Dataplate specifications
Pacer, 2-door hardtop, Ember Red with Jet Black
Red cloth/white vinyl interior

361cid E-400 V8, Teletouch automatic transmission, 2.91:1 axle ratio
Edsel number 705307 manufactured in San Jose, CA on December 31, 1957

Information as of:  October 2010

Owner:   unknown (online auction car)
Location:   Bakersfield, California
Owned since:   Mid-1980's

Mileage:   133,257
Condition:   Runs but does not drive
Originality:   Non-Edsel paint, aftermarket radio & air cleaner

Accessories included:   Teletouch Automatic Transmission, Whitewall Tires, Wheel Covers, Two-tone Paint, Windshield Washer, Carpet, Back-up Lights

Notes:
We are the third owners and have had the car about 25 years.  The second owner told us that the original owner was an Edsel dealer in San Francisco and the car was his wife's.  Supposedly he caught the wife in the back seat with another man and then divorced the wife and sold the car.
The car has never been in snow as far as we know.  It was built in San Jose on new Year's Eve 1957, spent the first couple of years in San Francisco, then moved across the bridge to Marin County, then to us in Sonoma County and then down to Bakersfield 10 years ago.  The mileage is pretty low for a 50-plus year old car.  We pretty much just drove to school and work, a couple of trips to Reno for Hot August Nights, very few long trips.

A few years ago we had the engine and transmission rebuilt.  We drove the car less than 500 miles since that was done.  The radiator was re-cored and tons of other parts replaced.  We have the receipts for most of the work, which cost us about $10,000.  There is one receipt that was about 3 feet long with a list of parts that I can't find.  It was done at a reputable shop that is still in business.  We were going to update the brakes, but hadn't done that yet and the car needs new tires (it has reverse rims, the tires go on the opposite way of regular rims).  The tires aren't worn, but the front one keeps going flat and they were cheap tires when we got them.  Also, it still has the "hope-fa" vacuum windshield wipers (you hope for them to work).  They probably work better since the engine was rebuilt, but it rarely rains here so the wipers haven't been used in many years.

When we got the car back from the mechanics it was July and you don't want to drive a car with vinyl seats and no air conditioning in the summer in Bakersfield, its 103 degrees while I'm writing this.  So it sat in the garage most of the next 3 months waiting for the weather to cool down.  It wasn't until we drove the car in cooler weather that we realized that the heater was stuck in the on position.  The mechanics warranty was only 90 days and had expired by the time we noticed the problem, so you will get hot feet in the passenger side, until it's fixed.  This is the second time that has happened when someone worked on the radiator.  The first time this happened the mechanics (at a shop in Santa Rosa) kept insisting that I didn't have a heater in the car, I had to take them outside and show them the dial.  Apparently, something about the heater mechanism is different than on other cars.

The car won't shift into gear.  It runs great, you just can't put it in gear.  The second owner got so frustrated with the Teletouch shift buttons and the solenoids not working, that he put in a floor shifter.  I got the bright idea to hook the Teletouch buttons back up when we had the engine and tranny work done.  We provided the guys with schematics, shop manual and info on where to get new parts to get them working again, but it wasn't until after we had the car back for a while that we noticed on the receipt that they hadn't replaced the solenoids as we had request, they just cleaned them.  URGH, why would we want the same parts that so frustrated the second owner that he put in a floor shift?  So of course, before we could get around to bringing the car back to remedy the issue, it stopped working.  We were going out for a drive, backed the car out of the garage, I ran in the house for something, got back in and car wouldn't shift into gear.  Of course it was on a weekend so the shop was closed.  Our driveway is slanted and we couldn't push the car back into the garage, (which is why we didn't push it out to take pictures), and had to have a tow truck maneuver it back into the garage and it has sat there ever since.  That's what having two procrastinators in the house gets you, a two ton paperweight.

Car was originally ember red and black, but we painted it over 20 years ago to a more "red" red.  As far as we know, the car has never been in an accident.  The body is very straight with no big dents or damage.  There is a small dent about the size of a quarter on the hood, and we touched it up with paint so it wouldn't get rusted.  There are a few chips and nicks in the paint (one on the passenger headlight was made by a woman in a Corvette mashing into a shopping cart and sending it crashing into the Edsel, she drove off before I could get out and check the car, luckily it was just chipped paint).  It has bubbling at the front of the hood, a very common Edsel problem.  We do have an original hood ornament in good condition.  I had wrapped it in bubble wrap and stuck it in a metal case to protect it when the car was being worked on and I have to find which closet I stuck it in.
The chrome is 50+ year old chrome and as on most every Edsel I have seen, some of it has pitting and cracking.  The horse collar is in good shape.  All of the trim and lettering is intact.  We have all of the hub caps which are in decent shape.  The headliner was replaced about 15 years ago and is in good shape.  At the same time the woven weather stripping inside the car was replaced, but the guy who did the headliner made the new stripping with vinyl instead of the old style woven kind.
The interior is the original seats in Red and White.  The interior is faded, but there are no big rips or tears.  There is a worn spot on the top edge of the drivers seat and a small tear on the back of the driver's seat.  The vinyl on the inside of the doors where you grip to pull the door closed is damaged on both doors.  We replaced the black carpet when we had the car painted.  Many years ago, water got in thru the back driver's side window and the carpet behind the driver is a bit torn up from that.
The rear tail lights have replacement covers that are practically new.  No cracks in the glass, one of the back windows does have a scratch (the story is that the original owner's wife did it with her shoe).  The driver's door doesn't lock with a key, you can lock it from the inside.  The radio is AM/FM with a cassette and has a chrome faceplate that we made to give it a retro look.  The speaker cover on the front dash is a bit bent.

The trunk lid does not stay up, never has since we owned the car.  There is a old heavy broom stick in the trunk that is older than I am that you use to keep it open.  You get really strong arms when you have to hold up the trunk with one hand while you reach in for the broom stick.  The rubber that went around the edge of the trunk was falling apart, so we removed it and bought a new one, the box with the new one is supposed to be in the trunk, but I don't see it there, so unless I find the box, we'll just have to say the rubber gasket is missing.  The tire well for the spare tire has a brittle spot in the bottom and may need to be reinforced if you keep your spare in it.