The Edsel would come to be known as one of the biggest product failures in automotive history. But just weeks before the launch, without the benefit of clairvoyance, a Post editor breathlessly described a cross-country jaunt in the new “mystery” vehicle.
—Originally published August 31, 1957—
The event of this week is the introduction of the first entirely new American motorcar of Big Three parentage in approximately a generation. The newcomer is the Edsel, a well-known if not particularly euphonious family name from the Ford tree. Commercially the Edsel is a competitor for General Motors' Buick, and it raises the Ford volume lines of cars to four.
I first met the Edsel in early May a few steps off Oakwood Boulevard in Dearborn, Michigan, behind a protective wall of masonry and security guards. The debutante car was disreputably dressed, for a purpose. As far as was practical, its newness had been concealed or somewhat altered.
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