Formerly in the Tupelo Automobile Museum
1959 Edsel Corsair Convertible
Chassis no. W9UR727160

331ci OHV V-8 Engine
4-Barrel Carburetor
225bhp at 4,400rpm
3-Speed Automatic Transmission
Coil Spring Independent Front Suspension, Semi-Elliptic Leaf Spring Live Axle Rear Suspension
4-Wheel Power Drum Brakes

*One of only 1,343 Edsel convertibles built for 1959
*Very rare color scheme
*Ideal for restoration or as a family weekend driver
*One of the milestones of American car history

THE EDSEL CORSAIR

The story of the Edsel is well known and still serves as a lesson in product planning gone awry.

The original concept was simple enough, to build a distinctive marque that would fill the aspirational progression gap between Ford and Mercury giving Ford Motor Company customers an economical step upward in presence, features and prestige. It worked for General Motors, with Pontiac between Chevrolet and Oldsmobile and for Chrysler with Dodge between Plymouth and DeSoto.

As it turned out, though, Edsel became a stepchild almost as soon as it was, with great fanfare, introduced.

It was an opportunity whose time had passed, one that Chrysler also recognized in 1961, only three years later, when it, too, pruned its model lineup and killed off DeSoto.

Ford must have noticed what was happening even before Edsel hit the market. The 1959 Edsel lineup was much smaller, offering only the Ford-based Ranger and Corsair. Engine choices were whittled down. The distinctive face with its vertical central element and the gull wing rear fenders remained but other than that there were only some individual trim elements. The drastic change between '58 and '59 were that could not have been accomplished in the scant year since Edsel's introduction and had to have been realized and planned in the years before Edsel's introduction.

The 1959 Edsels effectively ended the marque's history with 44,891 built, but they are important and easily recognizable contributors to the growth of the American automobile market in the 1950s.

THE MOTORCAR OFFERED

This 1959 Edsel Corsair convertible is a sound and nicely present example in Snow White with a black accent panel, red and black upholstery and interior trim and a black vinyl top. The 1,343 Edsel Corsair convertibles that were built in 1959 were the lowest production of all Edsels that year. In 2017, it was described by the Edsel Club as the 329th '59 Corsair documented by the club and one of only three examples in Snow White with Black inserts. Hardtops and sedans are collectors' favorites but the convertibles like this one are especially sought and appreciated.

It would be ideal as the basis for a sympathetic restoration but also would be a desirable and practical car for cruising and weekend tours. Rest assured that, other than at an Edsel meet [and there are such things], it is unlikely ever to meet a similar Edsel coming the other way.