1959 Edsel Corsair

Posted on November 13, 2020 by classiccarweekly

1959 Edsel Corsair Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Kissimmee, Florida | January 7-17, 2021

Edsel was only around for three model years, and each year saw fairly different styling. The 1958 cars were the most polarizing, and the 1960 cars are quite pretty but also pretty much forgotten about. The 1959 cars are the most common, and, style-wise, the most mainstream, if you can call them that.

I love them, not as much as the ’58s, but I still find them to be quite stylish cars. Two models were offered in ’59: the Ranger and the Corsair (there were also wagons with different names). The Corsair was the higher-trim level and looked exactly like a Ranger. It just had a bigger engine and some styling/equipment differences. This car is powered by a non-original 5.9-liter V8. The stock 5.4-liter, 225-horsepower V8 is missing.

Only 1,343 Corsair convertibles were produced in 1959, making it the rarest body style for the model year. You can read more about this one here, and see more from Mecum here.

1960 Edsel Convertible

Posted on May 9, 2018 by classiccarweekly

1960 Edsel Ranger Convertible

Offered by Mecum | Indianapolis, Indiana | May 18, 2018

Photo – Mecum

The Edsel has not been treated fairly since the brand was eliminated from Ford’s lineup after the 1960 model year. The cars are great. They all have great style, as each model year (1958, 1959, and 1960) all had unique styling that has only gotten better with age. The 1958’s were pretty different from everything else (I love it and almost bought one last week on Bring-a-Trailer but chickened out at the last minute). By 1960 the styling was toned down dramatically to what you see here – which more or less resembles a Buick Electra 225 of the same vintage.

The Edsel offerings for 1960 were slim. There was the Ranger (four-door, two-door, or convertible) and the Villager (wagon). When a company starts trimming its lineup to that degree, it’s a solid sign they’re on their way out. The 1960 cars were introduced on October 15, 1959, and the brand was discontinued that November 19th. That makes 1960 Edsels very rare and only 76 examples of the Ranger Convertible made it out the door. But it isn’t the rarest: both the 2-door Ranger Deluxe Hardtop and the nine-passenger variant of the Villager are harder to find.

A Ranger Convertible cost $3,000 from the factory and this car was one of the last products produced by the marque, rolling off the assembly line on the last day of production. It’s well-equipped and is powered by the optional 300 horsepower, 5.8-liter “Super Express” V-8 (a $58 option in the fall of 1959). It’s a show winner and should bring between $85,000-$125,000. Click here for more info and here for more from Mecum in Indy.

Car Guy History – 1940 Census Pt II

Posted on May 10, 2014 by classiccarweekly

Edsel Ford

Here’s another census sheet. This one featuring the son of Henry Ford, Edsel.

The Edsel and Eleanor Ford House is open to the public today after being placed into a trust by Eleanor in the 1970s. It was built in 1927 and in 1940 it was worth $1,339,830 – not bad for the “President” of an “Automobile Factory.” The census data shows 45-year-old Edsel lived with his wife Eleanor, son Henry II, son Benson, daughter Josephine, and son – the recently deceased William Clay (the owner of the Detroit Lions). There were also seven servants.

Here is what the house at 1100 Lake Shore Drive in Grosse Pointe Shores looks like today:

Visiting this historic mansion is definitely worth it. I highly recommend it if you’re in the greater Detroit area.

Edsel Bermuda

Posted on March 21, 2014 by classiccarweekly

1958 Edsel Bermuda

Offered by Mecum | Houston, Texas | April 11, 2014

Photo – Mecum

I love Edsels. I also love station wagons. Guess what I think of this car. That’s right – I love it. One great thing is the color combination. Woodies (even though this is fake wood on the side) look great when accented with certain colors – maroon, black, and teal being the chief among them.

The Edsel range was only in production for three model years: 1958, 1959, and 1960. The Bermuda was only built in 1958. It’s a four-door wagon that was available in six or nine-passenger variants. All are powered by a potent 5.9-liter V-8 making 303 horsepower. It was priced at $3,155.

Being a one-model-year-only car, only 2,235 Bermudas were built – and only 1,456 were the six-passenger version. Considering its production numbers, this wagon is probably more affordable than you’d think. You can read more here and check out the rest of Mecum’s Houston lineup here.

Update: Sold $55,000.

Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach Highlights

Posted on April 14, 2012 by classiccarweekly

A special Saturday edition! There are so many unbelievable cars coming up for auction that we’ve decided to push auction results to weekends just to leave us more time to feature individual cars.

Barrett-Jackson held their second sale of the year last weekend in Palm Beach, Florida. This might be the most “up-to-the-minute” auction recap we’ve ever done. The top sale was our featured Spyker C8 that sold for $220,000.

Other top sales included a 1959 Porsche 356A Convertible D with less than 500 miles on it since restoration. It sold for $148,500.

There were many (and I mean many) late-model imports at this sale. There were a slew of 5-10 year-old Porsches, Jaguars and Mercedes-Benz SLs. And in addition to the Spyker, there were a number of other exotics – Aston Martins, Bentleys, Ferraris and this 2008 Rossion Q1 that sold for $79,200.

As is the case at a Barrett-Jackson auction, there were muscle cars galore. Among the best was this 1970 Boss 302 Mustang Fastback in bright Calypso Coral paint. It sold for $110,000.

Of our other feature cars, the 1947 Standard Eight sold for $10,450 and the 2003 Commemorative Edition Z06 Corvette brought and impressive $90,200. Yes, there were a handful of $100,000+ cars, but there were some steals to be had as well. Chief among them was this 1959 Edsel Corsair:

It would appear to be a survivor (never restored) and it could have been yours for $11,550. That is a steal. And finally, the only true bizarro-rarity was this 2006 GDT Speedster. It’s a one-of-one engineering and styling exercise was built on a 1994 Corvette. And I’m sure the build cost exceeded the sale price of $39,600 (which is about $14,000 more than it brought when it was sold by Auctions America at their 2011 Auburn, Indiana auction).