Rare Rides: 2008 Edsel Citation - A Tribute Via Victoria

What do you get when you cross an enthusiast of a dead car brand, a bank account, and a late-model Panther?

This. Presenting the 2008 Edsel Citation:

Today’s Rare Ride started out in life as a 2008 Ford Crown Victoria, as was probably obvious from the headline image. From the Ford dealer, the beige sedan was sold to Edsel enthusiast Rob Cerame. Mr. Cerame had a greater plan in mind for Crown Victoria: A tribute to his favorite deceased automotive brand. The marque in question? Edsel.

For context, Edsel was a short-lived division of Ford, named after founder Henry Ford’s son. Desirous of a larger market share, Ford planned a “new” intermediate line of cars. The company hyped the Edsel brand and launched it in 1958 as a standalone, accompanying the Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, and Continental divisions.

Edsels shared bodies with Lincoln-Mercury cars, with nearly identical pricing to Mercury vehicles. The 1958 lineup included the Ranger, Pacer, Corsair, and flagship Citation cars. Customers weren’t impressed with the styling or the vehicles, and instead continued to buy the nearly identical (but less ugly) Mercury or Lincoln they would’ve bought before Edsel existed. A complete failure, Edsel’s last year was 1960. Back to our Rare Ride.

In honor of Edsel’s 50th anniversary, Mr. Cerame executed his vision of what an Edsel would look like in 2008. An aftermarket company designed and grafted an Edsel visage and rear end treatment onto the Crown Victoria. The door handles were chromed; artificial side vents added.

The sales listing mentions custom paint, but that might’ve been a respray over the edited body panels – there were plenty of Crown Vics this color. Aftermarket wheels, custom Citation badging, a pinstripe, and a carriage roof treatment completed the exterior modifications. The whole package rides on some aftermarket wheels with custom Edsel center caps.

Inside, more exquisite Edsel! A chromed dash trim strip compliments the foil-effect instrument surround. Our creator applied an Edsel logo over the steering wheel’s Ford badge and reworked the seats. These now feature “50th Anniversary” embroidery, 1950s patterned cloth, and some brown leather. The same geometric cloth finds its way to the door trim inserts, though perhaps chromed material (to match the dash) might’ve been more expected.

The Sotheby’s listing indicates only two 2008 Citations ever became a reality, so this one is a serious opportunity for the Edsel enthusiast. It goes up on the auction block in Auburn, Indiana on August 31st. There’s no reserve, but bids are expected to run between $10,000 and $15,000. There are many more pictures on the listing, which all Edsel enthusiasts will want to review.

[Images: RM Sotheby’s]