Courtesy of I Grew Up in Arlington
On this day in Arlington history, October 26, 1957: Car dealers O’Brien and Rohall advertised in the Washington Post that they were now selling a brand new Ford car model: the Edsel. Their lead advertising line was: “Arlington’s landmark of automotive value takes on a great new name!
Edsels were introduced amid a flurry of publicity on “E Day” or September 4, 1957. The vehicle was also promoted by a top-rated television special, “The Edsel Show,” on October 13. But the promotional effort was not enough to counter the negative public reaction to Edsel styling and unconventional build.
Ford had been telling the press that it “knew” (through its market research) that there would be great demand for the vehicles. Ford also insisted that, in the Edsels, it had built exactly an “entirely new kind of car.” In reality, however, Edsels shared their engineering and bodywork with other Ford models, and the similarities were apparent once car buyers got a first hand look.
Arlingtonians apparently agreed with everyone else and O’Brien and Rohall didn’t sell many here either. Popular culture has often blamed the Edsel’s styling. Consumer Reports blamed poor workmanship. Marketing experts say the Edsel was a perfect example of a corporate culture’s failure to understand American consumers. And Edsel scholars just say the Edsel was “the wrong car at the wrong time.” Good thing O’Brien and Rohall sold other Fords!
Their showroom still stands at 3910 Wilson Boulevard. It later became Al’s Motors and today it’s a Gold’s Gym .
