This is the one-of-a-kind 1959 Edsel Corsair Skycruiser Retractable Hardtop, a unique creation built by well-known Edsel restorer and customizer Don Carpenter. The name Edsel was chosen after the only child of pioneering industrialist Henry Ford, Edsel Ford. The Edsel company was an attempt to expand the Ford motor company even further, and was added to the Lincoln-Mercury Division, which then became the Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln Division. The division was first ever founded on November 19th of 1956 headquartered in Allen Park, Michigan, US, and at the time, Ford was marketing the Edsel cars as the “cars of the future”. While the company was first founded in 1956, and cars weren’t introduced until 1958, the idea for Edsel all started in 1955 with research and development taking place under the code name “E-Car”. The official launch of the Edsel motorcar took place on September 4th of 1957, which was officially considered “E-day”. The cars were said to be “entirely new” and instead, the utilized many bits of engineering and bodywork with previous Ford cars. Whether it was the economic recession of 1957 that lead to the demise of Edsel, confused buyers, undelivered promises, it’s safe to say that the division didn’t exactly live up to what Ford hoped it would at the time. As for this particular car, it started its life as 1 of just 2,468 2-door Corsair hard-tops from the factory before it was converted to have a fully-automated retractable hardtop. The Corsair model was built only from 1958 until 1959, and in total, Edsel produced 3,632 2-door hardtops and 6,355 4-door hardtops in 1958, and 2,468 2-door hardtops, 1,812 4-door hardtops, 3,965 4-door sedans, and 1,343 Convertibles in 1959. Don Carpenter’s attention to detail and craftsmanship would have you thinking this car came straight from Edsel. The car, on top of its flashy new design, is powered by a 303hp 361-cubic inch Super Express OHV V-8 engine.
How many made? 1
Engine: 303hp 361-cubic inch Super Express OHV V-8
Debut: n/a
0-60mph: n/a
Top Speed: n/a
Photo Credit: @am_media_ny
Research: @rarecarsonly