Edsel Roundup

The Edsel Roundup was a station wagon produced by the former Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln (M-E-L) Division of the Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan, and sold through its Edsel marque in 1958. Like the Edsel Villager and Edsel Bermuda station wagons, the Bermuda was built on a 116-inch (2,946 mm) wheelbase^[1] shared with Ford's station wagons, as well as core body stampings. It had an approach angle of 21° and an overall length of 205.42 inches.^[2]

The Roundup represented the base trim level available within the Edsel brand for a station wagon, and was only available during Edsel's introductory year of 1958. The Roundup was available only as a six-passenger two-door station wagon.^[3] The Roundup came with black rubber flooring,^[1] armrests, front and rear ashtrays, dome and courtesy lights and a white vinyl headliner. A split-back front seat was standard to allow access to the back seat. In place of roll-down rear windows, the Roundup used sliding windows.

To further separate the Roundup from the Ford Ranch Wagon on which it was based, the Roundup received Edsel's front fascia and grille assembly as well as unique boomerang-shaped taillights. The shape of the taillights posed a problem when used as turn indicators – the left hand taillight appeared as an arrow pointing right and vice versa from a distance.

All station wagons shared the Edsel Ranger's engine availability, with a 361 cubic inch V8 as standard, as was a three-speed manual transmission. Buyers also had the option of a three-speed automatic transmission with a standard column-mounted gear selector, or could choose Edsel's highly promoted but trouble-prone Teletouch automatic, which placed its drive-selection buttons in the steering wheel hub.

While its roll-out was highly publicized in the fall of 1957, the 1958 Edsel was a marketing disaster for Ford. Total output for the Roundup stood at 963 units. The low output number could be attributed to the declining popularity of two-door wagons in the American market and Edsel's lack of consumer appeal.

For the 1959 model year, the Roundup and the premium Bermuda station wagons were dropped, leaving the mid-value Villager as Edsel's sole station wagon model.

References

• Bonsall, Thomas E. (2002). Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel. Stamford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-4654-0. 

• Duetsch, Jan (1976). The Edsel and Corporate Responsibility. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-01950-5. 

• Gunnell, John, Editor (1987). The Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946-1975. Kraus Publications. ISBN 0-87341-096-3. 

• Heasley, Jerry (1977). The Production Figure Book For U.S. Cars. Motorbooks International. ISBN 0-87938-042-X. 

External links

• Edsel Spotters Guide
• Edsel.com History, specifications, resources for owners.
• Smith Motor Company Virtual Edsel Dealer
• The International Edsel Club
• Edsel.US Restorer's discussion group