Guests on the Tarmac

[Lawreston]

. . . . . some Ford thunder(1912 Model T)
and then the Ford blunder(Edsel)

Wiscasset Airport kIWI on October 02, 2010

 

[ScottM]

Nice and nicer than what I saw upon my return to my home aerodrome. There were Hog riders racing up and down the taxiway having a little fun. At least they waited until I was done using it.

 

[John Baker]

I never did figure out why the Edsel was such a failure. I remember when it first came out. To me it looked pretty much like most other large gas guzzlers of the era, yet I remember my friends deriding it. I think I was in the eight or ninth grade at the time, I liked the funny grill.

Why was it such a flop?

John

 

[Lawreston]

Here are closer shots of the T Model.

 

[Lawreston]

I can't answer your question, but if you e-mail Camille Cyr, at [email protected] he can tell you. He owns it; also, flies a Grumman Cheetah.

HR

 

[flyersfan31]

I thought you were talking about deer.

My new aerodrome is pitch black at night, save for the runway lights. On roll out last night I saw a whole family just feet from the runway. Yikes.

I don't have an opinion one way or another about the Edsel. I guess you had to be there. Frankly, the styling of all the cars from that era leave me cold.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

I never did figure out why the Edsel was such a failure. I remember when it first came out. To me it looked pretty much like most other large gas guzzlers of the era, yet I remember my friends deriding it. I think I was in the eight or ninth grade at the time, I liked the funny grill.

Why was it such a flop?

John

It was build in the Ford plants, but since Edsel was supposed to be a seperate "brand" the plant managers weren't interested in building any if it meant holding up a "Ford". The plants get graded on (and the plant managers raise depended on) throughput - mixing the Edsel in slowed things down. Avaliability and quality suffered.
(Quality is a big part of how plant managers get graded now days.)

Similar issues for marketing (IIRC).

The grill was supposed to be more like the bow of a boat, but the engineers wanted more cooling and demanded the hole in the middle which transformed it into the horse collar.