Red, White & Rust: 1959 Edsel Villager Wagon
Station wagons make practical classic cars, if there is indeed such a thing. My wife and I used to fret about what to drive to car events until we got a four-seat classic car; I’m hoping to get a wagon restored in the next few years so that we can not only take the family with us, but enough luggage or other accoutrements to make the travel smoother. This unusual Edsel wagon is currently in sunny Palm Springs, California and is available here on eBay where the opening bid is at $500 with a reserve. The seller is very straightforward about the car; it has “rust issues” and was purchased last year after having been stored in a garage since 1969. The engine is frozen. Replacement front floors have been purchased and are included in the auction. It’s also noted that the headliner is down and will probably need to be replaced. Personally, I see what looks to be a pretty solid car, although I’d like to know more about the condition of the rocker panels and chrome—that’s a lot of chrome! According to this VIN decoder, the wagon was equipped with a 332 V8, is a 9-passenger version, is in its original color scheme and was produced on April 11, 1959. With that much room, you could take the entire family! How do you involve your family in the old-car hobby?
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Comments
Rare,in this day and age…….
I wonder how many pounds of chrome trim are on this car?
I wonder how many pounds of rust are sitting in them rocker panels!
good point!
i like SWs and trucks because they can earn their keep/work for a living. i would go with something newer to get shoulder belts and few other safety items. i would also start with something with little rust and already on the road. this is nice if your into edsels. nice find
Huh. My 4-H Presentation this year was titled “Red, White, and Rare”, so I had a bit of a double-take with the title.
Oh, and yes, the presentation was on cars. Canadian cars to be exact.
Go to show ‘n shines these days and if there’s an Edsel there most people younger than about 60 will be trying to figure out what it is. I think the Edsel still holds the record for the greatest marketing disaster in a new car line, but I’m probably forgetting other examples that were equally unfortunate.
I wasn’t impressed with the Edsel when it was new but now, with that lemon-sucking grille, all that chrome, and those boxy late-’50s lines I kind of feel nostalgic for these. I can’t believe that this one won’t be saved since it looks worth saving and is probably going to sell for cheap. At least I hope so. There’s got to be someone in Palm Springs who has some good memories for these ’50s orphans and the cash to step up and do it.
Man I love those edsels.
Always wanted one but they are hard to find .
Always considered getting a wagon to complement our 59 hardtop we had, but all the examples I found were pretty rough. Like a lot of pickups, the wagons were used and in a many cases used up!