1958 Edsel Pacer

The Edsel line of automobiles was intended to fill a price gap that existed among the existing Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln brands, and to help the Ford Motor Company gain additional market share over its General Motor and Chrysler Corporate rivals. GM's mid-market lineup, alone, collectively sold nearly two million cars in 1955. It shared bodies with Ford and Mercury, had unique front-end styling (albeit controversial), and had a similar price range to Mercury. Its existence was brief, lasting from 1958 to 1960.

Prior to its public launch on September 4th of 1957, the Edsel was the most eagerly anticipated and awaited new make of car in American history. Ford had established an entirely new sales and marketing organization built a new factory in Kentucky and signed up over 1,000 dealers in advance of production. The new car's arrival was hyped far and wide, including running Edsel ads on all four major television networks at the same time. By the time Ford's new Edsel Division came to life, it faced a shrinking market that would quickly seal its fate.

The 1950s automotive styling was an exercise and experimentation in flamboyant and daring designs highlighted by aircraft-inspired pods, tailfins, and jet-age-influenced elements. This experimentation was not limited or reserved to design alone, as some companies even tested whole new brands - Lincoln with the Continental, Chrysler with the Imperial, and Ford with the Edsel. The existence of all three was brief.

The Edsel was priced higher than Fords, and similar to the Mercury, with models consisting of the Ranger, Pacer, Corsair, Citation, and station wagons. A wide range of body styles was offered, including two- and four-door sedans, a hardtop coupe, a hardtop sedan, a station wagon, and a convertible. Prices ranged from $2,480 to $3,800.

The Ranger was the entry-level model available as a two-door sedan, sedan, hardtop coupe, and hardtop sedan. The Pacer used the same body as Rangers, with added trim, brightwork, and accouterments. Body styles included a sedan, hardtop coupe, hardtop sedan, and convertible. The Ranger, Pacer, and Station Wagons all used a 361 CID V8 with 303 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. This engine was an enlarged version of Ford's Y-block 352 CID V8 with painted block, heads, air cleaner, and valve covers. A three-speed manual transmission with column lever control was standard equipment for the Ranger, Pacers, and all station wagons.

The Ranger and Pacer had a 118-inch wheelbase platform, the Station Wagons rested on a 116-inch version, and the Corsair and Citation had a 124-inch wheelbase. The Corsair was available as a hardtop coupe priced at $3,310 and a hardtop sedan at $3,400. The Corsair and Citation shared many body and mechanical components with its 1958 Mercury siblings, and few with the Fords. The standard engine for the Corsair and Citation was a 410 cubic-inch V8 with 345 horsepower at 4,600 RPM. A three-speed automatic transmission with push-button Teletouch Drive was standard in both.

The Citation was the top-of-the-line Edsel, was similar to the Corsair, but with more standard features and brightwork. Prices ranged from $3,500 for the hardtop coupe to $3,760 for the convertible.

1958 Edsel Pacer

Both the hardtop coupe and four-door sedan of the Pacer were the most popular in the model lineup, with 6,139 of the coupe and 6,083 of the sedan produced. 1,876 examples were convertibles, priced at $3,760, and 4,959 were hardtop sedans - priced at $2,830. The Pacer produced accounted for approximately thirty percent of Edsels total 1958 production.

The Pacer sedans came standard with two ashtrays, a cigarette lighter, color-keyed rubber floor mats, four built-in armrests, two coat hooks, a one-third/two-thirds design front seat, and a white vinyl headliner. The rearview mirror was chromed, and Pacer nameplates could be found on the front fender. Another distinguishable feature was the slightly curved, fin-shaped molding on the doors and front fender sides.

Standard equipment in the Pacer convertibles included the four built-in armrests, rear armrest lights, courtesy lights under the instrument panel, chromed rearview mirror, cigarette lighter, and three ashtrays. The front seating configuration was the same as the sedans, as were the color-keyed rubber floor mats. The vinyl-coated convertible tops were available in coral, white, turquoise, or black colors. Interior options included white and black vinyl, white and turquoise vinyl, white and red vinyl, and white and coral vinyl.

The 361 CID V8 had hydraulic valve lifters, a four-barrel carburetor, and five main bearings. The 410 CID V8 was not available on the Pacer, however, the three-speed automatic transmission with a standard column-mounted gear selector was available. The trouble-prone Teletouch automatic was also offered for an additional $231 and had buttons in the center of the steering wheel. Other options included power brakes, power steering, power windows, Four-Way power seats, Dial-A-Temp heater and defroster, Push-button radio with manual antenna, electric clock, tinted glass, bumper guards, back-up lights, front seat belts, and windshield washer. The long list of options also included a compass, tri-color paint, an inside-outside thermometer, a tachometer, and a windshield washer.

by Dan Vaughan

Convertible

The all-new 1958 Edsel was launched on September 4, 1957, as a product of the Edsel Division of Ford Motor Company. The Edsel was created at the behest of Henry who wanted a greater presence in the mid-price field. Product wide, the car was on par or better than most of its competition. In the power department, its 361 cubic-inch, 303 horsepower engine with a four-barrel carburetor was the standard engine, no two-barrel economy motor here.

In the 50s, pushbuttons were all the rage so what could be better than a push-button transmission in the steering wheel! That was a first in the industry as were the self-adjusting brakes. The Edsel styling view from the side was clean and not overdone in chrome trim, and from the rear, it was also pretty nice. But not everyone liked the vertical grille at a time when all cars were into a horizontal theme. The September 1957 introduction date fell right in with the economic downturn that took a big bite out of the mid-price market and started the Edsel on its way to doom. This example is one of 1,876 Pacer convertibles built in 1958. The colors are chalk pink and jet black - now that is 1950 for sure!

Convertible

In 1958, Ford finally launched their long-rumored, new mid-range Edsel, giving them a five-marque lineup, comparable to GM. Unfortunately, sales failed to take off partly because of a national recession that led to a sag in the mid-price market. The other reason cited for Edsel's lack of sales was the car's controversial styling. Although less radical than expected, critics described the new vertical grille as resembling a 'horse collar.'

This turquoise Pacer convertible features the 303hp E-400 engine and a pushbutton automatic transmission in the steering wheel.

Hardtop Sedan

The Edsel Division was introduced by the Ford Motor Company in the fall of 1957. It was well received and expectations were set at selling over 200,000 vehicles during its first model year. Unfortunately, the rave reviews and anxious buyers never materialized, and Edsel ended 1958 with a total production run of all body styles only reaching 63,000. The word 'Edsel, the car that had been named in honor of Henry Ford's late son, was associated with automotive failure.

This 4-Door hardtop was the very first Edsel sold in Kalamazoo, MI.

by Dan Vaughan

Convertible

How could anything go wrong? Backed by the latest market research and loaded with space-age glamour, Ford's brand-new 1958 Edsel was destined to make history. Four lines were offered: the Ford-based Ranger and Pacer, plus the Corsair and Citation on a revised Mercury platform. Body styles included sedans, coupes, hardtops, wagons, and convertibles.

'Only Edsel gives you 1958's most talked-about, most exciting styling - with America's first jet-grille design,' enthused an Edsel ad. The 'Jet-Age Aviation Style' interior included 'Teletouch Drive' with pushbutton controls on the steering-wheel hub, a 'Control Center' instrument panel that 'follows aircraft practice,' and 'Control-Center' split front seat. A 361 cubic-inch, 303 horsepower, 'E-400' V8 engine was standard equipment in Ranger and Pacer models.

This Edsel is the sporty Pacer convertible, finished in Ember Red and Black. Options include power steering and power brakes, automatic transmission, and a Town & Country radio with dual antennas. A complete restoration was undertaken over a seven-year period to return the car to an as-new condition.

Convertible
Chassis number: W8RR700486

Edsel built 1,876 Pacer Convertibles in 1958, which was the first year of a three-year production run for Ford's fabled Edsel line. The new marque was introduced on 'E-Day,' September 4th of 1957. Named after Henry Ford's son and advertised as the 'Newest thing on wheels,' the Edsel was a highly anticipated expansion of Ford's Lincoln-Mercury line.

The 1958 Edsel models included the entry-level Ranger, the Pacer, the Citation, and the top-of-the-line Corsair. The styling was deemed too radical for the period, so subtle changes were made for the 1959 model year and again the marque gained little traction with buyers. A completely restyled 1960 Edsel line made its debut on October 15th of 1959, but by November, the Ford Motor Company made the difficult decision to pull the plug on the marque after 2,846 cars were produced for the 1960 model year.

This particular 1958 Edsel Pacer Convertible wears a two-tone exterior of Ember Red and Snow White with a black convertible top. The two-tone scheme continues to the interior, which is trimmed in red and white. There are fender-mounted side-view mirrors and rides on wide whitewall tires mounted on steel wheels with factory wheel covers. Beneath the bonnet lurks a 361 cubic-inch V8 backed by an automatic Tele-Touch push-button steering wheel-mounted selector. There are power brakes, power steering, a signal-seeking AM radio, and an innovative Edsel instrument panel with a clock and compass.

by Dan Vaughan