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Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel (Automotive History and Personalities)
Thomas Bonsall
- List Price: $37.95
- Our Price: $25.05
- You save: $12.90 (34 %)
- Used Price: $14.99
- Publisher: Stanford General Books
- Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
- Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
Product Details
Product Description:
Few cars in history have grabbed the public’s fancy as much as the ill-fated Edsel—the Titanic of automobiles, a marketing disaster whose magnitude has made it a household word. Remarkably, there has never before been a book that tells the whole story—how the Edsel was planned, created, produced, and marketed.
This richly illustrated book is the result of years of research by an award-winning automotive historian with access to the dark reaches of the Ford Motor Company’s archives. The author also interviewed most of the original key Edsel design team stylists, who have supplied additional archival material. The result is a unique history of the Edsel program from the initial discussions in the late 1940s, through the first sketches in the mid-1950s, to the last, unlamented 1960 models.
The Edsel story, however, deals with much more than a new brand of car. It was a key component in a deadly serious corporate undertaking at Ford Motor Company following World War II. Ford wanted to remedy years of mismanagement and return the company to parity with General Motors by dramatically expanding Ford’s presence in the burgeoning medium-priced field. The Edsel was the most spectacular failure in that effort, but was only one pawn in a complex, high-stakes chess game that was a thoroughgoing disaster from start to finish.
In the case of the Edsel, the failure was the result of almost too many factors to count: poorly conceived marketing, contentious internal corporate politics, bad quality control, and, ultimately, lack of support at the higher reaches of the corporation. The greatest irony of all, though, is that the Edsel—as this book demonstrates in its surprising conclusion—was actually a modest success that deserved continued management support.
This richly illustrated book is the result of years of research by an award-winning automotive historian with access to the dark reaches of the Ford Motor Company’s archives. The author also interviewed most of the original key Edsel design team stylists, who have supplied additional archival material. The result is a unique history of the Edsel program from the initial discussions in the late 1940s, through the first sketches in the mid-1950s, to the last, unlamented 1960 models.
The Edsel story, however, deals with much more than a new brand of car. It was a key component in a deadly serious corporate undertaking at Ford Motor Company following World War II. Ford wanted to remedy years of mismanagement and return the company to parity with General Motors by dramatically expanding Ford’s presence in the burgeoning medium-priced field. The Edsel was the most spectacular failure in that effort, but was only one pawn in a complex, high-stakes chess game that was a thoroughgoing disaster from start to finish.
In the case of the Edsel, the failure was the result of almost too many factors to count: poorly conceived marketing, contentious internal corporate politics, bad quality control, and, ultimately, lack of support at the higher reaches of the corporation. The greatest irony of all, though, is that the Edsel—as this book demonstrates in its surprising conclusion—was actually a modest success that deserved continued management support.
- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Stanford General Books
- ISBN: 0804746540
- Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
- Weight: 1.4 pounds
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Customer Reviews
- A Keeper
- Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
- Unlike many current automotive books with some nice photos and tired, re-released copy, this one is fresh and fascinating. The photos are good but few, the story is the key and it is a great work. If you are like me and are interested in fresh, serious coverage by experienced automotive authors then this will not disappoint. Five stars from a tough critic.
- Interesting history of a controversial car
- Avg. Customer Rating: 4 Stars
- The 1958 Edsel has received a lot of lampooning from the time it was introduced because of its front design ("a fish sucking a lemon") and this has generally been attributed as the reason it was regarded as a flop. Certainly Ford lost $100 million on it at the time (and its advertising agency and most of the dealers also took baths) but here it is revealed that in reality the car achieved the market penetration in relative terms that was expected of it. The reason for the losses were due to organisational mistakes and the fact that people like Robert McNamara (the archetypal bean counter) pulled the plug on it prematurely. The author also demonstrates that the production capacity created for the Edsel was actually utilised to the full in the 1960s with the Falcon and the Mustang.
This book is a great read, and the illustrations include many interesting design proposals. I would have given the book 5 stars if the illustrations had been printed on coated paper and included at least a few in color. - Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel
- Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
- Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel by Thomas Bonsall is easily the best piece of automobile journalism I have ever read. If you are interested in the Edsel, or just cars of this era in general, Bonsall will simply have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Not only will you come away with a thorough understanding of the Edsel itself, the author artfully puts the whole Edsel saga into context with what was happening with the rest of the American auto industry during time before, during, and after the Edsel's brief lifespan. I honestly could not put this book down once I started it as Bonsall truly lets you feel the anticipation and excitement surrounding Edsel's conception, design, and launch. Quite simply everything about the Edsel and the people who created it is covered in this book. In closing Bonsall impartially takes you through all the theories on why the Edsel failed and brings the book to a very satisfying and thoughtful conclusion. And although primarily not a picture book, you'll find gathered here a small but exciting group of Edsel prototype photos and sketches I have never seen in print anywhere else before. A terrific book for anyone interested in auto history in general and an absolute must for anyone fascinated with the Edsel.
- A Definitive History Of A Failure
- Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
- I've been fascinated by Edsels since childhood, and while I've never been able to own one, I've collected lots of literature about the most famous flop in automotive history. Although there was familiar material in Mr. Bonsall's work, (the arrival of a new full-sized car just as the first import craze was beginning was the product of a decade-long lead time to launch the new make), there was also much I've never seen in print anywhere before--such as Robert McNamara's statement that the decision to discontinue the Edsel had been made even before its formal introduction! From the company's internal politics, to the design process, to the challenges of setting up the dealer network, no aspect of the Edsel's history is omitted. This profousely illustrated work is an absolute must for Edsel lovers, and should be worthwhile to anyone interested in the Ford Motor Company or automotive history in general.--William C. Hall
- A comprehensive yet concise history of the Edsel
- Avg. Customer Rating: 5 Stars
- Bonsall's treatment of the Edsel story is unique in that he first sets the historical stage and market conditions under which the Edsel program was conceived and executed. He does an excellent job of describing the reasons Ford needed the Edsel program, and why the program missed its mark. As Bonsall methodically moves the Edsel story forward, the reader is filled with a sense of impending doom, much like reading about the maiden voyage of the Titanic. Bonsall does an excellent job of drawing together the many disparate influences and elements that together charted the fateful course of the Edsel.
