The Loser Lovers

After the 1960 elections, a true loser was defined as the owner of an Edsel with a Nixon sticker on its bumper. The Edsel cannot have the kind of revenge on its detractors that Richard Nixon has enjoyed; it will not rule the roads, or even be put back into production. In its way, however, the ponderous auto with the odd grille, which lost more than $200 million for the Ford Motor Co. in 1957-'59, is making a comeback. A band of loyal loser lovers is lavishing affection and dollars on the survivors of the 110,847 Edsels produced before Ford had a better idea and ended production.

A cult is now growing up around the once-despised car. Edsel buffs around the country are banding together to compare their cars and defend them to any one who will listen. Edselana in the form of badges, buckles and cap medallions is circulating. The trinkets feature a reproduction of Edsel's rather forgettable front-end design. Two weeks ago, 50 members of the Edsel Owners Club of America rolled into Reno, under a banner reading "The Edsels Are Here," for the club's first Western regional meeting. Last weekend, the 600-member club held its first national convention at the Indianapolis Speedway, while 50 members of the Midwest Area Edsel Club, not connected with the national group, were gathering for a rally at Toledo.

Vindication Sought. Co-founder and president of the national group is Edsel Henry Ford, 43, a California hospital official who is no relation to the Detroit Fords.* He bought his first used Edsel in 1959, out of curiosity, and now owns six. "I had to fulfill the image" that the name conveyed, he explains. There are even more zealous owners, such as the Midwestern doctor who owns 13 Edsels, the Marine in Viet Nam who had his Edsel shipped to Hawaii to be closer to him, and the long-distance bus driver who, when he sees an Edsel, stops his bus and tries to buy the car on the spot. There are still about 45,000 Edsels on the road, and Ford Motor Co. has been helpful in providing spare parts and owner's manuals.

Edseleers believe that their cars were the victims of poor timing--they appeared on the market along with a recession--and feel that someday the auto will be rightfully recognized as a great car. Meanwhile, the new interest in the car is pushing its price up, with offers as high as $1,000 for a '59 convertible. A '58 Edsel that sold for $120 two years ago recently brought its owner $600. That is a sure sign of a car's elevation in status from industrial miscarriage to stylish antique.

* Edsel Henry's father was a great admirer of the original Henry Ford, but a relative used the name Henry Edsel Ford first, so Ford's father simply reversed the names for his son.

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