Friday, June 5, 2015

10k: Rolling Dome: 1958 Edsel Citation 4-Door

The Citation was a 1958 model year only flop that was the first salvo in the total failure of branding known as Edsel.  It was a shame that Edsel become the punchline to many jokes because the rolling dome speedo and teletouch steering wheel mounted transmission selector are some of the coolest features you'll ever find in a 50s automobile.  Find this 1958 Edsel Citation 4-door offered for $8,000 in Denver, CO via craigslist.  Tip from iNteloper

The first thing that jumps out at you like a Half-Life headcrab is that grill.  It makes a pouty Oldsmobile-sucking-on-a-lemon face that would shame Kristen Stewart, but otherwise looks a bit like a Checker cab, not that it's a bad thing.


On the inside is where you get the doodads that probably gave Robert McNamara nightmares, including the steering center located transmission controls (imagine for a minute that you saw a inadvertently weaving into your lane and you instinctively mash the horn and switch into reverse...) and that crazy upside down dog dish speedometer.  Let's take a closer look. 


The funky round speedo is able to indicate an optimistic 120 mph, and it looks so thoroughly different from anything else on the market. Good luck finding a new bezel to fix the cracked plastic on this one.


See another car from a forgotten marque? tips@dailyturismo.com
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3 comments:

  1. That speedo would give a pilot fits, too much like a magnetic compass.

    Let's see, if you turn right from this heading does it initially swing to the left, or...

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. When I was in high school a guy in auto-shop had a 1957 Ford Fairlane with a transplanted hipo 390 4-speed. I thought it was the coolest car (and the oldest) in the whole local area. So much coolness, speed, and style compared to my 66 Fairlane 289 wagon!
    I was working after school at a foreign car shop and had access to work on my cars. So I came upon a white 58 Edsel Pacer parked in a driveway with 4 flat tires. I thought, wow more coolness than a 57 Ford and it had an E-475 engine! (410 cu inch with 475 lb ft of torque) So I talked to the owner and convinced him to sell it to me for $300. (Which was a lot of money at the time for a non-running car) The car was in great condition, just the paint was weathered.
    So I spent a weekend getting it running, rubbed it out, and waxed it up. I had all these visions of modifying into my dream car. Darn if someone only two days later offered me $900 and I sold it.
    Looking back I should have sold my 66 Fairlane wagon for cheap and kept the Edsel.

    That said, later I did go on to owning a 57 Ford 300 with a 390 4-speed and later a 57 wagon.

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