Monday, September 20, 2010

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

The September 1957 issue of Popular Science magazine touted the brand-new Edsel by Ford Motor Company. In a few short years, that would be "all she wrote" about this much-hyped and much-focus group tested automobile. While the name "Edsel" has since become synonymous with "lemon" or failure, there was really nothing wrong or even out-of-the-ordinary about the Edsel except for they styling of the front grille and a couple over-the-top features. One such feature was the location of the "PRNDL" buttons; they were in the center of the steering wheel hub, the horn's customary position. They weren't built any worse than any other car in 1958, and they weren't any more prone to rust or mechanical failure. BUT, they were introduced during what has become known as the Eisenhower Recession, and it was just the wrong time for an upper-middle class car to be introduced. Car sales for the entire domestic industry were down by about half compared with the year before. Edsel's weren't "all new" either, as much as the press seemed to believe they were. The lower two series of Edsel shared inner structures with the Ford, and the upper two series were based on that year's Mercury. All images clickable to see larger.


Also new for '58 was the 4 seater version of the classic Thunderbird, featured here on the cover of Popular Mechanics' February 1958 issue. Everyone that reads my blog regularly knows I am a Tbird junkie, and I'll leave it at that, lol.

Hard to see, but here I am at the age of 5, in 1962, sitting behind the wheel of Hoohoo's '58 Silver Mink Thunderbird  coupe. The only reason I've blanked out the license plate is that I have the same number on my Infiniti today. That license tag number has been on a family car since the mid 1920s.

11 comments:

  1. Never in my life have I know anyone like you!!!!!! You are a museum. I can't believe the things you have ready access to, not stored in boxes in some Handy-4-U storage facility.

    It's funny I have tossed so many things over the years from photos to furniture (I know, I know) but I have hung on to a lot of books. I love books, real books. I don't think I could ever Kindle, it's just not the same reading experience without the touch of the page. And I love my books that sit upon the shelf that I haven't even read yet.

    It was nice to have your input on the typography of Skeezix and Uncle Walt. It's one of those things you noticed but don't notice if you get what I mean. Having your background really does open up the world for you.

    Well I have more books, I will let you know when I've posted some more.

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  2. I'D TAKE THAT MODELT IN A MINUTE. I'D GIVE UP MY SPORT CAR FOR IT.

    GRANNY

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  3. you ain't seen nuthin' yet, lol! but thank you as always!

    I'm fascinated with old typography. Some of the layouts they accomplished in the late 1800s and early 1900s with their hot lead technology is AMAZING. they would flummox your average page designer today that is only used to desktop publishing. Ish was a typesetter in an earlier life, lol, I hope he sees your post too. He knows how much you need to know to create great type.

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  4. Gramps should find a decent Model T for your granny, there are plenty of them out there in great shape still! you'd look great riding around in a touring car!

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  5. I KNOW. I EVEN WEAR A BIG HAT A LONG SCARF. I ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THOSE OLD CARS BUT GRAMPS WAS INTO OLD NEWER CARS. HE ALWAYS GOT HIS WAY. OLD SCHOOL YOU KNOW.

    GRANNYPS. POP CORN ANYONE?

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  6. CASEY I WISH YOU HAD A DELETE BUTTON ON HERE. THAT WAY I COULD CORRECT MY MISTAKES. I FEEL LIKE A BIG DORK. YOU'D THINK I DIDN'T EVEN GO TO SCHOOL. I DID, I REALLY DID.

    I'D EVEN
    AND A

    YUK

    GRANNY

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  7. Some blogs have a delete button, but not blogspot. Oh well! I can always read your posts and I'm sure everyone else can too! No worries!

    I wish I could send a restored Model T down to pick you up for a ride!

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  8. I have this issue of PM -- I remember it very well. It's in storage, of course. Is this the one with what look like watercolor portraits of cars with significant contributions to modern car technology? I seem to remember the Model T, the Cadillac with the first self-starter, the Airflow, a 1940 Oldsmobile station wagon with Hydramatic, and several others. Before I discovered car magazines when I was about 10, my uncle gave me his old Popular Science and Popular Mechanics (and even some Mechanix Illustrated featuring Tom McCahill). Then at age 10, I got a subscription to Motor Trend and that was that!

    Paul, NYC

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  9. Paul: yup! there are cool watercolor illustrations inside. I'll scan them at some future date. Funny thing, I got all of my Popular Mechanics, Popular Science and Mechanix Illustrated from my uncle too! My parents gave me subscriptions to 'real' car mags, but I always enjoyed my uncle's magazines too. Tom McCahill was something else! I also LOVED PM's, PS's, and MI's June through August issues. They always had 'spy shots' and a write up of the next year's new cars. I LIVED for those! I couldn't wait until I memorized all the changes each year, usually by the 2nd day after they came out.

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  10. I wonder if you also remember there was an issue of probably PM that had illustrations of sports cars on various road courses in both Europe and the US. I remember an MG-TF, an XK120, a Porsche coupe, an Alfa of some sort, and a few others. It probably was about 1955 or so. Those pictures have stuck with me for many years! And you may remember a Fuller Brush catalog that featured Phil Hill. I suspect someday I'll find that among all my stored treasures if I ever have enough room to get them all in once place!

    Paul NYC

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  11. I will have to look through all of my old mags. I have perhaps 100 PMs, PSs and MIs. I haven't seen my 1950s Road and Tracks, but they must be packed away somewhere. I have a few Motor Trends from that time period too, but they were really more into customizing cars, a la Hollywood. I found an actual photograph of Phil Hill in his garage in CA last weekend in my stuff. I'm not sure where I got it, but I'll scan it soon. It was taken in the '80s I think. I always loved his stories about his Pierce Arrow that his aunt gave him:
    http://www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z10290/-.aspx

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