Edsel Ranger Convertible 1960
|
Ražotājs : |
Edsel |
|---|---|
|
Modelis: |
Ranger Convertible 1960 |
|
Gads: |
1960 |
|
Tips: |
Cabriolet |
Edsel is an automobile brand that was planned, developed, and manufactured by the Ford Motor Company for model years 1958 to 1960. With the Edsel brand, Ford had expected to make significant inroads into the market share of both General Motors (GM) and Chrysler and close the gap between itself and GM in the domestic American automotive market. Ford invested heavily in a yearlong teaser campaign leading consumers to believe that Edsels were the cars of the future – an expectation they failed to meet. After being unveiled to the public, they were considered to be unattractive, overpriced, and overhyped. Edsels never gained popularity with contemporary American car buyers and sold poorly. The Ford Motor Company lost $250 million on Edsel development, manufacturing, and marketing.
Introduced on October 15, 1959, the 1960 Ranger was now the only sedan Edsel offered, while the Villager name applied to two station wagons, a six- and a nine-passenger model. The decision was made to eliminate not only the Corsair, but the vertical grille element as well. The new grille had an "hourglass" appearance. By this point, the 1960 model shared so many body panels and interior trim features with Ford, that the defining characteristics that distinguished Edsels from Fords were its taillights, grille, signal/parking lights and trim at the front of the sides of the fenders, and of course, name badges. It came with a ladder type frame and a 120" wheelbase.
On November 19, 1959, Ford discontinued the Edsel marque and the final car rolled off the assembly line by the end of the month, so the 1960 model never reached its own calendar year. The cars were effectively orphaned, since Ford stopped making parts for Edsels at that point. For its shortened and final model year, a total of 2,571 Rangers and 275 Villager units were produced (all in the U.S.), the rarest models being the convertible (76) and the 4-door 9-passenger Villager wagon (59, the rarest). The Villager is mentioned here so as to highlight the fact that the Ranger convertible was the second rarest of all Edsels produced. Original prices ranged from $2,643 to $3,000.
All 1960 Edsels were produced in the Louisville, KY manufacturing plant. (Although a few cars from the Allen Park, MI pilot plant are still in existence) -1960 Edsels introduced such innovations as horizontal coolant flow through the radiator to improve cooling, and placement of the muffler away from the passenger compartment to reduce heat. -Production of 1960 Edsels began on September 14, 1959 -Introduction of the 1960 line was made on October 15, 1959 -The last official day of Edsel assembly was November 19, 1959 -Total Production for all 1960 Ranger models: 2,571 (2,846 including Villager wagons)
