Edsel was a brand launched by Ford in September 1957 as a 1958 model. Expected to be in the lineup between Lincoln and Mercury, sales were less than half of what Ford predicted- many people were not fond of the styling, and the fact that Ford workers sabotaged the cars didn't help. Robert McNamara, the political guy, was president of Ford at the time and actively worked against the Edsel line, ensuring it's failure; he cancelled it early in the 1960 model season, before sales of the newly redesigned 1960 model could be accurately judged. The Edsel has become the butt of many jokes since then, none of them deserved. I am a die-hard Edsel fanatic and hope to own one someday. A 1958 wagon is atop my list of most wanted to see in person cars.

Ford is one of only two automotive brands to have 100 or more cards in my collection, joining Chevrolet, but Ford did not embrace trading cards as much as Chevrolet did; there is only one all-Ford card set, while Chevrolet has 3.

The boat company took a run at making fiberglass sports cars in the 1950s.

Henry J, named after Henry J. Kaiser, was a low-priced companion brand to Kaiser/Kaiser-Frazier. Identical versions of the car, other than the name plate, were sold as Allstate through the Sears catalog! Due to their light nature, most of the surviving cars have been turned into drag racers; factory stock versions are so rare that I've never seen one despite more than 30 years of classic car show attendance. In an effort to save money and weight, the cars did not have an opening trunk. Access to the rear storage compartment was only available by folding the rear seat forward.