Edsel is a mid-century brand,” Klein said, pointing out the car’s astronaut-inspired dashboard.
“It was really cool, really weird, really futuristic.”
And it sold just 2,846 units in two years. Ford suffered a loss of $250 million developing the car. Adjusted for inflation, this represents a drain of almost US$2.6 billion in 2024.
Klein said the brand promised too much on the car and didn’t deliver.
“[Ford] tried to shock the public into buying the car,” he said, referring to advertising campaigns led by celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and Louis Armstrong.
“I think it was over the top. It was secret and they promised all these new things.”
The biggest thing with these Edsels is their silliness.
Ben Klein
In addition to the funky styling choices, drivers have complained about the Edsel’s lack of build quality.
By 1960, Ford had killed the brand.
Still, drivers may see hints of the old brand on the new cars, Klein said.
Lincoln now sells a Corsair SUV – the name came from Edsel.
New-age Lincoln cars also use the same Edsel brand script font.
And, of course, new car dashboards are emblazoned with dozens of digital warnings.
The late 1950s vision of the future is a motivating factor behind Klein’s restoration plans.
RECONSTRUCTING A RELIC
Despite the huge sales failure, Klein is in love with the vehicle.
Klein’s admiration for the car began when his father bought an Edsel when he was younger.
“I rekindled [my interest] when I was an adult, after college,” he said.
Memories of his childhood affinity with the strange-looking car led him on a pursuit of the vehicle as an adult.
“I asked every person over 50,” he said. “I scanned Facebook Marketplace. I had business cards from [a former job with his wife]. I scraped off my wife’s phone number and wrote ‘Edsel’ on the back.”
Eventually, he found a neighbor with decaying Edsel models in a garage.
He brought the cars home and filmed his progress in a series of YouTube videos as he walked through the classic cars.
Klein said he wants the cars to run again — he doesn’t need to replace parts to factory default settings.
“I’m just an IT guy messing around with this old stuff,” he said.
“I think even if the car isn’t as it left the factory and something isn’t right, the fact that it’s still out there being enjoyed and teaching people what it was, then that’s worth more than trying to get it. Absolutely correct and leaving it in the garage for years.
“That’s what this is all about, being able to enjoy it.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
