The late 1950s gave us some of the greatest American cars ever built. Whether we're talking about the Chevrolet Corvette, the Chrysler 300, or the Ford Fairlane Skyliner, they're all prized collectibles in 2021. But the late 1950s also spawned a few notable failures, like the short-lived Edsel brand.
Created in 1956 to give Ford a fourth brand to gain additional market share from Chrysler and GM, Edsel slotted below Lincoln and alongside Mercury in the company's lineup.
Ford spent a fortune in Edsel's marketing campaign, but even though the brand introduced multiple innovative features for its price point, buyers found its vehicles too expensive and strange-looking.
Following a loss of over $250 million (more than $2 billion in 2021 dollars) on development, manufacturing, and marketing, Ford shut down Edsel in late 1959, only three after its launch.
Needless to say, Edsel cars were never as desirable as other classics from the era, so many of them ended up in junkyards or locked up in barns. But while some have been forgotten, others have returned to the spotlight as restored collectibles or unrestored survivors. This 1958 Edsel Pacer enjoys a rather different fate, having been turned into a hot rod after sitting for 35 years in a barn.
Amazingly enough, the car has been with the same owner since 1966, when David Meile bought it off a dealer's used-car lot. After a few years on the road, the Edsel ended up in a field near his house. At his father's advice, David moved the Pacer into a barn sometime in the 1980s, where it sat for more than three decades.
Come 2021 and the Edsel is out of the shed still sporting its original Charcoal Brown Poly paint, which looks fantastic despite being more than 60 years old. The interior looks even better and it's still all-original save for the reupholstered seats.
But while it looks like an original Edsel from the late 1950s, this Pacer is actually a hot rod under the skin. These cars came with 361-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) FE V8 engines back in the day. And they were quite potent too at 303 horsepower. But David wanted more oomph so he ditched the old motor in favor of a 428-cubic-inch (7.0-liter) big-block mill.
Mated to a five-speed manual transmission of the Tremec variety, the V8 that may be related to the iconic Special Interceptor and Cobra Jet engines packs a whopping 450 horsepower.
To go with the extra oomph, David also upgraded the Edsel with stock car-style springs, shocks, and sway bars, as well as a trunk-mounted, 22-gallon (83-liter) fuel tank. And he then took the car to Byron Dragway to put the Pacer through its paces. And the drag racing session revealed that the heavy Edsel is actually pretty quick.
Sure, it's nowhere near as fast as a modern muscle car, but it has what it takes to run the quarter-mile in less than 14 seconds. Not only did it he do it in 13.65 clicks at 110 mph (177 kph), but David also managed to win against a modern Jeep Grand Cherokee. The second outing resulted in a 13.90-second run and a defeat against a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, but it's still an impressive result for a car like this.
One of seven Edsel nameplates offered until the company was shut down, the Pacer was a one-model-year full-size produced in 1958 only. Offered in two- and four-door body styles, the Pacer slotted above the entry-level Ranger. Ford produced 20,988 Pacers for the 1958 model, of which only 6,717 were two-door coupes like the hot-rodded model below.
Now hit play to see the coolest Edsel Pacer around.
Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer. Full profile
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