Teletouch

However, development costs required that Edsel share the basics of other established Ford brands on the market.

While the famed 'horse collar' grille and 'boomerang' tail lights made the Edsel visually unique, the Teletouch transmission and saucer-like spinning speedometer emerged as two of the better-remembered interior details.

While the Vulcan shifter was often advertised as standard equipment on the Haynes car, a common floor shift was also available for $200 less.

A large nickel-plated box was attached to the right side of the steering column which housed the push button mechanism.

Packard also introduced a steering-column-mounted electro-mechanical pushbutton transmission control pod in its "Touch Button Ultramatic" in 1956, placed off to the right of the column about 6 in (15 cm).

Edsel's marketing department promoted the Teletouch as a logical progression in the process of making the steering wheel the central command center for controlling cars.

Edsel even issued a Teletouch "face-mask" for dealers to wear and pass out as an advertising premium promoting the system to would-be buyers.

Despite its marketing talking points, it required the driver to remove a hand from the steering wheel rim to push a center-pod button.

Reliability proved poor due to the servo motor's hot, wet and dirty operating environment between the bell housing and the exhaust pipe just above the road surface, and the somewhat troublesome associated relays, switches, wiring and connectors.

On the other hand, the wiring inside the steering column did not move and was extremely reliable, since the pod containing the buttons did not turn with the wheel.

Eventually, all push-button transmission selectors became a safety issue due to lack of industry-wide standardization.

The Edsel's system included an electro-hydraulic inhibitor switch activated by transmission fluid pressure which virtually eliminated the possibility of this happening.

Ironically, the failed Autolite Packard system protected against this set of circumstances by locking out not only reverse and park, but also neutral while the car was moving with any significant speed.