Ford Motor Company’s new Edsel marque was introduced on “E-Day,” 4 September 1957.

Named after Henry Ford’s son and advertised as the “Newest thing on wheels,” the Edsel was a highly anticipated expansion of Ford’s Lincoln-Mercury line.

Priced similarly to the Mercury models, Ford’s goal with the new brand was to help the company gain market share on competitors Chrysler and General Motors.

In its first model year, 1958, Edsel offered four models: the entry-level Ranger, the Pacer, the Citation, and the top-of-the-line Corsair.

Each model was offered in various body styles, providing buyers a car for their every need.

While Edsel did generate excitement, it was mostly surrounding the line’s styling—which was deemed by many to be too radical for the period.

Ford’s Edsel experiment never translated to the impressive sales figures the automaker hoped for.

Subtle changes were made for the 1959 model year and again the marque gained little traction with buyers.

The completely restyl...