The luxurious Citation was intended to be the flagship of the Edsel division, but it was cancelled after only a single year in production.
When the Edsel was launched on September 4, 1957, the newly formed division of Ford Motor Company ambitiously rolled out an entire fleet of vehicles. (See the breakdown in our feature here). In an attempt to be all things to all car buyers, Edsel offered endless choices. The lineup included 18 body styles and four separate models: Ranger, Pacer, Corsair, and Citation. (Edsel wagons had their own model names.) The absolute top of the line in price and features, the flagship of the armada, was the Citation.
As the biggest Edsels, the Corsair and Citation were based on the Mercury platform with its 124-inch wheelbase, rather than the 118-inch Ford chassis of the Ranger and Pacer. Overall length for the two senior Edsels was more than 18 feet. Both were equipped with largest Edsel V8 in the catalog, designated the E-475. Based on the new-for-’58 MEL engine family, the big mill displaced 410 cubic inches, produced 345 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque, and with its 10.5: compression ratio it demanded premium fuel. What separated the Citation from the Corsair (and the rest of the Edsel herd) was its deluxe trim, upholstery, and appointments.
Citation body styles were limited to a two-door hardtop, four-door hardtop, and convertible—no post sedans. Edsel’s Teletouch automatic transmission with push-button steering wheel controls was standard. Upholstery materials were upgraded, naturally, and the extras included a padded dash, electric clock, and an illuminated glove box. Outside, there were Citation scripts on the front fenders and medallions on the C-pillars, but the most visible exterior signifiers were the giant anodized inserts in each rear fender cove. The big metal trim pieces make it easy to distinguish a Citation from all the lesser Edsels at a block away.
Ford management, led by the Ford brothers, held high hopes for the Edsel—after all, it was named after their father. (Henry II, Benson, and Bill Ford Sr. are shown above in a Citation covertible.) But as we know, there were troubles. For one thing, the Edsel never had a clear lane. Its market slot between Ford and Mercury didn’t really exist, and as much as anything, the pricing for the Citation provides the illustration. At $3,600 to $3,766, the Citation was priced within a few dollars of its Mercury Montclair corporate sibling.
What’s more, the Citation was actually priced slightly higher than the Buick Super and hundreds more than the Oldsmobile Super 88. The flagship Edsel could compete with Buick and Olds in size, weight, and features. But the Edsel name, unlike Buick or Olds, was new and unfamiliar to American premium car buyers. And as Ford would learn, the public never would warm up to it. Ford hoped to sell 200,000 Edsels in 1958, but the grand total for the year came to only 68,000 cars—and only 9,299 were top-of-the-line Citations. For 1959, the Edsel lineup was reduced to two models, Ranger and Corsair, and the Citation was eliminated.
The concept of the Edsel was just not very well thought out. Mercury occupied the slot Ford hoped Excel would just slide into. Made as much sense as the radical styling of the car. The buying public was confused by Edsel’s standing in the company’s line up, and I think they were hugely turned off by the styling, especially in the conservative times that Edsel made its appearance. Oh, well.
Even as a youngster the new Edsels seemed bizarrely styled. The Buicks and Oldsmobiles of the day were loud, but the Edsel screamed. As one drove by you looked at it and wondered if each designer got a certain section of the car and added doodads irregardless of what the next guy was doing.
By the early 1960s the styling was just embarrassing. Compared to the clean and restrained lines of a 1962 Galaxie 500, the Edsels looked like the automotive equivalent of a maniac.
So sad this car was named after the ill-starred Edsel Ford. He deserved a batter epitaph.
The cars final year was 1960. Pretty unfair to compare it to a 62 galaxy
The electric transmission push buttons in the center oof the steering wheel –also found on contemporary Packards–were a headache, seriously undercutting maintainability. That hastened the demise of both marques.
When they finally got the styling right in 1960, it was too late and Ford pulled the plug. If they had of came out with the 1960 model in 58, it might have been a different outcome.
Nothing looked like the 1960 Ford/Edsel body shell in 1958. If that shell had been available for ‘58, and had Edsel been given a 2-year exclusive before it’s being handed down to other Ford divisions, Edsel would have been a big hit.
Ford ürününün en başarısız imalatı sadece üç yıl dayanabildi . 1960 61 imalatı Ford da aynı katekoride idi hiç tutulmadı
I turned 14 in 1958 and when I saw the Edsel for the first time I thought it was awesome. Also loved the look of the ’60 Edsel but thought they stole the front end from the 1959 Pontiac. Didn’t like the tamed down look of the ’59s and passed up buying 2 solid, original, drivable sedans that both sold for $10,000 each within the last two decades. Lost investments for sure.
The lower end models were completing against Ford’s and the upper end models against Mercury. Poor marketing along with controversial styling and quality control spelled trouble.
I’ve often thought that Ford finally got there in the early/mid 2000s when they had Mazda for the “E-F” demographic who wanted something a little bit nicer than the equivalent Ford and Volvo for the “E-M” near-luxury one. (And the Mercury Grand Marquis for the Edsel target *demographic*, the people who had been young up-and-comers 45 years before). Too bad the British marques made PAG a flop, if it had been just Volvo and Mazda they were onto something there.