Sometimes these How Hard Can It Be? pieces write themselves. You see the desiccated remains of Jaguar or a 1920s Dodge sedan and the words just starts flowing like a river of boogers during a literary sinus infection. Some are more difficult, especially when there is an emotional tie to the subject matter, as happened with the slab-sided Audis. Then an Edsel shows up. An Edsel! And not just an Edsel, but an Edsel station wagon! In a field, no less.
Excuse me while I reach for my literary handkerchief.
The Edsel was Ford Motor Company’s grand idea, launched at the end of the 1950s. It was supposed to fall in line above the Ford nameplate, pushing Lincoln further upmarket to do battle with Cadillac. Among the many problems with Edsel (styling, marketing, poor workmanship, styling), at the end of the day the Edsel was really just a gussied-up Ford. Think Cadillac Cimarron, but with fins and a giant lime-sucking mouth.
Decades later these rolling barges are certainly collectible. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so let us assume that time has been kind to these chrome-laden behemoths. That said, today we feature what may be the least desirable example of what could charitably be called a niche market, a 1959 Edsel Villager Station Wagon.
Kudos to the seller of this fine field ornament for letting prospective buyers know this car is an ongoing project. Seriously. He said that! He (and we’re assuming it’s a ‘he’ since a woman would be smarter than this) is going to further the restoration while waiting for that special new owner. Of course, the price will go up as more of the “restoration” is performed.
Maybe he’ll fix the rust around the windows. Maybe he will replace the broken rear window which is undoubtedly letting in all manner of flora and fauna. Since it has some new ignition pieces, perhaps the fuel system will be renovated and then we’ll know if the motor runs. The engine spins freely, presumably using mind power. The “factory replacement” battery must be the last new Edsel battery on the planet. It doesn’t matter because the new ignition lock cylinder is still in its box.
Only time will tell, unless time has stopped, that is. We are cool station wagon geeks, and this hits hard on several nerd points, but it’s hard to get behind this one. Unless it’s to push.
[ Craigslist ]