Sometimes car companies do things that make little or no sense. This can be because of marketing departments that don’t include any car people or outside consultants. Another reason this happens is when the head of the company makes a decision and no one wants to tell them their idea is crazy. This is, in essence, how the entire line of Edsel cars was formed.
Ford became a public company in 1956 and was no longer solely run by the Ford family. Some bright spark in Ford’s new management put the company’s roster on the same levels of GM and Chrysler. However, this led to the incorrect idea that Lincoln was competing not with Cadillac, but instead with Oldsmobile, Buick, and DeSoto. Hearing that today, it sounds so completely wrong. Ford developed a plan to move Lincoln even more upmarket, and to add a new brand of intermediate cars to the place where they thought Lincoln occupied.
A the time, the new management team at Ford insisted that they had done great market research and that the Edsel was going to be a great new idea. As we know today, they did not and it was not. In fact, the company had one of the shortest lives of any of the Big Three car companies sub-brands, only lasting from 1958 to 1960, or a total of only three years. All that being said, this is what makes the Edsel, a failure when new, a collector car today.
Now on AutoHunter is one of these cars, a second production year 1959 Edsel Ranger.
According to the seller, this Edsel is powered by a 361 Super Express V8 mated to a Dual-Power three-speed automatic transmission. It is finished in Light Aqua with Snow White two-tone over a White and Buff vinyl and Gold Puff cloth interior. It is now offered by the selling dealer with spare parts, binder with historical artifacts, extensive detailed service records, a Frequently Asked Questions display board, and clear title.
The Light Aqua with Snow White two-tone paint exterior of this Edsel Ranger is period correct, and a great 1950s color combination. It features Fender-mounted dual chrome side mirrors (yes, they are hard to use and I say this from Edsel driving experience) and it rides on factory wheels with white wall tires.
The interior looks to be in very nice shape a White and Buff vinyl and Gold Puff cloth upholstery on its front and rear bench seats. A nice option on this Edsel is AC which has been converted to R134. The Edsel also has one of the coolest gauge clusters ever.
Under the hood is the 361 V8 that has 330 horsepower and a very strong 390 lb-ft of torque at 2,800 rpm. It has a Dual-Power three-speed automatic transmission. Everything looks quite tidy under the hood as well.
Edsels are weird. I mean look at the car and try to figure out how any designer could incorporate this many disparate styling elements in a single car design. Despite that, I think they are also kind of wonderful. Ford spent so much money on the entire Edsel project and it is likely the biggest failure that Ford Motor Company will ever have. This makes the Edsel both important and a cool collector car. The owners club for these cars is remarkably strong and the fans are serious. Buying this car gives you entry to a small but passionate owners group who are surprisingly active.
The auction for this 1959 Edsel Ranger ends on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at 11:15 a.m. (MST).
Visit the AutoHunter listing for more information and a photo gallery
