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Topic starter
19/03/2021 4:04 pm
No car in American history instills more controversial conversation than the EDSEL. Overall, the vast majority of the buying public hated them. They didn't like the styling, period. It's been sixty-one years since the last EDSEL was produced and today, those that hated them, many times now are intrigued by them. They are rare, and as such seem to garner a price tag that many can't afford. Â
This interesting story teases of many tantalizing styling designs, and I don't know about you, but I'd have welcomed them. Â
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
19/03/2021 4:19 pm
A number of these would have been really cool in production. Edsel had some very interesting designs under consideration and it's too bad there wasn't a chance to see them in real life.
George Schire and George Schire reacted
19/03/2021 4:23 pm
There is a lot of Pontiac in some of those front ends.
Frank Reed
Chesapeake, VA
George Schire and George Schire reacted
Topic starter
19/03/2021 5:24 pm
There is a lot of Pontiac in some of those front ends.
LOL, or perhaps it could be better said that "there are a lot Edsel in the Pontiac's". Seems years after Edsel suffered all of the disdain for its grille and styling, Pontiac was guilty of imitating some of that styling. 
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
19/03/2021 6:27 pm
There is a lot of Pontiac in some of those front ends.
LOL, or perhaps it could be better said that "there are a lot Edsel in the Pontiac's". Seems years after Edsel suffered all of the disdain for its grille and styling, Pontiac was guilty of imitating some of that styling.Â
Ha, and then Packard might have stepped forward and said, "Hey, what about our '55 Request !?!
Â
George Schire and George Schire reacted
19/03/2021 6:36 pm
@mikedetorrice  That look may have ended them as well. 😳
Frank Reed
Chesapeake, VA
George Schire and George Schire reacted
Topic starter
19/03/2021 8:22 pm
@mikedetorrice, I like that grille on the Packard. And I liked the "Oldsmobile sucking a lemon" Edsel grille too. Â
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
19/03/2021 10:25 pm
Great post, George, with an article that I look more closely into.
George Schire and George Schire reacted
20/03/2021 1:03 am
@mikedetorrice  That look may have ended them as well. 😳
Actually, perhaps not. It was called the Request because Packard owners had specifically requested a return to a central upright grille look like this. The Packard Predictor continued and updated this look even more for possible designs past 1958.
Â
20/03/2021 1:58 am
George, I like the look of the examples in the lower center panel. Too bad they didn't try this in '59 ...it might have survived.
George Schire and George Schire reacted
Topic starter
20/03/2021 9:57 am
As we all know hindsight is always 2020. In the case of Packard surviving or not, I think we could all agree that it's alliance with Studebaker probably was the biggest reason for the Packard's end. I've always wondered how it may have turned out if the original talked about merger of Packard not only joining Studebaker, but also aligning with Hudson and Nash would have worked out. Certainly, had the four of those once great cars all combined they might have been on par with the "step-ladder" line-up that was offered by The Big Three. Just a thought. Â
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
Frank Reed and Frank Reed reacted
Topic starter
20/03/2021 1:49 pm
 No sooner did I ponder the question I posed above regarding maybe what could have been if Packard, Studebaker, Nash, and Hudson had all merged, and I come up with this article. Â
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota