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Volume XLVI, Issue 1 Edsel Owners Club Inc. January 2014 T HE B IG E Bledsoe Motor Company: One Dealer’s Story (Part One) Written by Jonathan Fox Fords’ “Smart Car for Growing America” was sold at approximately 1,500 dealerships throughout North America and Europe. In August 2013, I had the special privilege of meeting with one of these dealers, Mr. M. C. “Sonny” Bledsoe, III. Mr. Bledsoe, one of the last surviving Edsel dealers in the country, kindly recounted his experiences with Bledsoe Motor Company nearly sixty years ago. The following account highlights just one individuals story—a story that could easily apply to countless men and women across the country who fell into hardship after Fords’ $250 million experiment. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Bledsoe Motor 1 Company Dealer Story Editor’s 2 Message Bledsoe Story 3 continued EOC National 4—5 Edsel meet agenda and registration Registration for 6 Laughlin Nevada regional event Calendar of 7 Events and wel- come new mem- bers In July 1957, residents of Shreveport, LA had their first introduction to the Edsel when broth- ers William Raines Bledsoe (above left) and Matthew Colquitt Bledsoe Jr.(above center) met with Peter Nunez (above right), the zone manager from Fords New Orleans district office. Green Line Edsel 8-9 The Shreveport Times published an article featuring the Bledsoe brothers who had just Action Ads signed their Edsel dealership contract with Ford. About The Edsel 10 Bledsoe Motor Company was among the first dozen or so dealers to be authorized by Ford— Owners Club early enough for Ford to feature the Bledsoe brothers in corporate literature to encourage (Continued on page 3) The Big E Page 2 Hello Edsel Folks! My name is David Fleischer from Utah. For those of you who do not know me, I am 52 years old and have been an active Edsel enthusiast for 40 years. On my 12th birthday, I received some money as a gift and I walked about a block to the neighborhood Rexall Pharmacy and purchased a game in their small toy department. The game was called, “Dealers Choice”. In this game there was a deck of cards with pictures of cars on them. One card had a picture of a 1959 Edsel Corsair. This picture gave me a flashback to the early 1960’s, when I was a little boy, when I would occasion- ally see an Edsel on the streets. I had forgotten about them until I saw this picture. I went to the library to do some research on Edsels and fell madly in love and have been hooked on Edsels ever since, and I bought my first Edsel when I was 14 and bought another one when I was 15. I was a news- paper boy at the time and used my earnings to buy these Edsels. Since then, I have owned about twenty Edsels and right now have seven in my collection, five of them which are currently registered and driven. As your new editor, it is my goal to provide an informative and entertaining newsletter to deal with the chal- lenges of owning and maintaining an Edsel. However, I cannot accomplish this alone. In this issue is part one of a two part story on the Bledsoe Family who ran an Edsel dealership in Shreveport, Louisiana. The story and photos were graciously provided by fellow member Jonathan Fox. This is just the thing I need — from the members of this club — sharing your research findings on Edsel dealers in your towns, sharing historical information about Edsels, discovery of any Edsel “barn finds”, etc. Also, please share any technical tips on restoring and repairing Edsels and please do ask for help if you are encountering difficulties in your restoration efforts and finding parts. I will post your questions and problems here and hopefully others in the club, who have experienced similar situations, can respond and give advice on dealing with these challenges related to Edsel ownership. Included in this issue of the Big E is the registration form for the annual Laughlin event which will take place on May 1 - 4, 2014 Tentative plans have been laid out for the EOC 2014 National Meet which will take place in Dayton, Ohio from July 30 to August 3 this year. The plans and the registration form are included in this issue of the Big E. One last thing - I regret to announce the passing of a long time member of the club, Neil Bradley. He passed away in Owensboro, KY on November 19, 2013 at the age of 57. David Fleischer Your Edsel-Editor From the Editor’s Desk! Volume XLVI, Issue 1 Page 3 (Bledsoe story continued from page 1) other dealers to join the new Edsel division. The Bledsoe brothers were veterans of the automotive industry having operated a successful Nash franchise in Shreveport since 1939. Their dealership at 1401 Texas Avenue was truly a family affair: no fewer than five members of the Bledsoe family worked there in various capacities as president, vice president, manager, and secretary. As director of the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association, M. C. Bledsoe Jr. undoubtedly weighed the risks of foregoing his DeSoto-Plymouth franchise (which had replaced his earlier Nash franchise) by signing on with the new Edsel division. After careful consideration (and in light of the imminent closures of the Nash and DeSoto brands), the Bledsoes concluded the Edsel was “the greatest automotive opportunity in many years.” However, this opportunity later proved disastrous - and tragic - for the Bledsoe family. Troubles at Bledose Motor Company began with their very first shipment of Edsels. “Sonny” Bledsoe (the subject of the present article) surmises that the driver who unloaded the cars was probably unfamiliar with the arrangement of the Teletouch buttons. As such, one of the brand new Edsels fell from the top of the double-decker car hauler. Unbeknownst to the Bledsoes, this mishap was definitely a sign of things to come. On Wednesday, September 4, 1957, Shreveport residents (some of which had lined the sidewalk of the dealership as early as 5:00 a.m.) caught their first glimpses of the highly anticipated car. The Bledsoes cordially invited the public to the showroom floor to see what had been hidden behind the papered plate glass windows. Music and refreshments were also on hand for those who attended the E-Day festivities. A mischievous teenager, though, helped himself to a set of keys resting in the ignition of one of the display models in the Bledsoe showroom. This was most certainly a source of consternation for the Bledsoes who were in the midst of launching their new venture. As well as the dealership, new Edsels were also displayed at Selber Brothers (one of Shreve- port’s popular downtown department stores) and at the 1957 State Fair of Louisiana held in Shreveport that October. (A photo presumably from the 1957 Louisiana State Fair held in Shreveport (October 1957). Note Sonny Bledsoe on stage as well as the Edsel pennants and banners. A new Corsair is barely visible among the crowd.) Sonny Bledsoe recalls that despite the looks of the “toilet seat” grille, the cars sold well the first month. However, Edsel sales across the nation dropped after the initial flurry of the introduction. Sonny soon learned a life lesson when it comes to owning and operating a dealership: “Do not trust the manufacturers.” He recalled, “The Edsel was supposed to be a ‘new-world’ car but was only a Mercury with a different grille.” (To be continued in the March 2014 issue of the Big E) The Big E Page 4 46th ANNUAL EDSEL OWNERS CLUB CONVENTION DAYTON, OHIO July 30 – August 3, 2014 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Wednesday, July 30, 2014 9:00 AM Registration Desk and Hospitality Room open Craft Sale – Raffle Tickets – Model Car Contest (Bring Craft Items to Sell) Touring on your own Thursday, July 31, 2014 9:00 AM Registration Desk and Hospitality Room open 9:00 AM Bus Tour – United States Air Force Museum – Oldest & largest military aviation museum in the world. Exhibits include over 300 aircraft, Missiles, and aeronautical displays. Presidential Aircraft Hanger Includes the Air Force One used by Presidents Kennedy through Clinton and fighter-jets, as well as the new NASA Space Shuttle Crew Compartment Trainer. Lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse Packard Museum – Admire Packards in this original 1930’s Showroom. See a restored service area. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of “Packard only” Automobiles Carillon Historical Park – The 28,000 square foot Heritage Center of Dayton Manufacturing and Entrepreneurship joints the 30 historical buildings spread across the 65 acre campus devoted to history, heritage and progress. The highlight of the park is an original 1905 Wright Flyer III biplane, the world’s first practical airplane, designed and flown by the Wright Brothers, Dayton-made cash registers, train cars, automobile and bicycles. 7:00 PM Social get together Funny Money Auction to Follow (Don’t forget to bring items for the Funny Money Auction) Friday, August 1, 2014 9:00 AM Registration Desk and Hospitality Room open 9:00 AM Judging of Cars Begins (You must be a member of the Edsel Owners Club to have your car judged) 9:30 AM EOC Board Meeting 2:00 PM EOC General Membership Meeting 7: 00 PM Parts and Edsel-Related Items Auction (Bring Items for sale by 6:30 PM) Saturday, August 2, 2014 9:00 AM Hospitality Room open 10:00 AM Edselcade to the Blad Boys Custom Hot Rod Designers – Approximately 60 cars on display 6:00 PM Awards Banquet Sunday, August 3, 2014 9:00 AM Breakfast on your own and Goodbyes Volume XLVI, Issue 1 Page 5 .