1960 Edsel Ranger Convertible

The 1960 Edsels were placed on the market on October 15, 1959. Within a month and five days, the brand would be discontinued. Officials at Ford Motor Company had already decided to shut down the Edsel brand as early as the middle of 1959. But concerns about dealer issues and contractual obligations worried corporate leaders and it was felt to be more financially advantageous to proceed with the 1960 model year for Edsel, but on a very limited basis. Initial plans were to produce no more than 3,200 Edsels that year with a projected date to close the brand at the end of the calendar year 1959. But as the Edsel dealer body shrunk to a mere five Edsel-exclusive dealers, the overnight decision to make a public announcement was made and, on November 19th, the world knew the Edsel was gone. The announcement caught a lot of dealers and even those on the production line, a bit off-guard. When the production line closed on the 19th, 2,830 Edsels for 1960 had been assembled, and another 16 were in various stages of completion on the assembly line at the Louisville, Kentucky assembly plant. The next day on November 20th, around noon, a Villager station wagon would mark the end to this chapter of automotive history.

During that short model year a total of 76 Edsels had been produced at the Louisville plant, and within a few years, these would become coveted collector cars. Of those 76, a total of 60 have been accounted for, many of those having been parted out or found only through original sales invoices. Due to the similarity of the 1960 Ford Sunliner convertible to the 1960 Edsel convertible, a number of clones or counterfeits have been made. This car has been known in the world of Edsels since the mid 1960s when it was owned by a car-collection couple, Ron and Lillian Mitchell from El Monte, California. This Polar White convertible with the Turquoise interior drop top was shown extensively by the Mitchells around Southern California up to the time they sold the car in 1989. It was then in the care of Gary Fakeley from the Edmonton, Alberta area of Canada from 1989 until 2024 when our consignor acquired the car. During his ownership, he had accomplished a freshening of the suspension system and a repaint in the original Polar White. He has retained much of the original interior's soft trim as well as a color-coordinated soft top that was installed during the ownership of Mr. Fakeley. It is powered by its 300 HP, 352-cid , Super Express V-8, and backed up with the Dual-Power three-speed automatic transmission. The original AM pushbutton radio remains in the dash as well as a well-maintained Lever-Temp heater-defroster unit. This car's history has been well known in the world of Edsels and has been verified with the Edsel Database Registry as an authentic and genuine 1960 Edsel Ranger convertible. One of just 76 produced, and rarely found at auction, this is a part of America's automotive heritage that is sure to capture the attention of all who see it.