Edsel Corsair: which version to buy
The Edsel Corsair in this catalogue is a one-version decision. There is 1 generation and 1 named modification: 5.4 AT. Production of that generation runs from 1959-01-01 to 1960-01-31. The body is Sedan. If you are choosing a Corsair from these records, you are choosing 5.4 AT or walking away; there is no second Corsair engine, gearbox, or drive layout to trade against it.
The Edsel Corsair in this catalogue is a one-version decision. There is 1 generation and 1 named modification: 5.4 AT. Production of that generation runs from 1959-01-01 to 1960-01-31. The body is Sedan. If you are choosing a Corsair from these records, you are choosing 5.4 AT or walking away; there is no second Corsair engine, gearbox, or drive layout to trade against it.
That is the whole choice set. The rest of this article is the arithmetic of what 5.4 AT actually is, what is not measured, and what a buyer therefore cannot assume.
Which Corsair version to choose
5.4 AT is the only row. It is Gasoline, Automatic with 2 gears, RWD, Front, longitudinal. Power is 240 hp (176 kW). Displacement is 5436. Rear brakes are Drum. Front suspension is Independent, spring. Rear suspension is Dependent, leaf spring. Bore and stroke are 101.6 x 83.82.
There is no second horsepower figure under the same name, so you do not split 5.4 AT by output the way some catalogues split two identically named automatics. 240 hp is the figure for this name.
What the extra money would buy is not in the data: there is no second version, so there is no price delta and no extra horsepower, extra gears, or extra driven wheels to buy. The arithmetic of “what the extra money buys” is zero extra versions.
What you can compute from the given numbers:
- Power per litre: 240 hp ÷ (5436 / 1000) = 240 ÷ 5.436 ≈ 44.15 hp per litre.
- Power in kW per litre: 176 ÷ 5.436 ≈ 32.38 kW per litre.
- Displacement per horsepower: 5436 ÷ 240 = 22.65 cc per hp.
- The Automatic has 2 gears, not a higher count. There is no 3-speed or 4-speed Corsair in this file to compare against 5.4 AT.
- Drive is RWD only. There is no AWD or FWD Corsair here.
- Fuel is Gasoline only. There is no other fuel type.
If 240 hp, 5436, Gasoline, Automatic 2, and RWD match the car you want, 5.4 AT is the match. If you need a measured 0–100, a measured top speed, a measured mpg figure, a measured kerb weight, or a measured tank, this catalogue does not give them for 5.4 AT; they are not measured.
Generations: what changed (and what did not)
There is 1 generation (`kluch` 8625), labelled 2 generation in the source English name, on sale from 1959-01-01 to 1960-01-31. Body: Sedan. Modifications in this generation: 1.
There is no earlier or later Corsair generation in this dataset, so you cannot compare generation 1 to generation 2 on power, gears, or weight. Restyling is not listed as a separate generation. The generation window is 1959-01-01 through 1960-01-31; the same dates apply to 5.4 AT.
What this generation did not change relative to another Corsair generation in these data: nothing to compare. What this generation contains: one Sedan, one Automatic 2, one RWD, one Gasoline 5436 at 240 hp.
A buyer shopping “which generation” therefore has one answer: the only generation on file, Sedan, 1959-01-01–1960-01-31, version 5.4 AT.
Engine specs: 5.4 AT
| Version | hp | kW | Nm | Displacement | Fuel | Cylinders | Layout | Boost | Gearbox | Gears | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.4 AT | 240 | 176 | not measured | 5436 | Gasoline | not measured | Front, longitudinal | not measured | Automatic | 2 | RWD |
5.4 AT engine position is Front, longitudinal. Bore and stroke: 101.6 x 83.82. Compression is not measured. Induction system is not measured. Valves per cylinder is not measured. Cylinder count is not measured — do not fill that gap from outside this table. Boost is not measured. Torque (Nm) is not measured; rpm for power and torque are not measured.
Power density again, so a pulled paragraph still stands: 5.4 AT makes 240 hp from 5436, which is about 44.15 hp per litre, or 176 kW from 5436, about 32.38 kW per litre.
Cylinders and cylinder arrangement are not measured. A buyer who requires a stated cylinder count cannot get it from this catalogue for 5.4 AT.
Gearbox, drive, and chassis: 5.4 AT only
5.4 AT is Automatic, 2 gears, RWD. There is no manual Corsair and no other gear count.
Front suspension: Independent, spring. Rear suspension: Dependent, leaf spring. Rear brakes: Drum. Front brakes: not measured.
Wheels: not measured. Ground clearance: not measured.
For a buyer, the chassis choice is not Independent versus something else across versions: it is this one layout. Independent, spring at the front and Dependent, leaf spring at the rear is the entire Corsair chassis story in these data. Drum at the rear is stated; the front brake type is not measured, so you cannot treat front drums or discs as a fact of 5.4 AT.
Performance and mpg
For 5.4 AT:
- 0–100: not measured
- Top speed: not measured
- City consumption: not measured
- Highway consumption: not measured
- Combined consumption: not measured
- CO2: not measured
- Eco class: not measured
Mpg is not measured in any of the three consumption slots. A search for Corsair mpg, Corsair 0–100, or Corsair top speed against this catalogue returns not measured, not a guessed period figure.
Weight per horsepower cannot be calculated: kerb weight is not measured, so you cannot divide mass by 240 hp. That missing ratio is a buying fact: you cannot rank 5.4 AT on power-to-weight from these numbers.
Dimensions, weight, tank
For 5.4 AT:
- Kerb weight: not measured
- Gross weight: not measured
- Ground clearance: not measured
- Tank: not measured
- Wheels: not measured
Dimensions and weight searches against this file should read as not measured. You cannot pick 5.4 AT for a stated payload, a stated tank range, or a stated wheel size, because those fields are empty.
Problems and reliability
Problems and reliability are not in the launch data. This article does not invent failure modes, recall lists, or durability scores. What is on file is the spec of 5.4 AT and the production window 1959-01-01–1960-01-31. Reliability is not measured here.
What 5.4 AT is, in one buying block
5.4 AT (Edsel Corsair, 1 generation in this catalogue, source generation name 2 generation, Sedan, 1959-01-01 to 1960-01-31): Gasoline, 5436, 240 hp, 176 kW, Front, longitudinal, Automatic 2, RWD. Bore × stroke 101.6 x 83.82. Front: Independent, spring. Rear: Dependent, leaf spring. Rear brakes: Drum. Nm not measured. Cylinders not measured. Boost not measured. 0–100 not measured. Top speed not measured. Mpg not measured. Kerb weight not measured. Gross weight not measured. Clearance not measured. Tank not measured. Wheels not measured. Front brakes not measured.
Decision rule using only these numbers
1. If you need a Corsair with a named version in this catalogue, the name is 5.4 AT. 2. If you need more than 240 hp, there is no higher Corsair output here. 3. If you need fewer than 2 Automatic gears or more than 2, there is no other gearbox. 4. If you need a drive other than RWD, there is none. 5. If you need Gasoline displacement other than 5436, there is none. 6. If you need a measured mpg, 0–100, top speed, weight, tank, or wheels, 5.4 AT does not supply them — they are not measured. 7. Power per litre of 5.4 AT is 240 / 5.436 ≈ 44.15 hp/L. That is the only specific-output figure you can compute from these data. 8. There is no second generation to prefer for a restyle, a new engine, or a weight cut.
Choose 5.4 AT when 240 hp, 5436 Gasoline, Automatic 2, RWD, Front, longitudinal, Sedan, 1959-01-01–1960-01-31 is the package you want. Do not choose it expecting a second Corsair variant, a measured economy figure, or a measured kerb weight: those are not in the data.