1958 Edsel Station Wagon

In the immediate post-World War II era, the Ford Motor Company recognized a price gap between its products. Planning began for a new brand that could fill the void, but plans were put on temporary hold due to the Korean Conflict. A Special Products Division was formed in 1955 to facilitate the creation of an entirely new branch of the Ford Motor Company with the purpose of producing a new line of vehicles, complete with its own identity separate from Ford or Mercury.

Designer Roy Brown was selected by Ford Motor Company chief stylist George Walker to head the project. The new brand was called the Edsel and the initial list of models included the Citation, Corsair, Pacer, and Ranger. The line of station wagons all rested on a 116-inch wheelbase platform, the shortest in the lineup, and wore the same sheet metal and styling as the two- and four-door Ford station wagons. The front-end styling was similar to the Ranger and Pacer series. Trim levels included the Roundup, Villager, and Bermuda.

The Roundup was a two-door, six-passenger station wagon priced at $2,840 placing it within a similar price range to the Edsel Pacer. The Edsel Ranger series was the entry-level model, offered as a two- and four-door sedan, hardtop coupe, and hardtop sedan, with prices that ranged from $2,475 to $2,650. Standard features included with the Roundup were split front seats similar to those used in the Ford two-door sedans. They had black rubber floor mats and Roundup identification script on the front fender tip.

The Villager was a four-door station wagon offered with seating for either six- or nine passengers. The six-passenger version had a factory base price of $2,900 and the 9-passenger wagon added approximately $50 to the price. In the front was a bench seat.

The Bermuda had four doors with seating for six, a factory base price of $3,150, and was the top-of-the-line Edsel station wagon. Its price point was slightly less than the Corsair, which began at $3,300 for the hardtop coupe and $3,390 for the hardtop sedan. The Bermuda had simulated woodgrain exterior paneling, chromed inside rearview mirror, color-keyed rubber floor mats, and seating that was one-third passenger, and two-thirds driver.

The standard 361 cubic-inch V-8 engine found in all station wagons was shared with the Ranger and Pacer. It had five main bearings, hydraulic valve lifters, and a four-barrel carburetor helping to produce just over 300 horsepower. The engine was an enlarged version of the Ford 352 CID V8 with yellow painted heads and block, and a white-colored air cleaner and valve covers. A three-speed manual with column lever control was the standard transmission and a three-speed automatic was optional.

The Village was the most popular with over 3,700 examples produced. 924 examples of the Roundup were built and 892 of the Bermuda. Edsel station wagon sales accounted for approximately 10 percent of total production. Ford's station wagon produced, with prices that ranged from $2,370 to $2,875, far exceeded Edsel's total production with 164,613 examples produced. Chevrolet produced approximately 187,000 wagons in 1958 and Mercury built 22,302 units.

by Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2020