Styling was much more conservative in 1959 as well. The large distinctive grille was reduced and incorporated into a more Ford-like horizontal configuration. None of these changes could turn the marque around however and sales dropped well below the 1958 model year totals. Ford’s 1959 2-door Ranch station wagon alone sold more than all Edsels combined (37,071). This 1959 Edsel Corsair, 2-door, hard top coupe, #B9UW762168, is powered by a 332 cubic inch, 5.43-liter engine with a 4 inch bore and 3.297 inch stroke, with 2-barrel carburetor and was rated at 325 Hp at 4400 rpm. The car sits on a 120 inch wheelbase and had a factory price of $2819. 8,653 Edsel Corsairs were produced in 1959 with 2,315 of them being the 2 door coupe.  

A decision was made in early 1958 to drop the big Edsels from the 1959 line, leaving Mercury to stand-alone in the Ford stables with a mid-size car. The remaining Edsels were to be renamed "Ranger" as the standard version and "Corsair" taking the deluxe model spot. In a series of money-saving measures, the Tele-touch Drive transmission that was originally planned as an option on the 1959 Edsel was eliminated. Unique design elements were cut and the Edsel began to lose some of the features that had made it distinct. Taillights from the 1958 Continental were used, the chassis was the same as the Fairlane and the dashboard became almost identical to other Fords.

The Ford Edsel was a marketing failure. Ford neglected to determine the consumer's needs and wants before designing what was really a very innovative and reasonably mechanically sound automobile. Poor public perception, a front grille likened to a horse's collar or a certain portion of a woman's anatomy, and low gas mileage doomed the car before it had a start. With the disastrously low sales volume of the 1958 model, costs had to be slashed on the 1959 Edsel. As with the '58s, Mercury would share the body style with the big series Edsels (Corsair & Citation), and a smaller series (Ranger, Pacer) would team up the Edsel with the 1959 Ford body.

1959 Ford Edsel