The Ford Edsel is one of the most talked about flops in automotive history but, at Cars For Sale, the Edsel takes on a different meaning. A trophy, with the Edsel hood ornament on it, is given out each month to an employee who has gone above and beyond with their duties at work.

The unique thing about this award is the fact that the recipients aren’t chosen by managers, they’re chosen by their fellow team members. The Cars For Sale Edsel Award is a traveling trophy that’s all about peer-to-peer recognition.

So, once a month, everyone in the building gathers together to find out who is getting the Edsel, learn a little more about the recipient, and hear a quick acceptance speech. In addition to the traveling trophy itself, Edsel award winners are given a framed certificate with their nomination submission printed on it. 

Appropriately enough, each colleague who is recognized is presented the award in front of an actual Ford Edsel, which has a permanent home on the first floor of the Cars For Sale building. 

One may ask, “Why put this Ford flop on display in front of everyone?” That’s easy. Even though the Edsel wasn’t a success with car buyers, it didn’t break Ford. In fact, these days the once-divisive Edsel has increased in value.  

The Edsel has a spot at Cars For Sale as a reminder to continue tackling challenges, especially after a failure.

Sometimes something that should have been a success isn’t. The ‘perfect product’ just didn’t work out. But you don’t give up, you pivot. You learn from your mistakes and, if you give it some time, that initial idea ends up having some value.

The shoppers of the late 1950s may not have had the positive reaction to the Edsel that Ford was hoping for, but it certainly made an impression. One failure didn’t stop the company from moving onward and upward. 

Failure is inevitable in business, but perseverance, ingenuity, and adaptability all prevail in the long run. Those are the qualities that the Edsel-award winners have and that’s what the Edsel has come to represent at Cars For Sale.