Too many stories have been written about Ford’s infamous Edsel. It’s been called one of the ugliest cars ever built. This is mainly due to its “horse collar” grille, with opinions about it ranging from “characterful” to “obscene.” The truth is, it wasn’t any worse than most of the “over-the-top” designs that came out of Detroit in 1958. Then there are the deeper stories of Ford’s poor release timing and poor marketing to a niche market that, as it turned out, didn’t exist.
What most people don’t know about is the last chapter of the Edsel story. Since most cars are developed 3 years out. The plans for a 1960 model Edsel actually came to fruition, but it didn’t last. Ford pulled the plug on it in November of 1959, so by New Year’s Day of 1960, the Edsel was already a memory to the Louisville KY factory. In the end, less than 3,000 1960 Edsels were built.
You may have come across one or two without even knowing. They looked, for the most part, like an upscale Ford Galaxie with a different nose and tail. In my opinion, the differences made it a better looking car than its sister Ford. The grille had a more refined, horizontal look, and the tail was more “jet age” without being over the top. Speaking of the tail, there’s a fun fact about the taillights. They were also used on the 1960 and 1961 Mercury Comet in a canted position. Part of the reason, was that the Comet was originally created to be a compact Edsel. So if you’ve ever owned a Comet, you’ve been closer to being an Edsel owner then you probably could’ve imagined.