Remembering the Edsel

My cousin had an Edsel. I got to ride in it when I was a young child.

In the annals of American automotive history, few vehicles evoke as strong a reaction as the Edsel. Introduced by the Ford Motor Company in 1957 as a 1958 model, the Edsel was meant to revolutionize the mid-priced car market. Instead, it became synonymous with commercial failure. But beyond the headlines and hindsight, what was it actually like to drive an Edsel in the 1950s?

To understand the Edsel experience, you need to imagine the excitement of the era. America in the late 1950s was humming with optimism. The postwar boom was in full swing. Highways were stretching across the country thanks to Eisenhower’s Interstate System. Suburbia was expanding, and the car wasn’t just a means of transportation – it was a symbol of identity, freedom, and status.

When the Edsel hit the streets in the fall of 1957, it looked like nothing else on the road. With its bold, vertical “horse-collar” grille, chrome accents, and futuristic styling, it stood out – sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. Some found it stylishly different, while others thought it garish. But there was no denying it had presence. For the average American driver, getting behind the wheel of an Edsel meant turning heads.

The Edsel was offered in a variety of models, including the Ranger, Pacer, Corsair, and Citation. It boasted features that were innovative for the time. Some models came equipped with the Teletouch transmission system, where the gear selector was placed in the center of the steering wheel hub – a radical idea that was as confusing as it was ambitious. This, along with features like self-adjusting brakes and a powerful V8 engine, made the Edsel feel like a car from the future.

Driving the Edsel, you’d immediately notice the heft of the vehicle. It was a big car – long, wide, and substantial. That meant a smooth, comfortable ride, especially on the newer highways. The suspension absorbed the bumps of America’s growing road system, and the V8 engine delivered enough power to cruise effortlessly, whether in city traffic or on a cross-country trip. The interior was roomy, with bench seats that felt like couches and dashboards adorned with push-button flair and metallic accents. It was a rolling lounge, made for the kind of driving where you could take your time and enjoy the journey.

Of course, not everything was perfect. The Teletouch transmission, though ahead of its time in concept, often proved unreliable in practice. Many drivers found it awkward, and repairs were costly. The car’s reputation suffered from quality control issues – misaligned parts, electrical gremlins, and rushed assembly lines due to the immense pressure of a massive advertising campaign that had promised too much.

Still, if you were driving an Edsel in the 1950s, there was a good chance you were proud of it. You had bought into the promise of progress, of design-forward thinking, of owning something different from the Chevys, Fords, and Plymouths dotting the roads. And for a little while, you probably enjoyed the attention it brought.

Driving the Edsel in the 1950s was an experience wrapped in bold ambition, American dreams, and a bit of overreach. It wasn’t just a car – it was a statement. While history remembers it for what it wasn’t, those who sat behind its steering wheel remember what it was: an attempt to redefine the American automobile.

Today, the Edsel is a beloved classic among collectors and enthusiasts who see it not as a failure, but as a unique chapter in the story of American automotive innovation. Driving one now, like in the 1950s, still turns heads – just for different reasons.

Ray Adler is a longtime attorney with offices at The Adler Building, 136 S. 9th St., Downtown Noblesville. He is also one of the owners of The Hamilton County Reporter Newspaper.