Edsel was the name of Ford Motor Company’s 1957 car that became a famous commercial failure.
Ford named the car after Edsel Ford, the company’s president from 1919 to 1943 and the son of Henry Ford. The Edsel brand was intended to fill a perceived gap between Mercury and Lincoln in Ford’s product lineup.
Ford promoted the launch heavily and introduced several distinctive design features, including a vertically oriented grille and a central transmission-control arrangement on some models. However, styling criticism, quality complaints, an economic downturn, and inaccurate market research hurt sales.
Production ended after the 1960 model year. The Edsel became a lasting example of an unsuccessful product launch, although the brand produced several technically interesting vehicles and remains popular with automotive historians and collectors.