<VV> Corvair In the News - Honorable Mention

[Rick Norris]

The Edsel had more than a few nicknames which, can't be printed here!
When I lived in Charlotte in the 70's there was a guy in the area that had a 
yead full of them..literally! You could see his place from the road which 
was on a slight hill. He had them all displayed out on the front lawn.
Alocal newspaper article stated he had Edsels from full running restos to 
basket cases. Alway wanted to go visit but never made it.

Rick Norris
#36 Sunoco Corvair
www.corvairalley.com

>
>
>
>
> http://www.thedailyreview.com/articles/2009/08/05/sports/tw_review.20090805.b.pg2.tw05gregcars_s1.2716373_spo.txt
>
> Edsel’s flop linked to gimmicks, name and design
>
>
>
>
>
> Published: Wednesday, August 5, 2009 3:17 AM EDT
>
> Q: Greg, I really liked your
> Corvair articles recently, and wonder how you feel about the Edsel? It was 
> a
> new car, but failed miserably. What’s your thoughts?
>
>
>
> Walt, Pennsylvania.
>
>
>
> A: Walt, first let’s separate the Corvair from the Edsel in one big way: 
> the
> Corvair was a true innovation, with a rear mounted six cylinder engine and
> transaxle and an all new, good looking, compact car design.
>
>
>
> The Edsel, meanwhile, was nothing more than gadgets and gimmicks with new 
> skin
> on what was still basically the day-to-day Ford-Mercury chassis. Thus, the
> Corvair will always be regarded in this column as an innovative car, while 
> the
> Edsel a non-innovative vehicle.
>
>
>
> Edsel hoped to sell America and the consumer via slick
> advertising campaigns and the “new” Edsel gimmicks, like pushbutton
> transmission buttons in the center of the steering wheel and a rotary
> speedometer. The American consumer was not sold by the design and gadgets, 
> and
> saw right through the ad campaign to what the Edsel really was.
>
>
>
> Still, there was so much hyped advertising about this car, and even an 
> “Edsel
> TV Show,” you thought something “out of this world” was about to hit the 
> dealer
> showrooms. When it appeared in late 1957 as a 1958 model, it was a bust 
> from
> day one.
>
>
>
> Another reason I feel Edsel failed was the name: Edsel. Now I’m sure Edsel
> Ford, son of Henry Ford, was a nice person, but the name just doesn’t have 
> the
> rhyme to it like Lincoln-Mercury-Ford and its cars of the day, like
> Thunderbird, Continental, Fairlane, Marauder, and so on. There were also 
> many
> internal problems associated with the naming of the new car, and many at 
> Ford
> did not want the Edsel name on it.
>
>
>
> Meanwhile, the design was “way out there,” with the “in your face,” and
> eventually disliked by consumers, “scoop nose,” “hangman’s noose” or 
> “snorkel”
> front end that didn’t seem to match what I feel was a nicely styled trunk 
> and
> rear headlight design. That front end was a killer.
>
>
>
> As for marketing, Edsel was sold initially by a new Edsel-only division, 
> which
> didn’t last long. The Edsel eventually ended up at the Lincoln-Mercury 
> dealers
> in a move to raise the Lincoln brand to Cadillac and Imperial competition
> status. Edsel would then compete for the Oldsmobile-Pontiac-Dodge-Desoto 
> sale,
> but probably impacted sibling Mercury more so than the competition it was
> aiming to take sales from.
>
>
>
> As sales dropped, so did Edsel’s “design ingenuity,” which relegated it to
> front end facelifts and rear taillight tweaks on what was a noticeable 
> Ford
> body as it came to its last year in 1960. When all was said and done, the 
> one
> thing Edsel achieved from all of this was being labeled as the worst car
> introduction and sales flop in motoring history.
>
>
>
> Now, with all this said, when I see an Edsel nowadays at a car show, I’m 
> one of
> the first to go up and see it. Thus, the years prove that even a horrible 
> flop
> like the Edsel has its day in the sun, which happens to be right now at
> collector car shows everywhere. I wouldn’t mind owning one, too.
>
>
>
> ———
>
>
>
> (Greg Zyla welcomes reader inquiries on anything automotive, from the 
> Edsel to
> dead batteries. Write him at 116 Main St., Towanda, PA 18848 or e-mail him 
> at
> extramile_2000 at yahoo.com).
>
>
>
>
>
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