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Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel (Automotive History and Personalities) - Hardcover

Bonsall, Thomas E.

 
9780804746540: Disaster in Dearborn: The Story of the Edsel (Automotive History and Personalities)
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 0804746540 ISBN 13: 9780804746540
Publisher: Stanford University Press, 2002

Synopsis

Few cars in history have grabbed the public's fancy as much as the ill-fated Edsel, the Titanic of automobiles. The magnitude of the marketing disaster has made Edsel a household word. Remarkably, there has never before been a book that tells the whole story-how the Edsel was planned, created, produced, and marketed.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Thomas E. Bonsall is the author of More Than They Promised: The Studebaker Story (Stanford, 2000, and The Lincoln Motorcar (1981, 1993), winner of both national awards for automotive history writing, the Cugnot Award of the Society of Automotive Historians and the McKean Cup of the Antique Automobile Club of America. His Avanti! (1978, 1994) is the only comprehensive history of the Avanti and Avanti II.

From the Back Cover

Few cars in history have grabbed the public's fancy as much as the ill-fated Edsel--the Titanic of automobiles, a marketing disaster whose magnitude has made it a household word. Remarkably, there has never before been a book that tells the whole story--how the Edsel was planned, created, produced, and marketed.
This richly illustrated book is the result of years of research by an award-winning automotive historian with access to the dark reaches of the Ford Motor Company's archives. The author also interviewed most of the original key Edsel design team stylists, who have supplied additional archival material. The result is a unique history of the Edsel program from the initial discussions in the late 1940s, through the first sketches in the mid-1950s, to the last, unlamented 1960 models.
The Edsel story, however, deals with much more than a new brand of car. It was a key component in a deadly serious corporate undertaking at Ford Motor Company following World War II. Ford wanted to remedy years of mismanagement and return the company to parity with General Motors by dramatically expanding Ford's presence in the burgeoning medium-priced field. The Edsel was the most spectacular failure in that effort, but was only one pawn in a complex, high-stakes chess game that was a thoroughgoing disaster from start to finish.
In the case of the Edsel, the failure was the result of almost too many factors to count: poorly conceived marketing, contentious internal corporate politics, bad quality control, and, ultimately, lack of support at the higher reaches of the corporation. The greatest irony of all, though, is that the Edsel--as this book demonstrates in its surprising conclusion--was actually a modest success that deserved continued management support.

From the Inside Flap

Few cars in history have grabbed the public's fancy as much as the ill-fated Edsel--the Titanic of automobiles, a marketing disaster whose magnitude has made it a household word. Remarkably, there has never before been a book that tells the whole story--how the Edsel was planned, created, produced, and marketed.
This richly illustrated book is the result of years of research by an award-winning automotive historian with access to the dark reaches of the Ford Motor Company's archives. The author also interviewed most of the original key Edsel design team stylists, who have supplied additional archival material. The result is a unique history of the Edsel program from the initial discussions in the late 1940s, through the first sketches in the mid-1950s, to the last, unlamented 1960 models.
The Edsel story, however, deals with much more than a new brand of car. It was a key component in a deadly serious corporate undertaking at Ford Motor Company following World War II. Ford wanted to remedy years of mismanagement and return the company to parity with General Motors by dramatically expanding Ford's presence in the burgeoning medium-priced field. The Edsel was the most spectacular failure in that effort, but was only one pawn in a complex, high-stakes chess game that was a thoroughgoing disaster from start to finish.
In the case of the Edsel, the failure was the result of almost too many factors to count: poorly conceived marketing, contentious internal corporate politics, bad quality control, and, ultimately, lack of support at the higher reaches of the corporation. The greatest irony of all, though, is that the Edsel--as this book demonstrates in its surprising conclusion--was actually a modest success that deserved continued management support.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Publisher
Stanford University Press
Publication date
2002
Language
English
ISBN 10 
0804746540
ISBN 13 
9780804746540
Binding
Hardcover
Number of pages
240