Funny how a smell can joggle your memory of a pleasant time past. With my coffee brewing this morning I flashed back to when I was 10 years old and spending time with my Grandma. She was an early riser, always before the sun came up, usually around 5:30 and coffee brewing was the aroma that filled her kitchen. Grandma's favorite was BUTTERNUT, a coffee brand that is no longer with us. But I can still smell it and see that red can with the white lettering on it. She kept it right on the counter next to her coffee pot.
On the automotive front, EDSEL is no longer with us either, and in fact, the car that was designed to position itself between Ford and Mercury had one of the shortest of lives in car lore. It debuted in the fall of 1957 as a '58 model with an odd looking horse-collar grille that didn't meet with much fanfare.
The Edsel series included the Ranger and Pacer models built on the 118-inch Ford wheelbase and the Corsair and Citation on the 124-inch Mercury wheelbase. The car's design had been on the drawing board as early as 1955 with much imagination and it was envisioned to be the most unique automobile of the decade.
But bad timing in the middle of an economic recession haunted the '58 from the onset, and by '59, whisperings of the cars demise was already hinted to. Hanging around on life-support, the actual swan song dawned for Edsel with the 1960 models that were visibly toned down in appearance and with only a 9-passenger station wagon called Villager, and the Ranger being the only passenger car offered in a hardtop, sedan, and an (at the time) expensive $3,000 convertible. Today that convertible is the rarest of the 60's Edsel's.
The saga of the troubled Edsel drew to a painful conclusion with with the '60 dropping the lemon-sucking grille for a generic split-horizontal affair that appeared to be stolen from the 1959 Pontiac.
After just a dismal production of only 2,846 cars in 1960, EDSEL WAS GONE! Of the three model years, I thought the '60 was the most tasteful in appearance and remember thinking it looked like a customized Ford...at least to my eyes anyway.
Still smelling my coffee, my 10 year old kid memory brings a smile to my face and I can feel grandma's hug. She too, is gone now and I miss her, but she is with me this morning having coffee. What a great way to start my day!
Great post George. I always liked the '59 Edsel best of the 3 years; although I believe I am in the minority on this point. I thought the grille style was more conservative and attractive but still in keeping with the Edsel theme from '58. The '60 was a negative shocker for me as I just couldn't for the life of me understand why they stuck those tail lights on. They were totally at odds with the lines of the car and spoiled it completely; at least to my eye. I can certainly understand why it is the most collectible of the 3 years though.
Even though the recession was tough on Edsel's timing, Edsel had the cards stacked against it from the get-go. Robert McNamara, one of Ford's "whiz kids" was rising in power at the same time they were designing the Edsel. He was opposed to promoting Continental, Lincoln, Mercury and Edsel as separate brands and wanted to combine them all under one umbrella with the long-term plan being to discontinue all of them and emphasize the Ford brand arrayed over several price ranges. McNamara saw the Edsel nameplate as unnecessary and opposed it even before it was introduced. So, the Edsel was doomed from the outset without support from the highest executive levels at Ford.
Making things worse, the confusing size and price structure of the new Edsels made little sense to people. Some of the models seemed cheaper than Mercurys while some were more expensive. Where was Edsep supposed to fit? No one seemed to know. Things were confusing even at the factory level where Edsels moved down the assembly lines with other Ford Motor company products but at far fewer numbers. The recession just put the final nail in the Edsel coffin and gave McNamara and his buddies an excuse to do what they intended to do all along, halt production. Some have claimed to hear McNamara say, at the introduction, "Don't get too excited. It won't be here for long."
The whole thing is a case study of how everything can go wrong in trying to produce and market a new car particularly if the home office is not 100% supportive.
I was nine when the Edsel was introduced. Also strangely, I liked it. I remember the 1959 version. The only 1960 Edsel I have seen is the one owned by Buz from Route 66 Model Car Store.
Butternut coffee is a complete surprise. I had never heard about it. Time for another sip of my Starbucks.
Great discussion this morning on the Edsel, its history and why it was not a success. Thank you gentlemen.
George, I never quite know where your Coffee Talks will take us. I'm not generally an American car collector but I always enjoy the interchange here and look forward to reading it.
I was nine when the Edsel was introduced. Also strangely, I liked it. I remember the 1959 version. The only 1960 Edsel I have seen is the one owned by Buz from Route 66 Model Car Store.
Butternut coffee is a complete surprise. I had never heard about it. Time for another sip of my Starbucks.
In 2020 Folgers Coffee discontinued all production and mention of what was then left of the once iconic Butternut brand.
Great discussion this morning on the Edsel, its history and why it was not a success. Thank you gentlemen.
George, I never quite know where your Coffee Talks will take us. I'm not generally an American car collector but I always enjoy the interchange here and look forward to reading it.
David, I never know what my "Coffee Talk" discussion is going to be about, much less where it's going to take me when I start my coffee pot brewing in the morning. I live in a world of flashback memories that constantly put smiles on my face everyday. Not all the memories are good ones, but I try to concentrate on the ones that are pleasant. Each day, I start with my morning prayers, then hit the coffee from there and on to the rest of my day. I'm glad you enjoy my ramblings. I hope many others do as well.
Great post George. I always liked the '59 Edsel best of the 3 years; although I believe I am in the minority on this point. I thought the grille style was more conservative and attractive but still in keeping with the Edsel theme from '58. The '60 was a negative shocker for me as I just couldn't for the life of me understand why they stuck those tail lights on. They were totally at odds with the lines of the car and spoiled it completely; at least to my eye. I can certainly understand why it is the most collectible of the 3 years though.
What's interesting Jack, is that it's those "stuck on taillights" that are a favorite of mine. I think it's part of the car looking "customized" as I'd mentioned in my "Coffee Talk" post above. Overall, I was NOT a fan of 1960's cars styling, with the exception of the Ford, Edsel, Buick, Chrysler, and Mercury.
Fun conversation. I guess I'm the oddball here but the outlandish 58 is far and away my favorite Edsel. Ironically George, Buz' 60 Edsel convertible is a color called Butternut...I have seen the car in person and I must say it is a knockout.
Fun conversation. I guess I'm the oddball here but the outlandish 58 is far and away my favorite Edsel. Ironically George, Buz' 60 Edsel convertible is a color called Butternut...I have seen the car in person and I must say it is a knockout.
Bob, I'm with you on liking the '58 Edsel. For me, it was the '59 that was lacking in any personality. It looked like they shaved everything off of the '58 and in doing so, totally made it look like a Ford. While the '60 also was very much a Ford body, I really enjoyed the taillight configuration and split-grille. As I'd stated in another post above, 1960's cars from the Big Three were not my favorites from a styling perspective, so the Edsel was a shining star that year for me.
Great post George. I always liked the '59 Edsel best of the 3 years; although I believe I am in the minority on this point. I thought the grille style was more conservative and attractive but still in keeping with the Edsel theme from '58. The '60 was a negative shocker for me as I just couldn't for the life of me understand why they stuck those tail lights on. They were totally at odds with the lines of the car and spoiled it completely; at least to my eye. I can certainly understand why it is the most collectible of the 3 years though.
What's interesting Jack, is that it's those "stuck on taillights" that are a favorite of mine. I think it's part of the car looking "customized" as I'd mentioned in my "Coffee Talk" post above. Overall, I was NOT a fan of 1960's cars styling, with the exception of the Ford, Edsel, Buick, Chrysler, and Mercury.
I just have two word in reply to your last comment re: 60s styling George....."Pontiac & Chevrolet". Lol.
Here are some photos of a 1959 and a 1960 Edsel, both owned by Buz. The 1959 was photographed at a car show in Naperville last year and the 1960 was photographed in 2020 in a building previously owned or rented by Buz. The person in the photo with 1960 Edsel is me.
Here are some photos of a 1959 and a 1960 Edsel, both owned by Buz. The 1959 was photographed at a car show in Naperville last year and the 1960 was photographed in 2020 in a building previously owned or rented by Buz. The person in the photo with 1960 Edsel is me.
That '60 is an absolute knock-down beauty. Love the color. Only question is, who is Buz?
Sorry about that. I guess you are not a collector of 1/43 scale white metal model cars from Conquest, Western Models, etc. Buz, real name Dave Kirkel, is the owner of the Route 66 Model Car Store. Besides selling these models, he owns the tooling for Conquest, Western Models, and Highway Travelers model lines. I first met Buz in 2016, but many others in these forums have known him for much longer. He also has a collection of 1:1 cars, two of them are the Edsels I showed.
Sorry about that. I guess you are not a collector of 1/43 scale white metal model cars from Conquest, Western Models, etc. Buz, real name Dave Kirkel, is the owner of the Route 66 Model Car Store. Besides selling these models, he owns the tooling for Conquest, Western Models, and Highway Travelers model lines. I first met Buz in 2016, but many others in these forums have known him for much longer. He also has a collection of 1:1 cars, two of them are the Edsels I showed.
Anyone else want to add anything?
Thank you for introducing me to Buz. You are correct, I'm not a collector of 1:43 scale models.
