Edsel Ranger: the base model that outlived the brand

The Edsel Ranger is an automobile that Ford’s newly formed Edsel division produced and sold for the 1958, 1959 and 1960 model years. It was the base trim level for the marque’s first two years and, in the shortened final year, the only Edsel sedan left.

Edsel Ranger at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Edsel Ranger.

History of the Edsel Ranger

1958–1959

The Ranger was the base model of the new marque. Its standard appointments were modest: arm rests, a cigarette lighter, a rear-view mirror, two coat hangers and black rubber floor mats, with chrome around the rear quarter-panel cove moulding; two-tone paint was optional. The easiest way to tell a Ranger from a Pacer was the lack of stainless trim on the front doors and wings. The car rode on Ford’s 118-inch wheelbase — the wagons used 116 inches — and used the 303 hp 361 cu in FE V8 with a four-barrel carburettor as standard, with the 345 hp 410 V8 of the Corsair and Citation unavailable. A three-speed manual was standard, a three-speed automatic with a column selector and the Teletouch automatic at $231 were the alternatives; heater, radio, air conditioning, seat belts, warning lights, an automatic boot opener and rear child-safety lock covers were options. Output in the United States and Canada was estimated at 21,301: 4,615 two-door sedans, 7,414 four-door sedans, 6,005 two-door hardtops and 3,667 four-door hardtops, priced from $2,529 to $2,990.

For 1959 the best-selling Pacer and the premium Citation were dropped, and Teletouch gave way to the Mile-O-Matic column selector, Edsel’s name for the two-speed Fordomatic. The Ranger and the new top-line Corsair shared a 120-inch wheelbase and a ladder-type frame, and the styling became more conservative: the horse-collar grille was replaced by a shield filled with rows of bars. Body styles stayed at two- and four-door sedans and two- and four-door hardtops. Output was 7,778 two-door sedans, 14,063 four-door sedans, 5,966 hardtops and 2,451 four-door hardtops, at $2,629–$2,756.

1960

Introduced on 15 October 1959, the 1960 Ranger was the only sedan Edsel offered, while the Villager name covered six- and nine-passenger wagons. The Corsair and the vertical grille element were gone, replaced by an hourglass grille; by then the car shared so many panels and interior parts with Ford that only the taillights, grille, signal lamps, front wing trim and badges set it apart. It used a ladder frame and a 120-inch wheelbase. Ford discontinued the Edsel marque on 19 November 1959 and the last car left the line by the end of the month, so the 1960 model never reached its own calendar year and owners were effectively orphaned when Ford stopped making parts. For the shortened year 2,571 Rangers and 275 Villagers were built, all in the United States; the convertible, at 76 cars, was the second-rarest Edsel and the four-door nine-passenger Villager, at 59, the rarest. Prices ran from $2,643 to $3,000.

Design and features

• Base model: simple trim with arm rests, a cigarette lighter and rubber floor mats.
• Ford platform: 118-inch wheelbase and the 303 hp 361 V8, shared with the Pacer.
• Long life: the only Edsel nameplate, with the Villager, to last all three model years.
• Final-year sedan: by 1960 the Ranger was the only Edsel passenger car left.

Edsel Ranger versions

• Two-door sedan: 4,615 built in 1958.
• Four-door sedan: 7,414 in 1958 and 14,063 in 1959.
• Two-door hardtop: 6,005 in 1958 and 5,966 in 1959.
• Four-door hardtop: 3,667 in 1958 and 2,451 in 1959.
• 1960 convertible: 76 built, the second-rarest Edsel.

The Ranger shared its platform with the Pacer and its wheelbase with the 1959 Corsair; the wagons were the Villager. More cars are in the Edsel collection.

Video: 1958 Edsel Ranger

Video on YouTube.

Sources

• Edsel Ranger, English Wikipedia: trim, engines, production, 1959 and 1960 changes