The Edsel Corsair Was an Automobile Produced by the Former Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln Division (M-E-L) of the Ford Motor Company of Dearborn, Michigan and Sold Through it's Edsel Marque in 1958 and 1959. For 1958, The Corsair Was Built on The Longer Edsel Wheelbase Derived From Mercury Brand Automobiles. In addition, it Shared the Monterey's Body Shell. For 1959, The Corsair Shared the Shorter Ford Wheelbase With the Entry-Level Ranger (and Ford Fairlane).
The Corsair Represented The Next-To-Highest Trim Level Available Within The Edsel Brand. It Rode on Ford's 124 in (2997 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 it's 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 Ford Frames.
Like The Citation, The Corsair Was Powered By The 345 bhp (257 kW) 410 cu in (6.7 L) E-475 V8 (With Four-Barrel {Four Choke} Carburetor), and Came Equipped With Edsel’s Tele-Touch Automatic as Standard. (This Was a $231. Option on Ranger and Pacer Models.) Unlike Other Ford Models That Used a Column-Mounted Gear Selector, Tele-Touch Placed it's Drive-Selection Buttons in the Steering Wheel Hub Where Drivers Were Accustomed to Finding the Horn Button. In Emergency Situations, Damage to the Transmission That Might Occur if the Driver Hit The Tele-Touch Unit Instead of The Steering Wheel's Horn Ring Was Prevented By An Electro-Hydraulic Switch Activated by Internal Transmission Fluid Pressure. A Basic Heater (as a $92.00 Option) and Radio (at $95.00) Were Available, and Air Conditioning Was Optional as Well (at $460.00).
While it's Roll-Out Was Highly Publicized in the Fall of 1957, The 1958 Edsel Was a Marketing Disaster for Ford and Ford's Corporate Strategy For Meeting General Motors' Product Line For Product Line. Total Corsair Output For The Model Stood at 9,987 Units, Only Slightly Better Than The Citation. Of These Units, 3,632 Were Hardtop Coupes (3,312 U.S. and 320 Canadian-Built) and 6,355 Were Four-Door Hardtops (5,880 U.S. and 475 Canadian-Built). Prices For The Corsair in 1958 Ranged From $3,311.00 to $3,390.00.
The 1959 Edsel's 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 Tele-Touch System.
The 1959 Edsel's 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 it's Body Panels With The Ranger - The Two Being Differentiated By Trim and Options. The Corsair Also Gained a Four-Door Sedan And Convertible Version. Both Wagons Shared Sheet-Metal With Fords, From the Front Doors Back, Differentiated By Dual Taillights in The Cove (or Hollow), While Backup Lights Took the Place of the Ford's Rear Lights.
The 1959 Corsair Rode on a 120 in (3048 mm) Wheelbase and The Ford 332 cu in (5.4 L) V8 Engine Was Standard in Sedans, With Either a Two- or Four-Barrel Carburetor (a 292 cu in (4.8 L) Two-Barrel in Wagons), As Was a Three-Speed Manual Transmission; The 361 cu in (5.9 L) E400 Edsel V8 (Now Called Super Express) Was Optional, and The 223 cu in (3.7 L) Ford Straight Six Was a Delete Option. Replacing the Tele-Touch Transmission Was The Mile-O-Matic, a Two-Speed Automatic, or a Dual-Power Drive 3-speed Automatic (Only Available With the 361). Heater, Defroster, and Radio Remained Optional, As Well.
With Total 1959 Corsair Output at 9,318, The Corsair Was Discontinued. For 1959, 2,468 hardtop coupes (2,315 U.S./153 Canada), 1,812 Four-Door Hardtops (1,694 U.S./118 Canada), 1,343 Convertibles (all U.S.) and 3,695 Four-Door Sedans (3,301 U.S./394 Canada), Were Produced; Hardtop Sales Were Down 31% in Two-Doors and 71% in Four-Doors Against 1958. Prices Ranged From $2,812.00 to $3,072.00, Down Some 15% From The Previous Year.