This 1976 Ford Granada Ghia probably won’t fall instantly onto many enthusiasts’ Top Ten desirable classics lists. However, this car has defied the odds as an original, low-mile survivor. It isn’t perfect, although it has no apparent pressing needs and the attraction of a V8 under the hood. It is a turnkey vehicle, allowing the winning bidder to fly in and drive it home. The seller wants this beauty to find a new home with someone who will continue to treat it respectfully. Therefore, they have listed the Granada here on eBay in Norwalk, Ohio. Bidding has passed the reserve to sit at $12,500, suggesting a few people like what they see.
Ford product planners intended that the First Generation Granada would become the replacement for its Maverick range on its 1975 introduction. However, changing circumstances motivated the company to slot the new model between the existing Maverick and Torino as a premium compact. This new model wasn’t loaded with luxury equipment in its basic form, but the extensive Options List allowed buyers to tailor their new purchase to their needs and tastes. This Granada Ghia rolled off the line during the second production year, with its original owner ordering it in Light Blue with a contrasting Dark Blue vinyl top. The seller admits that the paint from the moldings down received a touch-up with an anti-chip treatment, but the remaining panels are untouched. A close inspection reveals minor imperfections, but the overall impression is positive for a car with over four decades of active service behind it. The vinyl is excellent, but its rust-free status is the best news for potential buyers. The seller claims the Granada has never seen rain or salt, and there are no signs of anything that might contradict that claim in the supplied photos. The rear bumper has a couple of blisters, but the remaining trim and glass are excellent. The wire wheel covers are a later addition, and the spotless original items are in the trunk.
The seller describes the Granada’s interior as almost perfect, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment. The front seat has a tiny imperfection, but the remaining Blue upholstered surfaces are spotless. The carpet exhibits no evidence of wear, the faux woodgrain is excellent, and the dash and pad are free from cracks and UV damage. The seller admits the clock is inoperative, but the remaining equipment, lights, and gauges function as they should. It isn’t loaded with factory options, although the air conditioning, cruise control, and AM/FM radio are all welcome features.
Buyers could choose from various engines to power their new 1976 Granada Ghia. This car’s original owner walked the middle ground, teaming a 302ci V8 with a three-speed automatic transmission. The Ghia was the range-topping model, making the inclusion of power assistance for the steering and front disc brakes unsurprising. It may not be a muscle car, but most owners were happy with the Ford’s ability to cope with city traffic and cruise effortlessly on the open road at 70mph. The good news for potential buyers continues when we examine the mechanical health of this numbers-matching classic. It runs and drives exceptionally well, and the seller holds documentation confirming that the odometer reading of 33,000 miles is genuine. The car recently received a thorough tune-up, with the seller fitting a range of new components to the suspension and brakes. Potential buyers can consider it a turnkey proposition that they could drive home confidently.
The 1976 Ford Granada Ghia is a product of The Malaise Era, meaning its performance is more competent than startling. Many of these cars served their owners faithfully, but like so many vehicles from this era, they were considered disposable. Ford produced 548,784 Granadas in 1976, with 46,786 buyers selecting the 2-Door Ghia variant. It is unclear how many survive, but it is a safe bet that most made their final journey to the scrapyard many years ago. This is a beauty, and the bidding figure far beyond the market average confirms that a few people like what they see. It may not be the most desirable vehicle on the planet, but its lack of rust and bulletproof drivetrain means it should be unerringly reliable. It is days away from finding a new home, but could it be yours?
I consider the 1977-79 Thunderbird to be Ford’s biggest marketing success of the 70’s. Take the Torino, dress it up, reposition it upscale and call it a T-Bird, and watch the sales (and profits) take off. The Granada could be considered in the same light. Take the decidedly humble Maverick (or maybe, Falcon) underpinnings, revised them as needed, provide a nicely styled body and interior, market it as an upscale compact, and watch the sales (and profits) take off.
This looks to be a very nice, low mileage example. Good ebay ad. No one did light blue better than Ford. One of those “we had a Granada, haven’t seen one in years” cars which are fun to show at Cars & Coffee. Who would have thought we’d see a five figure Granada, but here we are.
Thanks Adam.
I owned a 79 Granada. It light blue. 4doors and250-6cylinder. Loved this car. I drove it more than a hundred and fifty miles a day. Never had any problems with it. Would like to have it now.
I had a 79 in 85 6cyl 4door light brown with med brown vinyl roof. Ran great good milage good value for 1200 bucks.dumped it in 90 needed ac components and rack and pinion steering. Car was great cosmetically got 700 for it put about 50k on it got my money worth 🙂
Fred, the Granada did not have rack & pin steering.
548,784 Granada units produced in 1976? Wow that seems like a very high number.
Surprisingly it is correct
Those Ford Granada/Mercury Monarch’s were everywhere in the 70’s. Ford sold a lot of them through the 70’s.
First, I will say this is a nice Granada, looks good and in nice shape. I have for some unknown reason liked the Granada’s. I have never seen that production number before. I have one that the Marti Report says is 1 of 509. It’s pretty much original, ordered in black with a 302, 4 speed. It spent most of its life in northern Alabama so it’s rust free. The A/C in the car was installed at the dealership after it arrived. I guess the owner decided after he ordered it in black, a black car down in the south might be a lot better with A/C.
Dear Lord these things were horrible when they were new and the passage of time has made them only slightly desirable, mostly for the novelty and the memories. They were everywhere and I experienced quite a few of them. I never rode in a Granada or Monarch which did not shimmy and shake on the highway and the handling was remarkably boat-like for a car which was supposed to be a compact. This one seems nice and clean, I am sure some one would love to have it.
bought a new 1978 4 Dr big 6 250 ci came new with 4 speed on the floor drove 40 miles to work 70 mph never had any shimmy or shake great car good gas mileage for the time never had any problems
I owned a 79 Granada. It light blue. 4doors and250-6cylinder. Loved this car. I drove it more than a hundred and fifty miles a day. Never had any problems with it. Would like to have it now.
Guess I have to respectfully disagree. Bought a ’75 4 door ghia in ’77 with 20k on it, drove it for 5 years, including long trips. No shimmy or shake, smooth ride. Agree it was a little boat like but so many of that era were. Just a nice comfortable cruiser that probably rode better than one would expect for a mid size. What was unique about this car was the 3 speed manual with floor shift.
IMHO these cars were greatly underappreciated.
Owned a 1968 Falcon, 72 Maverick, and a 78 Grenada, and none of them had any shimmy or shake. I guess I got lucky X3.
Were you driving rental cars? Those things got beat to death. My uncle had one or two Granada’s. He never mentioned a shimmy, shake, or bad handling.
I suspected as much. A neighbor bought one to replace their 66 Mustang convertible in 1976, which was given to their daughter as her first car in high school (lucky girl)! Completely invisible when new, most have long since succumbed to the dreaded “tin worm” and went to the crusher and were shipped to Japan as scrap metal, to be recycled as Toyota Corollas, LOL!
I bought one about six months ago and use it as a daily driver in the bad weather. It has 45k on the odometer and is in very good condition for a 48 year old car. I paid about what three regular car payments would be. Also from the original owner on C list. No shimmy or shake. Your problem must have been tire related
My boxy ’70 falcon was worse – it had NO front sway bar, squeaky front end & very slow PS. & i kept it under 50 mph on highway. I go berserk when i see its 4 dr cousin down under with 351 & shaker hood scoop go for ridiculous money.
We has 2 , a 2 door and 4 door , 2 door was a loaded Ghia with sport rims no hubcaps, never has a problem with either one both 302 engines, ran great, no shaking, air conditioning was excellent, both got to just above 200k, then one tranny went, other one was totaled, would love another but WoW! Prices are exploading on cars now, but compared to new cars, I guess it’s cheap.
bought a new 1978 4 Dr big 6 250 ci came new with 4 speed on the floor drove 40 miles to work 70 mph never had any shimmy or shake great car good gas mileage for the time never had any problems
What’s not to like. I knew many that had these and drove the bazonkers out of them with no issues. Those wheel covers were hot items at one time. They were expensive, prone to theft. I had them on a Futura 2 door Fairmont. Silver with red was the color I remember most and then the chocolate over tan. A very nice untouched copy here.
Like the originality, color combo, and low actual miles. If it was less and I had an extra garage space I would be tempted.
My dad traded in his 74 Mustang for a 78 Granada,302/auto and air,that’s all he needed. Never left the town we lived in.
Kinda reminds me of an 70’s version of a 65 Fairlane, I like it!
My father had teh same car in a darker Ble with buckets. Nice driving car BUT, the doors are so massive the hinge pins wear out. Furthermore in upstate NY that car rusted! The mirrors are cable drien just fell off!
What cars didnt rust out in upstate NY ? I thought cars in CT. rusted badly until we took my sister to college upstate – there were cars rusted so badly you could see the window regulators and right into the trunk through the rear quarters !
Nice entry into the old car hobby. A slice of seventies automotive heaven. Great colors, V8 and air. Drive, enjoy and listen to others tell their family stories.
It does not have cruise control. Ford put the cruise switches on the steering wheel. What you see on the turn-signal stalk is the wiper controls.
These can be quite nice when optioned out. Our neighbors had a ’76 Ghia 4-door with the top interior option in silver and black two-tone, with beautiful dark red seats in a plush fabric that had ribs like corduroy. It had the lace-spoke alloy wheels, 351 V-8 and rode so nice.
I remember the ads for these cars, and they were compared to European made cars
I remember those ads. In particular where they compared the prices of the Granada to a Mercedes Benz. These cars were everywhere back in the day,along with the Monarch.
I went to high-school with a kid with identical car
My best friends father when I was younger purchased one of these brand new
and it was a really nice car. It too was a Ghia model nicely optioned and with the 302 V8 automatic w /AC . I remember taking a trip with them to Alberta Ca. and the car ran perfectly . There was no shimmy or shaking at all , and the ride was very comfortable. We only stopped for fuel , sites and motel stays. This car looks quite exceptional and I am sure it will sell no problem. I hope it goes to a respectful owner . Good luck seller….but I expect you wont need it !
Would like to see photos of the undercarriage please.
Pops bought Mom a Granada in ’75 and it was a sharp black on black 302/C4.
The only problem with it, and it was a doozy, was that 1975 was the first year for the Duraspark ignition system and it was, of course, the Duraspark I system that had a nasty habit of dying while driving down the road. It left mom stranded in traffic 3 or 4 times so Pops took it back to the dealership who said, “No problem found”. He got tired of messing with it so he rummaged through a pile of parts and came up with an old points distributor and stuck that back in and never had another problem. But because of Ford’s piss-poor customer service and seeming indifference to the issue it forced a life long FoMoCo fan into the GM camp until his dying day.
Very nice example! And I commend the seller for detailing the imperfections in the photos. That no doubt has helped the sale. Always live seeing these type cars instead of the endless boring string of Mustangs, Camaros, etc.!
seen one with buckets & 4or 5 speed stick that was sweet
A buddy of mine had a 75 4 door. 302 3 speed bucket seat car. A true unicorn.
My Mom bought a new 1976 Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia. It was a beauty. It was white with a deep red padded vinyl top and deep red velour interior. It would squeal the tires and the car was fast for the times. The power windows catered though. It was a nice car. The next year, Lincoln sold the Versailles which was eerily similar. The big difference was the tire style trunk lid and Rolls Royce grille. Her car made her feel special and I am glad for her. She has been gone these last 23 years. These cars are special to me.
The power windows chattered and the dealer could never fix them.
I think I like the Mercury Monarch sister slightly better, styling wise, the Ford “Seventies Baroque” styling isn’t wearing well, IMHO. For once, the Mercury Monarch was the cleaner, more understated example. Usually, the Fords were the bland version, and the Mercury got the extra bling, but not in this case.
Ford hit a home run with the Granada. Its space efficient boxy shape persuaded many full size buyers to buy the model in a mileage conscious time without sacrificing head room and comfort and it sold well among compact and mid sized competitors. Love the light blue color and the 5.0 liter V8 and automatic combo. My one drive of the Granada/Monarch showed that it had old fashioned numb and over assisted power steering which made the smaller car less agile that it should be since it was billed as a Mercedes and Seville type car with a low price.
Looks very much like a 1978 thunderbird I used to have same colour and same style
I bought a new triple black Granada 1976. It had bucket seats with console and floor shift, a black vinyl top and chrome magnum wheels and 302. It did come with a slight vibration when the air conditioner was cut on. The factory rep quickly had extra bracing installed and problem solved. No other issues ever. Would love to have that car back. And never any shimmy or shake at high speeds.
Vibhic, don’t know if you saw my earlier post. here’s part of it, I have never seen that production number before. I have one that the Marti Report says is 1 of 509. It’s pretty much original, ordered in black with a 302, 4 speed. The A/C in the car was installed at the dealership after it arrived. I do know that it was a special-order car out of Memphis, and I’m unsure why it was considered a special order. It has a black painted top, and I don’t believe it came with a vinyl top. I now take it to local shows, and it draws attention with the 4 speed in it. Minus the vinyl top it sounds a lot like the one you had, right down to the Magnum 500’s. I was glad to read your story. Have a great day.