If you look at any "Worst Cars Ever LOL" lists around
the internet (or even in books), you will inevitably find a photo of the Edsel's schnoz featured prominently. Many remember
Ford's failed marque solely as a failure for sundry reasons, but few remember
the details of the Edsel lineup itself. That includes the 410 cubic-inch
Edsel-475 V-8 in the top-range Corsair and Citation models, which is worth a
few words.
We won't spend a whole lot of time talking about why the Edsel failed, but the year-long "slam dunk" marketing campaign that anticipated the car's release flopped. You can read entire books about that if you want, but the engines designed for the Edsel's 1958 release played a central part in how Ford hoped it would appeal. Yeah, it's a stretch to call the Edsel aesthetically beautiful, but a factory engine option with 375 horsepower and 475 lb.-ft. of torque was something pretty grand in 1958.
That option for the larger Corsairs and Citations displaced 410
cubic inches. While it wasn't the largest engine in Ford's inventory—Lincoln
and Mercury had a 430—the big Edsel option did give real power to a brand name
that was supposed to sit between Ford and Mercury in the company hierarchy.
Read Full Story At motortrend.com >>
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