(first posted 12/22/2014) Okay folks, it is now time to hop into the CC Wayback machine to the year of 1975, when, for some reason, a lot of new cars were named after Spanish cities: Cadillac debuted the “right-sized” Seville, Chrysler showed off their Herb Tarlek-tastic Cordoba, and FoMoCo displayed an extremely fancy Falcon, uh, that is, the Granada!
Yes, that’s right, the Granada was, in essence, a 1975 Falcon Brougham. Same basic chassis, although it had grown some: a few inches wider and about a foot and a half longer, and now with all the luxury trappings so desperately needed–and ordered!–in the Sickly Seventies. Performance? Ha! While you could order either a 302 or 351 V8 over the 200 or 250 six, that did not exactly translate to tire-burning performance. With emissions spaghetti and a greater interest in a smooth ride and quiet, none of these Granadas were for the performance-minded.
But they sold! They sold very well (some 300k in 1975), and even the plain-Jane Granada was not exactly a cheapskate special, with full wheel covers and at least a modicum of brightwork. For the true penny-pinchers, the aging Maverick was kept in the line, despite the fact that the Granada was originally meant to replace it.
Granadas are generally panned, much like its showroom mate, the Mustang II. But like the MII (or Grand Pooba Pinto, if you prefer), the car sold. People liked it, people reached for their wallets and signed on the dotted line for them, and people enjoyed them. It was a solid family car for people who didn’t want or need a brontosaurus LTD, but DID want all the gadgets, gizmos and comfort options.
At the top of the Granada heap was the Ghia, available as a two-door coupe or four-door sedan. Special features included extra chrome trim, wide side moldings with a vinyl rub strip, plusher interior and other Brougham Epoch accoutrements.
By 1977, color-keyed wheel covers were also in the mix, and even aluminum wheels were available–for extra, of course. By the way, I do miss color-keyed wheel covers, but man, it must have been a royal pain to get a new one when one was lost–probably a frequent occurrence with the soft suspension (for the comfy ride, dontcha’ know) these cars had.
And now, a digression, if you please. A lot is made of how cars like this didn’t handle, weren’t fast, etc. Here’s a fun fact: Some folks didn’t CARE about being Mario Andretti (in their own minds, at least) and didn’t have any interest in driving like a speed-crazed moron. So, a car like this, for the accountants in Omaha, for the housewives in Olathe, and for the Montgomery Ward clerks in Des Moines, this was a perfectly acceptable automobile. Not everybody wanted a BMW–never mind they cost three times as much. Mmm-kay?
Perhaps the real reason folks today love to mock the Ford Granada is because of the rather silly ads that compared the Granada to a Mercedes-Benz. Yeah, sure! It looked just like a Mercedes–if you were blind! Wonder how many martinis were downed at lunch in Grosse Pointe for that campaign to look like a good idea? “Sho Bill, whaddaya shay? Let’sh compare the Granada to a Mercedeesh! They’re all taxicabs in Yurp anywaysh!” “Shounds good to me, Sham!”
Despite all that, and my liking these cars–especially in fully-loaded Ghia trim, that is not to say that these cars did not have common Emissions Era troubles. Indifferent assembly, early rust, and the like were all present and accounted for. But at least you could enjoy a comfortable ride and quiet before the car began to disintegrate.
In 1977 Granadas, a 200 CID Six paired with a four-speed manual overdrive transmission was standard equipment–even on the flossy Ghias. But even the plainest Granada got front discs, steel-belted radial tires, inside hood release, chrome grille, hood ornament, full wheel covers, and cut-pile carpeting. That might not sound like much to our younger readers, but in the mid-Seventies, it was a step up from a base Maverick, with rubber floor coverings and dog-dish hubcaps.
Inside, the interior was rather Lincoln-like, with more woodgrain than you could shake a stick at. Our featured CC even has the optional front bucket seats with console and floor-mounted SelectShift automatic transmission.
Those looking for more than a speedometer and gas gauge would have to look elsewhere, however–there wasn’t even a temperature gauge–just a row of idiot lights to the left of the steering wheel.
Inside, however, it was very much a more right-sized LTD. Still plenty of room–this was no Pinto, for heaven’s sake–and Ghia models also added nicer upholstery in either cloth or the vinyl shown here, and faux wood door caps. Remember, in the ’70s, faux wood was king–in Detroit, Dearborn and Kenosha, anyway.
Ford really made hay with the “Chamois” interiors these cars were available with–another nod to a similar interior color available on Mercedes-Benzes at the time.
And while only Mr. Magoo would mistake this for a 240D, the car did benefit from a Mercedes-like upright greenhouse and three-box design. Plenty of headroom and legroom, considering this was a compact car at the time. You probably had more room in this back seat than a contemporary Continental Mark IV!
I first spotted this rare survivor the weekend before these pictures were taken. I was on my way home from Iowa City when saw something Granada-shaped appear out of the darkness. A for sale sign suggested it wasn’t going anywhere for a while, so I planned my return right then and there.
So on November 9, I returned to Davenport for pictures. I saw another, even rarer car on the way–and about as different from this Granada Ghia as you could get–but that CC is for another day. In the daylight, the rich root-beer brown paint appeared to be original, as did the chamois pin striping. And still a local car, after all these years! Dahl Ford is still in business on Kimberly Road in Davenport–I worked there during the spring and summer of 2011.
And the oh-so-trendy-at-the-time luggage rack! I never, ever saw one of these actually being used. It really was just more chrome ornamentation by and large.
This was its good side, with all trim and those elusive color-keyed wheel covers all present and accounted for. I prefer the four-door to the two-door.
The huge doors of the coupe and tiny opera windows just didn’t look quite as good to me, though they have their appeal too, especially when fully loaded.
Here’s the bad side: Missing trim, missing Granada script on the front fender, and a missing wheel cover replaced with one from a 1980-82 Mercury Cougar. Scuff marks suggest all this happened when either the owner scraped into something, or something scraped into it. Perhaps that is why the car is being sold. Perhaps Aunt Mildred had a bit of a mishap in traffic?
What price Super Maverick? $1600 was the asking price, and if it is a running, driving car that is pretty cheap, but given the nonexistent demand for these cars, I imagine it could be had for less–especially if you fanned ten $100 bills out on the hood. Would you buy it? Is there any love in 2014 for a poor old Granada?
It is likely that someone will buy it for cheap wheels and drive it into the ground. Rather sad for a car that has survived for so long in largely original shape, but let’s face it: Not everyone is a CCer, and to most of the public at large, this is just an old Ford sedan–nothing special.
As for the Granada itself, it lasted all the way through the 1980 model year, gaining a facelift in 1978 that included rectangular headlamps. After 1981, the nameplate would move to the Fox chassis as a mildly restyled, more luxurious Fairmont, but it only made it through 1982 before getting yet another facelift and becoming the 1983-86 Fox Ford LTD.
But a few survivors, like this one, are still out there, proving that once a deluxe compact was sold by Ford Motor Company, and was popular. I have only one question: What in the world is that hood ornament supposed to be?!
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Great article, Tom.
Back when I was a kid in the mid-80’s, I remember actively disliking the looks of the 1st- gen cars, in both coupe and sedan form. I especially disliked the exposed, round, metal gas-cap between the taillamps on the lower-level cars.
But this Ghia sedan speaks to me. I even like the root beer-brown paint. Its whole look is cohesively luxe, inside and out. I tend to like coupes, but a nice, 1975 – ’77 Granada Ghia sedan like this one would be the most useful and practical way to get my brougham fix – with a back seat which is probably more roomy and accessible than that of any personal luxury coupe of that era.
That triple-green Ghia sedan TeeJay described (as ordered from the factory) sounds like a dream.
My brother got a blue coupé; don’t know how well it held up in general as he lived in N. Calif. But it seemed nice at the time.
I was completely embarrassed by Ford’s inane comparisons with Mercedes. I could imagine the sniggers in Stuttgart over that.
I had a Dove Gray ’77 Granada Ghia two door, that I absolutely loved. I drove it to ’82 when I got a new EXP and I gave the Granada to my sister to drive. I got it back in ’85 and drove it another 4 years. It was the first car I had with leather and power windows, etc. It had everything: V8, automatic, cruise. Very comfortable to drive and ride in. I’d buy another one (new) today and drive it with pride. I never had a minute of problem with my Granada. Even after all those years in Michigan winters, there was no rust through. The car held up wonderfully. I don’t understand why all the criticism people are writing. If you had owned the Granada I did, you’d love them yet today.
RE : no rust ~
I bet you cheated and took some sort of reasonable care of it like washing it occasionally and not allowing the gravel to accumulate in the foot wells where it always grinds through the carpets and scrapes the paint of the metal floors…
Then folks complain of rusting .
-Nate
(one of those odd ducks who washed his 1959 Ford F-100 weekly even in January , in New Hampshire when it was just an old $25 truck)
I was in high school when these came out – it was a big deal because you could get a mini-LTD for not much more than Maverick LDO prices. Like the Mustang II, it was a sales homerun. Driving full size cars back then was no fun – besides trying to determine the corners of the car, handling positively sucked. A smaller package made complete sense. I was shocked a few years ago to learn it was still essentially the Falcon chassis…
Perhaps the Mercedes comparison was more relevant on the West Coast; on the East Coast the middle class had little exposure to MB and could probably care less. What our market saw was an upscale compact car. While the Nova handled better, it was still a Nova…small back seat and all. Note that Chryco went to fancier names (Aspen/Volare) when they replaced the Dart/Valiant.
The only change I would have made if I was in charge of marketing the car was have the ESS model available right off, with a firmer suspension and full gauges.
Yes, I kept my Granada clean inside and out. There is a bit more I wanted to say….. someone wrote about how the back end seems to appear lower than the front in all the pictures. You’re all too young to remember this but when I got my license in ’66, the style then was to lower the back and raise the front of cars, to make them look like they were taking off. Pealing out. Lead sled look. So, I think when the Granada came out, it was to appeal to those of us who liked the appearance of a lower back of the car so it looked powerful, like it is ready to take off fast from the stop light. Today, cars are more wedge shaped, sort of like they’re all slamming on their breaks. But, we know the design today is to make them appear to be slicing through the air for better mileage. We weren’t concerned with mileage in my day…. after all, when I was in highschoool, gas was $.249 a gallon! A dollar in the tank and we drove all night.
My Granada went strong for me from ’77 to ’89, and then it went to my nephew for his first car when he was 16. It took him through highschool and 3 years of college.
Yes, the Granada was an outstanding car. Well built, great simple design, very comfortable and powerful enough to handle any kind of driving necessary. And, even in our Michigan winters, I don’t remember having to get snow tires either as I believe the balance of weight throughout the car lent itself to good traction in the snow.
I had no complaints with the Granada.
We had a 2 door Monarch, V8. Nice car to drive. I was dissappointed when my parents traded it for a Lincoln Town car.
The interior looks to be in excellent shape. Also, I noticed a floor shift (automatic) and console (with warning lights) which is a bit rare. Based on the interior, I suspect the mileage is on the low side. The rest of the car looks to be in good shape other then the passenger side swipe. A little body work, a trip to the CC junk yard for body trim (another CC story in it self), and this could be true CC rolling Classic.
I know many make fun of the MB comparison. However, this car (and the Monarch) allowed North Americans to realize the bigger was NOT always better. It was OK to to lop 300 to 600 lbs from the frame, but still have the same amount of interior space. It looks to have more head and leg room than some of the sedans that I have recently shopped (especially rear seat head room). Maybe this is why so many have shifted away from sedans to SUVs.
GM failed to capitalize on this trend (Nova LN/Concours) and went nowhere. Chrysler initially picked up this trend with the Aspen/Volare, but the shortcuts came back to bite them in the butt.
Maybe Lido did have the better car at this point of time.
I had a 1978 Granada Ghia 4door with the big motor. It had enough power to chirp the tires shifting into second gear. It was a really good car. That was the last car I ever had with a traditional 3 speed auto. The one I had, had some really unusual brakes. They were 4 wheel disc brakes and they did not have a vacuum booster. The power brakes got their power from the power steering pump. I have never before or since owned a car that could stop as quickly as that car could. I have also never owned a car that could take speed bumps so well. I could literally go over speed bumps at 50mph without any apparent ill effects. It just went over them like they were not even there.
Oh hell yeah. I’d easily pay $1000 for it. I like the round headlight models better anyway. Would love to find one with the 200 and stick. Only thing is, Ford wouldn’t let you have AC with that drivetrain, even with the 3.40 gears out back. Strangely enough, you could get the 4 wheel disc brakes with that combo. Go figure!
I’m putting together what I think is going to be the hottest Ford Granada in America. I bought my first year two door 1975 Ford Granada Ghia from Bill Pierre Ford in Seattle in August of 1975 and have had it ever since.
Last week on December 22, 2016 I got the Granada back from Jim Green, one of the premiere hot rod shops in the Pacific Northwest. It now has a 351 Ford Windsor engine block, stroked out to a 408 cubic inch 500 horsepower engine. Just wait till I show you what else I’m planning!
Car For Sale?
Not sure if possible, but Installing a Ford Australia Barra inline 6 would do wonders for this car.
Barra engine swap in a Ford Granada!!!
End of the malaise feeling!!
There was a lot to like with these cars in 1974. The Maverick was nice looking, but out of style by this time. The Torino was a huge bloated coupe and an odd looking sedan with giant Coke bottle fenders and a huge fish mouth. Ford design by this time was needing a shake up and Ford presented the Granada at a time when they needed that shake up.
The sedan wasn’t an afterthought. It had a belt line that did not kick up over a Coke bottle fender, but instead presented itself as a formal sedan like a full sized Lincoln. The proportions of the car was correct. Unlike the Torino which ended up with a rear end design far too high and a front end design too low – the Granada didn’t try to present itself as some kind of swoopy curved vehicle. The Granada ended up looking more like a Valiant sedan than the Duster of the same years, but glamorized.
The Nova was a better machine, but it did not have “the Granada look” that GM never fully embraced even after redesigning their compacts. GM cars looked sportier, not luxurious. Gussying up the Nova with Granada accouterments did not make the Nova look like the Granada.
The Granada never looked like a Mercedes, but comparing it to a Mercedes still forced people to compare a little Ford to a luxury German car, didn’t it? No one really believed that it was equivalent, but demanding comparisons to the Mercedes is a step up, right? During those years, when you thought American Mercedes, you thought Granada, right? You might have laughed about it a second later, but Iacocca made you think it!
It was gutless. It was 1974. Everything sucked. The Granada fit those times well.
Has someone been “keeping it nice” since 2014? Any idea if it’s back on the market again? I could relive my 1980s Granada days for not much cash, I suppose.
Meanwhile, these don’t get much love on CC—kinda like the Gen3 Taurus/Sable—but there’s still a soft spot in my heart for ’em.
I drove a ’75 4-door Granada in high school Drivers Ed. Had a six, not sure which. There’s one other point of comparison I’ll make with the Mercedes. This thing must have been slower than a diesel Mercedes. At the time, my thought was, ‘oh well, if it saves fuel…’, but these things were gas pigs as well! By far, these were not Ford’s good years for performance, even considering the emissions and safety regs.
IF only the American model was as good as it’s interior promised.
My dad worked on that line and I had one of those Ghia badges stuck to my dresser!
I first saw one of these at a wedding, probably early 1975, a few years later I was driving them regularly as a transporter for Hertz, 1977 and 1978, they were probably the 2nd most common rentals since Hertz seemed to specialize in Fords back then. Most common rental seemed to be LTDII in our location. My parents were driving the “regular” Ford, a 1973 Country Sedan. Never drove Maverick (none in our fleet) and in 1978 drove the Fairmont. Our rentals were sedans, but wondered why there was a Fairmont Wagon but no Granada Wagon (for the more luxury oriented). Of course Nova was also sedan or coupe, but no longer any wagon after the 60’s.
Predictably the rentals were pretty plain, automatic and probably the inline 6 (don’t remember opening the hood to even find out), with AM radio, but the Fairmont seemed even plainer. We also had a few Novas, but they also seemed pretty plain For some reason they had many Dodge Diplomats rather than Aspens, and of course the Diplomat seemed pretty plush..we even had some 2 door “boattail” models as rentals, with AM/FM and pretty plush interiors. Made me wonder who specified which models they would carry in their rental fleet.