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NOVEMBER 2013
VOL XXXXV, NO.9
EDSELetter
Official Publication of the International Edsel Club
NATIONAL & LOCAL
CHAPTER NEWS
IEC 46th Annual Rally
July 23-26, 2014
Corning, New York
The Car designed around You!
Please submit a photo of You &
your Edsel to editor Jeff
Strickland for the next issue of
the EDSELetter!
Just in time for the Holidays!
3 Inch Diameter High Quality
I.E.C. Logo Embroidered Patch
Price: $4 (includes shipping)
$3 each additional patch
Mail payment to:
Jack Whipple
108 S. Oak Street
Russellville, KY 42276
2014 I.E.C. Calendar
Delivery expected by
mid-December
Ford Motor Company bulletin with envelope distributed to Styling Office
employees on November 19, 1959 announced the company’s decision to
discontinue production of the Edsel car following disappointing sales.
(See related story on Page 4)
Sample Club Newsletter (November 2013): You receive 10 Newsletters per Year!
1
International Edsel Club
Founded 1969
The purpose of the International Edsel Club
is to bring together those who have an interest in Edsels, repair and preservation, and
create a central source of information about
Edsels, owners, units for sale and parts replacement.
2013 – 2014
International Edsel Club Officers
Bruce Dean
President
1215 Houston Drive
Murfreesboro, TN 37120
[email protected]
615.898.0249
Jim & Maureen Lindway
Vice President
10014 Deerfield Ln
Brecksville, OH 44141-3602
[email protected]
440.526.9132
Jack Whipple
Secretary
108 S. Oak Street
Russellville, KY 42276
[email protected]
270.726.6498
Mark Hense
Treasurer
P.O. Box 312
Muskego, WI 53150
262.679.4161
Jeff Strickland
Editor & Web Master
PO Box 167
Mt. Juliet, TN 37121
[email protected]
Dennis Majors
Head Judge
816 Nieman Rd
Monroe, MI 48161
734.529.3493
Official Website
www.internationaledsel.com
IEC Blog
blog.internationaledsel.com
International Edsel Club
Jim Lindway, Vice President
10014 Deerfield Ln., Brecksville, OH 44141
E-mail: [email protected]
Dear IEC members,
Well here we are in the midst of a really beautiful Autumn, nearly
three-quarters finished with winter just around the corner come December 21. That is if you are a member in America, Canada or Europe. Several of our members down under, Australia and New Zealand in particular, are gearing up for Spring! Time to get those Edsels ready for the road gentlemen! I can’t recall if they drive on the
right or left side in those two beautiful countries. We should have
those far away members write us a story for publication on any car
related stories that would interest us up here north of the equator!
Getting closer to the end of the year means the 2014 club dues are
coming in. Our new Treasurer Mark Hense who just celebrated his
40th year as a club member, is busy keeping up with all the
bookkeeping associated with incoming dues and questions regarding
the club. If you have not paid your dues yet, please make a note of it
so you don’t miss out on any future Edseletters or other club communications. Also, if you plan going south for the winter, be sure to
let us know your change of address so we can keep sending you the
Edseletter in a timely fashion. Thank you for renewing your membership, and please let us know if we can support you in any way
with your Edsel club related questions or issues with you car.
I recently had the great pleasure of meeting Jim Arnold of the Edsel
Division in Michigan this summer. Jim was one of the design engineers that worked under Roy Brown. His creative work on the ‘58
Edsel was the design of the Teletouch buttons and faceplate, along
with the radio knobs and chrome embellishments. Jim also designed
the standard equipment hub caps, though I slipped up and called
them dog dishes, much to his dismay! Other noteworthy designs
included stainless trims for Edsel, Lincoln and Comet and the ‘65
Mustang dash board. It was really fun to meet Jim and I hope to see
him again soon. Maybe he can publish some details in an upcoming
issue for the IEC.
In the meantime, here’s to all of our members and their families as
the holidays approach. Wishing you all a safe and peaceful time
with your family and friends this time of year. It’s the time of year
when I count all the blessings I have, and you know, I don’t think I
can even count that high!
Best Regards,
Jim Lindway
Vice-president IEC
See Photo on Page 3
2
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Greetings from
Germany
EDSELetter Policy:
Edseletter is published ten (10)
times annually by the International
Edsel Club. The publication is distributed to dues paying members
throughout the U.S., Canada and
over 10 countries overseas. Generally the schedule runs monthly, but
as a rule there is no publication
dated for the months of February
and August.
You & Your Edsel:
Photographs sent in by our members with their car.
One photograph is published usually each issue.
This photograph is from a family in Germany.
Classified ads:
All ads should include a phone
number or a mailing address and
must include a price for all sale
items. Editor reserves the right to
edit ads. Ads will run on a 3 month
cycle and must be resubmitted to
the EDSELetter for extended publication. The date at the end of each
ad denotes when the ad first appeared.
Email ads to:
[email protected]
Send US Postage
to:
EDSELetter Ad
% Jeff Strickland
PO Box 167
Mt Juliet, TN 37121
Calendar of Events:
Chapter Coordinators, Please send
us your events for publication and
posting on the official club website.
Jim Lindway & Edsel designer Jim Arnold pose with Jim’s 1958 Edsel Corsair.
This sharp, low mileage car has now found a new home as it was subsequently
sold to Mr. Arnold’s daughter & son-in-law who were looking for a nice Edsel.
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3
Prototype Citation two-tone convertible top design found!
Recent sales from estate of Ford stylist John G. Gump yield two Edsel renderings;
November 19, 1959 memo to employees announcing Edsel car is discontinued.
Article by: Bruce Dean
Working Color Study: Only the top and rear scallop area are completed in this stylist’s rendering of a striking twotone red and white top design for what would become the 1958 Edsel Citation convertible. Although unsigned and
undated, vertical trim within a chrome scallop insert lacking the name “Edsel” suggest a Spring 1956 date of origin.
It is still amazing after fifty-five years that previously unknown artifacts from the design and marketing of the Edsel continue to surface. This is made all the more exciting when such “finds” give us the chance to stray into that elusive world of the
designers responsible for the look of Edsel. Such is the case with recent sales from the estate of lifelong automobile stylist
John Gilson Gump who worked for Ford Motor Company from the mid-1950s until he retired in the 1980s. In a collection
of about thirty renderings, most signed and dated by Mr. Gump and a few from co-workers, there were three Edsel-related
items. Beginning with the offering of an Edsel rendering by Paul Wong on eBay last September, followed by a tri-folded
employee information bulletin announcing the end of Edsel production still in its Ford Styling Office envelope and culminating with the prototype Citation two-toned convertible top rendering shown above.
This rendering is classified as a “working color study” because only a portion of the car was completed for evaluation of the
top and scallop color combination. Since it was prepared for this purpose, finishing the entire drawing was not necessary
and in actuality would have been an unproductive use of the stylist’s time.
The car is drawn on flat black canson paper using pencil, pen, ink & gouache (an opaque water color paint with gum base).
It measures 7-3/4 inches x 25 inches. The outline of the car is hand drawn using a light bluish-gray colored pencil and when
coupled with the flat black paper looks as if it were drawn on a chalkboard. Use of red and white color on black is bold.
Gloss black paint applied around the red scallop area on the rear quarter panel gives the appearance of being air brushed as
it feathers into the unfinished flat black outline of the car. The stylist has employed the use of white paint simulating reflections of light on the top, quarter panel and chrome trim to add a sense of realism to the drawing.
As for design, the asymmetric width of the red border around edges of the vinyl top would have been a practical way to hide
minor manufacturing tolerance variations when the top was assembled to its folding frame on the car. Addition of the circular green and gold medallion emblem on the white side portion of the top would have been a vinyl Di-electric applique just
as the “North Star” emblem used on the sides of 1958 Lincoln production convertible top.
Although unsigned and undated, a probable timeframe when the rendering was prepared can be determined based upon a
comparison of styling features found on full-size prototype cars and the rendering. Photographs of a Citation convertible
dated May/June 1956 show the car equipped with vertically lined tinsel-style trim within the rear scallop’s chrome insert as
is symbolized on the rendering along with “Edsel” in the scallop. Since neither “Edsel” nor “Citation” appear on the rendering, it is reasonable to assume it was drawn in the spring of 1956 before these names received management approval.
The black canson paper is backed by a thicker white poster board that in turn shows evidence it was once glued to something else, leading one to think this design may have been part of a management presentation - perhaps in competition with
other Citation top designs. Pure speculation, yet just how close this design came to actual production may never be known.
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Though countless thousands of sketches and renderings were prepared for different models of the Edsel from 1954
to 1959, virtually all were ordered to be destroyed when production ceased. Thankfully Mr. Gump saved these
items to be appreciated by those interested in the Edsel automobile for years to come.
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Close-up view reveals the stylist’s techniques: White paint used to simulate reflections of light on the top, quarter
panel and chrome trim adds a sense of realism to the drawing. Gloss black paint applied near the red scallop area
feathering into the unfinished flat black outline gives an air-brushed appearance emphasizing this portion of the car.
Circular medallion emblem would have been a vinyl Di-electric applique just as the “North Star” emblem seared to
the sides of 1958 Lincoln convertible top. Asymmetric width of red border around edges of vinyl top would have
been a practical way to hide minor manufacturing tolerance variations when the top was assembled to its folding
frame on the car. Chrome tip and binding on rearmost top bow illustrate the stylist’s strict attention to detail.
Above: Sweeping red arc of the convertible top may have been inspired by this prototype Citation four door hardtop sporting the 1957 Mercury roofline. Middle & Right: Comparison between photo and rendering shows vertical
lined tinsel filler within the chrome insert of the rear scallop with Edsel logo “E” versus green vertical grille inside
black triangle. Neither design would be chosen for actual production. (Photos from the Edsel Product Book, 1956)
Above: Edsel rendering signed by stylist Paul Wong featuring minor changes to the grille, bumpers, head
light bezels, and side chrome trim was among thirty renderings found in the estate. It is dated 8/8/56.
Right: John Gump working at his drawing board in this mid-1960s Ford Styling Studio photograph.
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5
1958 Edsels For Sale
1959 Edsels For Sale
1960 Edsels For Sale
Approximately Two Pages
of
Edsel Classified Ads
Each Issue!
6
Sample Club Newsletter (November 2013): You receive 10 Newsletters per Year!
Edsel Items For Sale
Edsel Items For Sale
Edsel Items Wanted
Approximately Two Pages
of
Edsel Classified Ads
Each Issue!
7
Sample Club Newsletter (November 2013): You receive 10 Newsletters per Year!
EDSELetter
108 S. Oak Street
Russellville, KY 42276
EDSELetter November 2013
Welcome To Our New Members!
Ford Motor Co. bulletin to employees:
“Production of Edsel Discontinued”
November 19, 1959
Page 1
Officer List & Vice President’s Letter
Page 2
You and Your Edsel for November:
“Greetings from Germany”
Page 3
Prototype Citation two-tone
convertible top design
Page 4,5
Edsel Classifieds
Pages 6,7
Stylist’s rendering for prototype Citation two-tone convertible top
See Page 4 for more details.
Sample Club Newsletter (November 2013): You receive 10 Newsletters per Year!