Volume L, Issue 2 Edsel Owners Club Inc. March 2017 T HE B IG E Authentication of the Tropicana Photo Shoot Car By Glenn Lueders INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Editor’s note - In the January 2017 issue, the left photo was shown in the top corner on the cover, which Tropicana Photo 1 prompted Glenn Lueders to contact me to tell me that he believes that it is the same car he owns today. Shoot Car I asked him to give me the whole story about his Edsel and he graciously provided the following: In the spring of 1986, I answered an advertisement to buy Edsel parts in Kingman, AZ. That is President’s 2 where I found my Edsel Citation Convertible. It had been vandalized, but it was basically com- Letter plete. I purchased the car with the intent of putting it back on the road as I had been a fan of the Edsel since I was a kid, when my father purchased a 1958 Edsel. Tropicana Photo 3 Even though I knew that my car was a very low production-model, I was never aware that this Shoot Car – car was anything special until August 2010, when I received an email from Jere Gauss with a continued “Tropicana Reborn” advertisement from the L.A. Times attached. Jere is a recognized authority on the Edsel automobile options and technical features. I consider him a great friend and was Jim Popp’s passing 3 amused and skeptical when his email suggested the car shown in the advertisement might be the car that I own today. Without a record of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of the vehicle used in the original Registration for 4 photo shoot, it is not possible to make a determination with 100% certainty. Authentication National EOC that a surviving classic car today was the same as the one in a 59-year-old picture is a very Meet in Dearborn difficult task. However, due to the relatively low production of the Edsel Citation Convertible, the color scheme, and equipment of the car shown in the photos, it became a less difficult task to authenticate this car. Tentative Schedule 5 of Events EOC Jere Gauss, Phil Skinner, and Ty Triplett have studied my Citation convertible and the 1957 Meet in Dearborn Tropicana photograph and have determined that there is ample convincing evidence that the Citation convertible I own is the same car used in the 1957 Tropicana photo shoot. The photo Mike Cowles’ 6 shows one 1958 Citation convertible, two 1957 Fords and one 1957 Ford Thunderbird. It is recollection of 1957 unlikely that all these vehicles were privately owned and it is more likely that they were provid- ed by a regional office of the Ford Motor Company. Ford used separate dealer networks for Ford and Edsel, making it less likely that all vehicles pictured were provided by a single local dealer. Calendar of Events 7 and welcome new It has been possible to determine approximately when the photo shoot took place and deter- members mine that that my Citation convertible could have been in Las Vegas at the time. The photo shoot most likely took place between September 4, 1957, and the end of October 1957 when Green Line Edsel 8-9 the 1958 Fords were introduced to the general public. The Edsel was introduced to the general Action Ads public on September 4 1957, the 1958 Ford was introduced nationwide end of October 1957, and the 1958 Thunderbird was introduced in December of 1957. About The Edsel 10 Continued on Page 3 Owners Club The Big E Page 2 Greetings Friends and Edsel Owners, It is now starting to clear up here in California from all the much-needed rains. After a long drought and much flooding, most of our reservoirs are once again at capacity - good for another year! The really good news is that our new Pacer two-door hard top arrived from Florida on February 3, 2017. I noticed back in October, 2016 that this Edsel was going to auction with a scheduled date as January 7, 2017. I held my breath thinking that several other people would take notice and there would be some fierce competition. I called Phil Skinner and he confirmed that this particular car had an excellent history - no rust or damage issues and that it was built at the San Jose assembly plant on November 25, 1957. Phil met me in Orlando a couple of days before the Rupp Auction and we drove to Ft. Lauderdale where the event was located. Most of the history of the car indicates that it remained in the Southern California area until about two years ago when it ended up in Louisiana. From there, it was purchased from the owner by several successive car dealers who were hoping to make some extra cash along the way. Unfortunately, not one of these dealers cared very much about the car, so when something broke they took the easy way out, such as chopping through the floor to put in a floor shifter, by-passing the starter solenoid and almost burning up the wiring, and so forth. Fortunately, I was the high bidder and soon made arrangements to have the car shipped back to California. This Pacer has very low miles and is finished in Snow White with Ice Green scallop and roof. It has one repaint and in- cludes the original interior that is in very fine condition, with exception to the seats which will be replaced with the original materials. Mr. Dave Gilbert , my good friend and EOC mechanic extraordinaire, will be putting the Teletouch back together again thanks to our parts supplier Jerry Lasseigne. Also, many thanks to Ray and Jeannine Phipps, (who were visiting here from Vancouver, WA, when the transport truck arrived) I now have all the necessary parts to start my restoration on this project. Fortunately, not much really needs to be brought up to the high standards that this Edsel deserves. With a little elbow grease and some tinkering around, this car will be driven to the Oregon EOC convention in 2018. She is a beauty and will definitely be driven around for all special occasions here in my local area. I am really glad that I waited for just the right car to come along because it was a long and hard search. Many Edsel owners simply do not want to part with their prized possessions and I found this out with over a year and a half of searching. Just moments after the car arrived on our drive way, Jeannine Phipps took this photo of two very elated and happy Edsel owners as the car was parked for inspection. By the time this Edsel News arrives, many of us will be attending the Laughlin Edsel Meet in Nevada on March 16 - 19, 2017. Robert and I will be flying into the Las Vegas airport and renting a car to drive to this long time gathering of Edsel Owners and good friends. It should be exciting and I am looking forward to the river boat cruise where Jeannine has promised me a dance with Ray's approval. We will be looking at many of the local Edsel cars on display and exchanging ideas and photos of our beloved cars that didn't make the trip. It will be good to see many of the familiar faces who attended our Southwestern Regional meets back in the mid-to late-’90s. Once again, I am looking forward to our EOC Convention in Dearborn, Michigan. this summer. We are celebrating the Diamond Anniversary of the Edsel this year as many of you know and I certainly hope that you will be able to attend this momentous occasion. I just can't imagine, when I was a boy first looking at the new cars on the show room, that I would be here representing the Edsel and still enjoying the fun and camaraderie of our Club. Happy trails to all and drive safely, Michael Cowles From the President’s Desk! Volume L, Issue 2 Page 3 Tropicana Photo Shoot Car — continued from Page 1 During this period Ford Motor Company was engaged in an aggressive promotion of the Edsel as the newest thing on wheels. It seems rea- sonable for the Tropicana to take advantage of this to promote the newest casino in Las Vegas. After October the 1958 Ford products would have been like featured rather than the 1957 models. Also, in the closing months of 1957, it was becoming evident to Ford and the general public that sales of the new Edsels were not meeting expectations. The name Edsel was quickly becoming synonymous with failure and it would have been unlikely for the Tropicana or any other business to have used the Edsel to promote its product. The VIN plate on my Citation Convertible shows a scheduled build date of August 15, 1957, in the Somerville, Massachusetts assembly plant. According to Jere Gauss, delivery of a 1958 Edsel from the Somerville plant to the Western United States between August 15 and September 4 was within the capability of the Ford Motor Company. The Edsel database maintained by Phil Skinner indicates Nevada state registration records for the calendar year 1957 and gives us the fact that only 48 Edsels statewide were sold by year-end against a nationwide total of 26,681. Furthermore, records from the Los Angeles Dis- trict sales office, which include Nevada records for year-end 1958, show only 32 Citation convertibles sold in the Los Angeles district at year's end, against 485 nationwide.