Kelley Blue Book Celebrates Edsel Golden Anniversary

Anthony Fontanelle
August 30, 2007

The country's largest appraiser of automobiles, Kelley Blue Book, will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Edsel. The Ford Motor Company started selling Edsel vehicles to the general public. Considered as one of the most spectacular failures in the history of the United States automobile industry, the Edsel is a brand of vehicles marketed by FoMoCo on the E Day, September 4, 1957. Only two years, two months and 15 days later, the Edsel was discontinued by the Dearborn automaker.

"For years, the Edsel was the brunt of cheap jokes on television, in the magazines and even as part of some off-color jokes; but out of those ashes, people who own an Edsel have seen interest in the vehicle and its values rise like the Phoenix," said Phil Skinner, a collector car market editor and automotive historian at Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. "Today Edsel owners are very proud of their cars and some have even been financially rewarded."

When the Edsel was discontinued by the automaker, its resale value dropped as much as $2,800 which did not sit well with Edsel owners. Although being the brunt of many off-colored jokes, the Edsel came to be loved by their owners. Thus those who have been in possession of an Edsel will be rewarded financially since as Kelley Blue Book said, its value has skyrocketed just like the value of reliable brake rotors Canada to Canadian car owners.

The Kelley Blue Book recently reported that although the Edsel was a failure, the value of the vehicles has skyrocketed. For example, a 1958 Edsel Citation Convertible has an original Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of $3,800. Today, Kelley Blue Book places the value of the convertible between $64,000 and $100,000 depending on the condition of the vehicle.

The Edsel is not the 'orphan' car hailed by Kelley Blue Book to have a value that has increased. A 1948 Tucker '48 Torpedo Sedan with an original MSRP of $2,450 now has a value between $250,000 and $450,000. The value of this particular car is based on its rarity. The Torpedo was conceived by Preston Tucker who was caught up in a legal battle. Although Tucker won, most of the money which should have been used in the production of the aerodynamic Torpedo Sedan went into fees for the legal proceedings. Thus only 51 units of the Torpedo were produced.

Second on Kelley Blue Book's list in terms of current value is the 1957 Desoto Adventurer Convertible. This car was the embodiment of the space-age-future America with its outlandish styling cues. But only four years into production, the Desoto brand was also gone. But the Adventurer Convertible, considered an orphan because its maker has already gone the way of the Edsel, became a classic and its value is now higher than that of the Edsel. Its original MSRP is $4,272. Today, the value of this car is placed between $130,000 and $180,000.

This only shows that while the Edsel has been a failure, its vehicles are now slowly being more and more appreciated by car enthusiasts. The reliability of the Edsel is seen as the foremost reason why it never became a success.

Source:  Amazines.com