1960 Ford Edsel Ranger Restomod

Description

A pro-touring Edsel? Heck yes! Look at this great-looking 1960 Edsel Ranger and your only disappointing thought is going to be that you didn't think of it first. Building on Ford's awesome hardtop styling, it includes a strong-running 427 cubic inch V8, all the comfort and convenience features, and an awesome stance that reminds you that daring to be different can be very cool indeed.

The Edsel Ranger shares that dramatic roofline with perennial favorite, the Ford Starliner, and on the slightly different Edsel platform it looks amazing. The Edsel was heavily redesigned for 1960 and shed the dowdy "Oldsmobile sucking a lemon" look that led to its unhappy reputation and emerged as a beautiful swan with flowing lines, awesome fines, and just enough trim to make it look expensive. The jokes end here, because this car looks fantastic. The bright red paint is a lot flashier than you'd expect for the upscale brand but it works incredibly well, especially with the white top that adds some contrast. The thoroughly modern grille has wonderful ornamentation, ranging from the parking lights at the outer edges to the bombsight ornaments atop the fenders, and that strip of chrome stretching all the way back to the fins is just brilliant. Finish quality is pretty good, although the build is a few years old so there are signs of use; a quick professional buff would really take it up a notch. The irreplaceable chrome and stainless trim is all there and in excellent condition, and those taillights are truly spectacular. Get ready for a lot of double-takes when people see this car rolling into a show.

The interior features new upholstery that appears to be directly out of the 1960s, featuring a funky pattern that looks great on the bucket seats. A center console is a rare find on an Edsel and somehow the Lokar shifter looks like it was born there. A tilt column, period under-dash A/C (ice cold!), and a great looking dashboard all make this a very pleasing place to spend some time. This is one of those cars that skillfully blends old and new, so you're not quite sure where the line is, and we have to say we really like it. The back seat echoes the front with a bench that resembles a pair of buckets and, of course, you get a giant trunk that's been upholstered with black carpet and includes a giant subwoofer and a full-sized spare with jack.

Power comes from a vintage 427 cubic inch V8 and it's obviously a neat fit in the Edsel's engine bay, almost as if the engineers expected it to live there someday. Corporate turquoise engine enamel and a factory air cleaner make it look very correct, and it's augmented with a big Holley carb, upgraded am, and an aluminum radiator to keep things cool on warm days. They actually worked pretty hard to keep it looking right, including the expansion tank up top, original cast iron exhaust manifolds, and a factory A/C unit that dominates the top of the engine bay. It's backed by a stout 3-speed automatic spinning the original 9-inch rear end, and the steering is via rack-and-pinion so it feels a lot sharper than you'd expect for a vintage '60s cruiser. A new Flowmaster exhaust system sounds great and uses accessory chrome exhaust tips for just the right look. And if you're going to use giant wheels, you need big brakes behind them, so this car carries cross-drilled discs at all four corners. Those big wheels really fill the fenders and wear low-profile redline radials that really nail the look.

We like this car a lot more than we expected, so maybe it's time you gave an Edsel a second look. We guarantee you'll have the only one at every show. Call today!