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Car Of The Day: October 19, 2010; Racing Champions '58 Edsel Citation
Topic Started: Oct 19 2010, 01:17 AM (834 Views)
Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Today's car of the day is Racing Champions' 1958 Edsel Citation.

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Wikipedia
 
The Edsel Citation was an automobile produced by the former Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln Division of the Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan and sold through its Edsel marque in 1958. The Citation was built on the longer Edsel platform, shared with Mercury brand automobiles, as was the Edsel Corsair. In addition, it shared the Montclair's body shell.

Citation was one of two Edsel model names later used by another auto manufacturer, Pacer being the other.

The Citation represented the highest trim level available within the Edsel brand. In addition to deluxe interior appointments, the Citation also received extra stainless steel details and a gold-anodized aluminum cove panel. The cove (or rear quarter-panel "scallop") could be painted either the color of the body, the color of the roof, or a third color (tri-tone paint option).

Riding on a 124 in (2997 mm) wheelbase, the Citation was powered by the 345 bhp (257 kW) 410 cu in (6.7 L) E-475 V8 with four-barrel carburetor. Edsel’s Teletouch automatic transmission, which placed its drive-selection buttons in the steering wheel hub, was standard. (This was a US$231 option on Ranger and Pacer models.) A basic heater (as a US$92 option) and radio (at US$95) were available, and air conditioning was optional as well (at US$460).

While its roll-out was highly publicized in the fall of 1957, the 1958 Edsel was a marketing disaster for Ford and for Ford's corporate strategy for meeting General Motors' product line for product line. Total Citation output in the U.S. and Canada for the model stood at 9,299 units, of which 930 were U.S.-built convertibles, 5,588 were four-door hardtops (5,112 in U.S. and 476 in Canada), and 2,781 were hardtop coupes (2,535 in U.S. and 246 in Canada). Prices ranged from US$3,500 to $3,766.


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For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Edsel Citation

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Here's a casting from the Racing Champions tooling bank I wouldn't mind seeing in the Johnny Lightning range! There aren't enough Edsels in small scale.

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Wikipedia
 
For the 1959 model year, the Citation and the Pacer models were dropped (as was the trouble-prone Teletouch system) from Edsel’s model range for 1959, which was introduced in the fall of 1958.

The Citation convertible remains one of the most sought after models amongst modern-day Edsel collectors.


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Wikipedia
 
The Edsel was a brand of car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company during the 1958, 1959, and 1960 model years. The Edsel never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. Consequently, the Ford Motor Company lost millions of dollars on the Edsel's development, manufacture and marketing. The name "Edsel" has since become synonymous with failure.


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Firehawk73
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I know why the Edsel failed. It was a very overprice ugly car. I can't blame the people for not buying it. I would much rather have the '58 Chevy Impala or a '58 Buick or Pontiac. They were much better looking cars than the Edsel.
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
Firehawk73
Oct 19 2010, 01:58 AM
I know why the Edsel failed. It was a very overprice ugly car. I can't blame the people for not buying it. I would much rather have the '58 Chevy Impala or a '58 Buick or Pontiac. They were much better looking cars than the Edsel.
Some very valid points! I'm sure you're too young to remember the Edsel, but you opinions probably are very much on the mark.
Edited by ivantt, Oct 19 2010, 02:38 AM.
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
Oh, I don't think it's so bad. Compared to the tailfins ON TOP OF tailfins on the 1957 Dodge? Compared to the belt line trim on some of the 1955-56 Mercurys? True, there was nothing like that horse collar grille, ever- but it's a testament of the kind of styling bureaucracy that infested Ford in those days. Come to think of it, that symbolized the whole project, start to finish.

There were MANY reasons why Edsel failed. Many. I certainly wouldn't mind having one, by the way. Preferably a 1960 model.

If JL does this one, they're gonna have to fix that wing window. The one on the convertible issue was clear.
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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
Sak
Oct 19 2010, 08:27 AM
If JL does this one, they're gonna have to fix that wing window. The one on the convertible issue was clear.
Agreed!
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James
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Mr.Bowtie
overpriced possibly,

ugly, a matter of personal opinion, I think it is a very good looking automobile, and I never understood why it failed to sell.

:duh: :duh: :duh:
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Pegers
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Pony Car
the downfall of this car was not due to the body styling.the car was a rolling piece of junk.people learned early on you could count on many trips to the dealership for mechanical repairs.
most of the original owners traded them in for other cars.
a few of my friend's dads brought them new.and they said it was the sorriest thing they ever brought.but do to having big families they where stuck with them.i remember many trips to the parts store.with the trans buttons in the center of the steering wheel.its hard to tell how many people cooked the trans due to:when in a pinch.they tried to beep the horn but shifted the trans.
in the late 60s when guys that wanted to have one.they knew they had to find 3 or 4 of the same body style to put together one good one.
sorry about getting off the topic about the casting.
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James
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Mr.Bowtie
Thanks Pegers, I never knew any one who owned one.

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Swifty
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
I love hearing the history of the real cars the little ones are based on! Not too many Edsels left- I can't remember the last one I saw!
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craftymore
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Support your local demo derby.

They are good for one thing and ya know I had to go there.

This from around 1998 at a derby in Wisconsin.
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Basically from a derby perspective, the same as any other full size '57-'59 Ford. Full Frame+stock Leafsprings=Mean Derby Car.
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pjedsel
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Muscle Car
I was thrilled when Racing Champions came out with the '58 Edsel Citation - and I wouldn't mind seeing it retooled by JL (as noted, it does need a bit of work if it were used again). I really like the black and red version that Racing Champions did as well as the Allen Park Police Car and Milwaukee Fire Chief Car. As well as seeing JL use this casting, I would love to see M2 do a '58 Edsel Wagon and a '59 Ranger.

There is no denying that the '58 with the teletouch transmission was a major problem. It was dropped on the '59 and '60 models. It also came out at a time when the car market was shifting a bit - FoMo Co tried to put it as a middle car between Ford and Mercury but pricewise not much difference...and not a great need for another full size car - one wonders if it had been Falcon sized what might have happened as buyers were beginning to notice the smaller cars.

For many years I owned a '59 Ranger - one of the best cars I have owned - one, solid car compared to the cars of today. Mine had a 292 so not the biggest motor but ran nice and smooth. In my early high school days, one of my dream cars had been a '58 Edsel Corsair - sat on a used car lot and I drooled over it often but not enough money in the bank account in those days to buy any car. Once I graduated and had a better paying job I picked up a '51 Studie for $50 and then found an Edsel. Thus I went from a '51 Studebaker Land Cruiser to a '59 Edsel Ranger - and wish I still had both of them.
Edited by pjedsel, Oct 19 2010, 11:30 PM.
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ivantt
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New casting? Quick! Take it apart!
pjedsel---Now that's a good story! That's the kind of stuff I don't read or hear about Edsel owners. :thumbup:
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
I know someone who owns one- a guy around the corner from my sister-in-law. In his driveway's a weathered, but very much intact 1959 Villager, in white. I think I might go and ask him.
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Dragnet_Supporter
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SUV
Gaudy or not...I like the look. I don't have this casting, not even the police version. But if JL retooled it, I would buy it!
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Sak
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Ezekiel 25:17
I do like the 1958 Ranger that HW cast. Very nice.
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juantoo3
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh yeah, the Mercury sucking a sour lemon!

I do love Edsel wagons...all of them...but my first Edsel crush was also a 59 Villager wagon...no 292 though...475, 4V. It had a regular old column shift automatic.

The teletouch shifter was a p.i.t.a for a lot of folks, but it wasn't the concept...mopars had pushbutton automatic trannies for years after fomoco gave up on them. Edsel also pioneered these goofy self-leveling shocks, the same updated p.i.t.a.s on a lot of late '90's Lincolns that caused unnecessary problems...and to think how many customizers think its cool to 'bag' a car, if they only knew...

Edsel suffered from a lot of things, bureaucracy was probably the worst, but marketing and engineering were really out of step with practical reality.

Did you guys know the same woman whose name was chosen for the Thunderbird was tapped again for a name for the Edsel...and in time the company chose instead to go with Henry's grandson's name...who as I recall was CEO at the time...Edsel Ford. I forget the woman's name, but the name she sold the company for the car was 'utopian turtletop.' Just a piece of inconsequential automotive history...
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