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Edsel Corsair


Corsair
Vehicle Model

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Wikipedia: Edsel Corsair
Wikipedia: Ford Corsair
Wikipedia: Lincoln Corsair

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History
Photographs
1958 Specifications
Article Index
The name "Corsair" has been used across three Ford Motor Company marques:
Edsel for the 1958 & 1959 model years.
Ford's UK division for the 1963-1970 model years.
Ford's Australian division for the 1989-1992 model years.
Lincoln beginning in model year 2020.

History

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Edsel Corsair page on 8 June 2019, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The Edsel Corsair is an automobile that was produced and sold by Edsel in 1958 and 1959. For 1958, the Corsair was built on the longer, wider Edsel platform shared with Mercury. For 1959, the Corsair shared the shorter, narrower Ranger platform with Ford.

1958

The Corsair represented the next-to-highest trim level available within the Edsel brand. It rode on Edsel's 124 in (3150 mm) wheelbase. In addition to high-grade interior appointments, the Corsair also received additional stainless steel trim and deluxe wheel covers. Available either as a two-door or four-door hardtop, the Corsair, like the premium Citation, shared its roof lines with Mercury models, as well as internal body components. Body parts between the Corsair and Citation models could not be shared with either the Ranger or Pacer, which were built on the shorter, narrower Ford frames. A deep-dished safety steering wheel was standard.

1959

The 1959 Edsels were introduced in the fall of 1958. However, for the 1959 model year, the Citation and Pacer models were dropped from Edsel's model range for 1959, as was the trouble-prone Teletouch system.

1959 Edsel styling was significantly toned-down, as was the vertical grille assembly, which now featured a fine bar pattern. The Corsair now represented the premium Edsel model range, replacing the discontinued Citation. Unlike in 1958, the Corsair now shared its body panels with the Ranger - the two being differentiated by trim and options. The Corsair also gained a four-door sedan and convertible version. The entire series was based on the 1959 Ford Fairlane 500.

1960

Although a 1960 Corsair was never produced, Ford did originally consider offering it as a deluxe upgrade from the Ranger series. At least one prototype was produced, a two-door hardtop based on the Ford Galaxie Starliner. The prototype featured the 1960 Edsel grille, but with a huge vertical chrome bar at its center, rising above the hood line. Extra chrome trim along the sides (allowing for two-toning or a wide bright insert) was added, and the interior featured upgrade, contoured seats.

Although the 1960 Corsair was cancelled before production, the upgraded interior was available as an option on Rangers.

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Ford Corsair page on 8 June 2019, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The name Ford Corsair was used both for a car produced by Ford of Britain between 1963 and 1970 and for an unrelated Nissan based automobile marketed by Ford Australia between 1989 and 1992.

Ford Consul Corsair (1963-1965), Ford Corsair V4 (1965-1970) - Britain

The Ford Consul Corsair (later known simply as the Ford Corsair), manufactured by Ford UK, is a midsize car that was introduced at the London Motor Show in October 1963 and available as either a saloon or estate from 1964 until 1970. There was also a convertible version built by Crayford, which is now very rare and highly sought after as a classic. Two-door Corsair saloons are also rare, being built only to order in the UK, although volume two-door production continued for some export markets. Only one example of the fleet model, the Consul Corsair Standard, is known to exist.

The Corsair replaced the Consul Classic range and was essentially a long wheelbase re-skinned Cortina (the windscreen and much of the internal panelling was the same). The Corsair had unusual and quite bold styling for its day, with a sharp horizontal V-shaped crease at the very front of the car into which round headlights were inset. This gave the car an apparently aerodynamic shape. The jet-like styling extended to the rear where sharply pointed vertical light clusters hinted at fins. The overall styling was shared with the early 1960s Ford Thunderbird. This American styling cue was originally inspired by a styling study for the upcoming 1960 Ford Taunus in Germany that Ford designer Elwood Engel saw on a visit. He utilized its front end design in both the 1961 Thunderbird and Lincoln Continental. In 1964 Tony Brookes and a group of friends captured 15 International class G World records at Monza in Italy with a Corsair GT. (Monza Yearbook 1965)

Ford Corsair (UA, Australia)

Between 1989 and 1992, the Ford Corsair name was used by Ford Australia for a badge engineered version of the Nissan Pintara (a version of the Bluebird).

Known during development as 'Project Matilda', the Corsair was produced under a model-sharing scheme known as the Button Plan. It was offered as a four-door sedan and as a five-door liftback, in GL and Ghia trim levels with 2.0 L (CA20E) and 2.4 L (KA24E) four cylinder engines.

The Corsair was intended to replace the Mazda 626-based Ford Telstar, which was imported from Japan. The two were sold side-by-side in the Australian Ford range, with the Telstar only available as the high-performance TX5 hatchback. However, it proved less popular than the Telstar had been, losing sales dramatically during 1991.

When Nissan closed its Australian plant in 1992, the Corsair was discontinued and the imported Telstar once again became Ford's main offering in the medium size segment, until being replaced by the Mondeo in 1995.

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Lincoln Corsair page on 8 June 2019, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

The Lincoln Corsair is a compact premium crossover from Lincoln, replacing the MKC. The Corsair made its debut on April 17, 2019 at the New York Auto Show, and like the MKC, shares its underpinnings with the all-new 2020 Ford Escape. The Corsair joins the Lincoln Nautilus (previously the Lincoln MKX), Lincoln Aviator, Lincoln Continental, and Lincoln Navigator with Lincoln's new naming strategy. The name "corsair" was previously used on Ford Motor products, called the Edsel Corsair and the British Ford Corsair.


Photographs

Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 5,410KB
Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 3,438KB
Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 2,614KB
Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 4,552KB
Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 4,053KB
Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 4,905KB
Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 2,984KB
Edsel Corsair Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Nostalgia Auto Show
June 14, 2009
View photo of Edsel Corsair - 3,054KB
1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car 1959
Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet
March 8, 2009
View photo of 1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car - 3,617KB
1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car 1959
Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet
March 8, 2009
View photo of 1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car - 3,327KB
1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car 1959
Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet
March 8, 2009
View photo of 1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car - 3,718KB
1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car 1959
Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet
March 8, 2009
View photo of 1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car - 3,567KB
1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car 1959
Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet
March 8, 2009
View photo of 1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car - 3,451KB
1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car 1959
Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet
March 8, 2009
View photo of 1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car - 3,230KB
1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car 1959
Photo ©2009 Bill Crittenden
2009 Cedarville Model Car Contest and Swap Meet
March 8, 2009
View photo of 1959 Edsel Corsair Model Car - 3,333KB


1958 Specifications

Exterior Dimensions
Length219"
Width80"
Height57"
Wheelbase124"
Engine
TypeV-8
Displacement410 cu. in.
Bore & Stroke4.20" x 3.70"
Compression Ratio10.5:1
ValvetrainOverhead Valve (OHV)
Horsepower (Advertised)345hp @ 4600 rpm
Torque (Advertised)475 lb.-ft. @ 2800 rpm
Transmission & Final Drive
Axle Ratio2.91
Engine Revolutions Per Mile (High Gear)2170
Piston Travel Per Mile (High Gear)1338'
Suspension & Steering
Turning Circle, Wall-to-Wall49'
Steering Factor1.27
Ground Clearance6.7"
Brakes, Wheels & Tires
Tires8.50x14in.
Weights & Capacities
Curb Weight4545 lbs.
Weight Distribution44% rear
Rated Tire Capacity (4-tire capacity minus curb weight)275 lbs.
Performance
0-60 mph10.3 seconds*
45-65 mph6.4 seconds*
Quarter Mile17.5 seconds*
30-40 mph on 9% grade3.5 seconds*
30-50 mph on 9% grade8.0 seconds*
30-60 mph on 9% grade13.2 seconds*
Maximum Speed on 9% grade77mph*
Economy
At 30mph19.8 mpg*
At 40mph19.2 mpg*
At 50mph17.0 mpg*
At 60mph14.7 mpg*
Consumer Reports Simulated Traffic Test10.0 mpg*
Highway Fuel Mileage15.6 mpg*
Oil Consumption (after break-in)None*
*=As tested by Consumer Reports

Article Index

DateArticleAuthor/Source
22 March 2019Petition for Exemption From the Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Standard; Ford Motor CompanyFederal Register: NHTSA (Raymond R. Posten)





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