BUCYRUS – Hank Davis has owned more than 200 vintage cars over the years, but he always favors “the failure.”
Davis drives Edsels – the Ford Motor Company’s car that was dubbed the biggest failure in all of American business history. The car that cost the automobile giant millions of dollars in losses. The car with the unique grill that Davis has been collecting for 12 years now.
“A lot of people collect cars for different reasons, but I’m a history buff and a historian,” said Davis, the owner of Hank’s Garage on E. Mansfield St. and the used car dealership next door. “It was such a good car, but it ended up with the label of being a failure, a piece of junk. But that car started life about the time I did.”
Davis, 63, and his wife of 44 years, Debbie, now have 14 Edsels in their collection, which are all stored in the auto body shop. A 1958 Pacer convertible, a 1958 Bermuda, a 1960 Ranger hardtop (one of 295 made), and a rare ’58 Roundup, which has prestigious won awards and been featured in magazines across the country.
Now the Roundup, painted in popular Ember Red and Snow White, and the rest of Davis’s fleet are being featured in the Wall Street Journal. The online story ran Feb. 27, while the newsstand edition was published March 4. Davis said he was thrilled to finally see the article since it had been in the works since December.
The Roundup station wagon was one of only 963 models built that year, Davis said. It’s also the only “original, untouched and unrestored” Roundup around that still runs, complete with original paint, original interior and original spark plugs, he said. “That means somebody has loved it and it’s survived the test of time.”
Davis is just the second owner of the Roundup, which was voted best Edsel station wagon at the International Edsel Club meet in Southfield, Mich. The vintage vehicle also racked up accolades from the Antique Automobile Club of America show in the HPOF, Historical Preservation of Original Features, class.
Davis first became fascinated with Edsels – named for Henry Ford’s late son – 12 years ago when he picked up a 1959 Ranger two-door hardtop with the idea of cleaning it up to sell. “I drove it around for a couple days and we took it to a car show and it about drove me nuts because people just kept talking about it,” he said.
“I said to my wife on the way home, ‘I think I’ve got something here. You know what, I’m gonna’ keep this thing.’ People are just drawn to it. You can see that car coming at you from three-quarters of a mile away. And when you show up at a car show with 400 cars and you’re in an Edsel, yours is probably the only one there.”
Five of Davis’s Edsels are station wagons, including a 1958 six-passenger Villager, which he bought for $24,000 at a Mecum Auction – the world’s largest auction for car collectors – in Harrisburg, Pa. The classic car with its boomerang-shaped taillights sits on a sprawling 116-inch wheelbase like other Edsel wagons.
Hank’s Garage though is home to more than old Edsels. It’s a museum of vintage vehicles, from Corvettes to Mustangs complete with antique signs, gas pumps, oil cans, pedal cars and gas station soda machines. A 40- by 80-foot building overflowing with shiny metal memorabilia. “Automobilia” as Davis calls it.
The father of two even owns a 1958 Edsel Youngstar, which he restored to match his two-tone full-size version painted Jonquil Yellow and Jet Black. The Youngstars – miniature electric cars made for children – were used as promotional giveaways by dealers after the real Edsel debuted in 1957, Davis said.
Sadly, Edsel only lived for three years. What was developed to compete with Chrysler and General Motors died on Nov. 19, 1959. “The last car rolled off the assembly line and that was the end of the road, which was very sad for a car that wasn’t any better or any worse than anything else built at the time,” Davis said.
As a tribute to the brand, Davis parks a “waving” Edsel on the lawn outside of Hank’s Garage for passersby to enjoy. A ’58 Pacer four-door Sedan in Spruce and Spring Green that he decorates for the holidays. “It sits outside year-round. People stop and get their picture taken with it.”
Because every day is “E Day” for this Edsel enthusiast. “It’s funny because Edsel for all those years was laughed at and made fun of and now it’s one of the most sought-after collectible cars out there, so I guess Edsel got the last laugh.”
