The Granada was initially conceived as the successor to the Maverick. And it was introduced while the latter was still in production. The Maverick continued to attract buyers as a bargain compact, so the Granada became the premium offering. This 1976 Granada is a “Henry County Coupe” edition, which may have been a localized thing with Ford dealers in Martinsville, Virginia, where Henry County is. This really nice, two-owner example is now in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and is offered here on craigslist for $20,000. A nod goes to Rocco B. for fielding this FOMOCO tip.
Ford sold about two million Granadas between 1975 and 1982 across two generations (first, as a compact, then as a mid-size). You’re apt to find a nice Maverick these days as opposed to a Granada, as the Granada is a prime example of U.S. cars built during the “Malaise Era,” where production values were soft, and creativity was weak. We searched the Interweb and didn’t find much on the Henry County Coupe, though the seller’s car has HCC decals on the front fenders and a plaque on the dashboard. But it looks to have been a highly optioned coupe with an opera-window roof treatment.
This car has been listed on behalf of an older owner who apparently isn’t tech-savvy. For the car’s first 25 years, it was owned by a little old lady who sold it to the current owner with just 68,000 miles. Since around the turn of the century, it has only traveled another 4,000 miles, being driven to car shows and the like, given some of its badging and recognition. The body and black paint look really good, as do the tan vinyl roof and matching interior. If any options were missed when this car was ordered, who knows what they might be?
If you want to know any more about the vehicle, you will have to call the seller, not email the listing party. This could be one of the nicest mid-1970s Granadas left in these here parts, but is it worth $20,000? Has the passage of time put the Granada into the same collectible category as, say, a 1960s Ford Mustang? At least it has a 302 cubic inch V8, so the car should be reasonably peppy considering all the smog controls of the day.
“If any options were missed when this car was ordered, who knows what they might be?”
Tissue holder for granny?
The tissue holder was also offered for some mustang years, the California special had one.
Where would it be? On the console? Interesting cupholder things too, those look too small to be real cupholders in the last picture.
How about California emissions as they say on TPIR
But is it a real Henry County Coupe, or a Tribute, like the paperwork states?
Notwithstanding, I’ll sleep well tonight not knowing this.
Marti report…ha, ha
20K for an extra name plate on a Granada??
Not gonna happen,….
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Granada or Monarch with buckets and console, and power windows. The power window switch looks GM, though. Maybe it was added? Very nicely optioned for their entry level car, and even with a weak 302, it’s better than the straight six most of them had. These cars were everywhere when I was a kid, like Hyundai Elantras of today. I hope it finds a good home.
My dad had a fully loaded 80 4 door. It had all power options available and I remember having to help replace a window motor. I hated it, helped me replace 1 in a lincoln years later tho.
All of the Big Three used the same power window switches back then, probably sourced from the same supplier. They had a bad flaw in that if they were mounted in the console and landed on the wrong way, they could raise the window and trap a dog or small child’s neck in the window, choking them to death! This was most likely to happen if a sibling was crawling around inside the car and leaned on the switch by mistake while their sibling or pet had their head stuck out of the window. Modern cars have switches designed so that if you push down on them, the window goes down. To raise the window, you have to lift up on the switch with your finger, a much safer design.
The power window switches on this particular Granada are definitely not factory Ford supplied. Granada power window switches were mounted on the doors similar to the more commonly seen Elite/Cougar; unless on the Ghia 4-door with the Luxury Decor Interior Option, mounted in the door armrest areas similar to LTD etc.
Have to admit, this is the first Granada I have ever seen with bucket seats, center console, and auto-on-the-floor. Cool car, but not $20k cool.
Very nice car I would love to own it. But I am in sticker shock and can’t shake it off.
Those HCC badges and stickers are a real negative as far as I’m concerned. Looks like it’s something that a dealer in Virginia came up with…. about as meaningful as a dealership badge on the trunk lid. (From Google……”Sold primarily by Mitchell-Howell Ford in Martinsville, Virginia….these, often black, 2-door coupes typically featured a 302 V8 engine, Cragar S/S wheels, dual exhaust, spotlights, and heavy-duty suspension.”)
Well, I don’t see any Cragars, those spotlights look ridiculous, and removing the sticker and badges would require refinishing the surfaces onto which they are applied.
Regardless, any Granada going for $20K would have to offer a lot more than this. Even half that might be too much.
It needs more spot lights. $20k????? Seriously? I would think $10k would be a stretch. Hard pass.
Easy pass.
I can think of so many other cars that I could have for 20k. Sorry, that’s overpriced IMO.
Honestly, the most interesting Granada-like derivative was the Versailles. Lincoln luxury, a 351, 4-wheel discs and 9” rear! All cars are becoming expensive though, even these average Granadas…I remember seeing cars in the late ’80s and early ’90s in Auto Trader newspaper magazines for $1000 or even less.
A $3000 max transportation tool.
Nothing very memorable good or bad, just transportation.
I’m gonna slightly disagree with you here. It’s too nice to be just a $3000 transportation tool. It’s also a rarity 50 years on. I think it can fairly be a $7500 car, give or take.
Even though it wasn’t rare or special back in the day, I can’t remember the last time I saw a Grenada in the wild; I can’t remember even seeing them in the late 1980’s…
Someone told grandpa his nicely optioned Granada coupe was a rarity.
Grandpa and Granada in the same sentence makes my eyes go crossed !
Never ever would I have ever think I would see the day where a Granada was for sale for $20k
All 2-door Granadas had that opera window in the roof. This isn’t fully optioned either, it could have come with a 351 Windsor. It wasn’t common but was available. I’m thinking this “special edition” maybe a special dealer package only. I’ve never heard of one and I remember when Granadas were common on the roads.
I had one with the 351 and it was a decent performer. Nice driving car, but nondescript in the looks department.
True, but it doesn’t matter if that 351 was either a Cleveland or a Windsor, there are lots of performance upgrade parts available for them. Much like the 289/302, there’s a whole cottage industry of go-fast parts suppliers for that 351!
Ford made the 351 Cleveland from 1970-1974
When I first saw the pics I had mistakened the Granada for a Cadillac Seville and Mercedes. NOT!
Ford redesigned the Granada while it was in early development. They desperately needed more smaller car models in their showrooms after the Fuel Crisis of 1973 The Maverick remained “Cheap and Cheerful,” and the new model used the Mercedes Benz 300 series cars as a template, and a strong styling influence.
Ford was not trying to convince anyone that its new compact was a serious Mercedes competitor.
They did want the downsizing Ford Crown Victoria and Grand Marquis owners not to buy a Toyota or Datsun, and they wanted that owner to view their car as a cut above, if not actually aspirational
The Maverick & Granada were great cars. I wish I still had them but sorry not for $20,000 Maybe $12,000
Also the Granada’s sister car the Mercury Monarch.
rare to see with buckets seats for sure. i know for a fact that granny did not put those tailpipes on it and to get that aaca badge the car needs to be 100% stock i am almost positive. its clean and with a good color combo but 20k. i don’t think so. i think the person trying to help out this guy is not really being honest with him on the price. i think that 7500.00 is top of the scale. maybe 10k if there is a gotta have it buyer. i think the picture at the gas pump is not a flattering picture to post
They were really decent cars. Today ? An interesting daily driver. But competing as such with a number of Japanese cars the real difference is illustrated by the picture of it at the gas pump. :-) Terry J
I lived in Henry County, VA, in the late ’80’s and remember these Henry County Coupes. They were nice, but, yeah, just a local dealer decal package on a decently-optioned car. My uncle up on Long Island (NY) had a Grenada coupe with buckets and a console, so Grenadas with buckets and consoles must not have been that rare. While this is a nice bit of nostalgia and I enjoy seeing just about any old car in nice condition, $20,000 or even $12,000 seems insane to me. I could see $7,500.
20k is Absolutely Absurd for a common undesirable 76 Granada or a 76 Mercury Monarch for that matter with the mileage listed. I’m experiencing sticker shock as well.
An option for the granada is the 9″ rear end with factory disc brakes, highly sought after by mustang folks. It bolts right up.
Yes sir, the Versailles 9” is a direct bolt-in to any Mustang up to 1970. Add the fact disc brakes were also featured on this set-up and one can understand why they were sought after. However, if you find one, note the left and right rear discs are unidirectional due to the manner the cooling fins are oriented. The discs were either stamped or cast with letters “L” & “R”.
True, but those 9″ rear ends are getting increasingly rare at the junkyards, er, excuse me, auto recycling centers, LOL! I’m not sure if you can buy the 9″ rear end on the aftermarket, but there are bolt-on disc brake conversion kits available for short money. If anyone knows where you can buy a brand new Ford 9″ rear axle, I’d love to know who sells them and how much they cost!
Many aftermarket companies sell 9″ Rear ends complete now. Expensive though! Currie, Mark Williams to name a few.
Too bad the dealer ruined what would otherwise be a very desirable car by sticking that ridiculous spot light on it.
Was that for well to do poachers back then?
This is a regular production model called the Granada 2-Door Sports Sedan. It is featured in the 1976 Granada brochure. Black, White or Dark Brown paint choice, half top in Black, Gold or White. Gold pin stripes. Sport mirrors, bucket seats with woven-look trim on seats and doors. Gold detailed sport wheels and a heavy-duty sport suspension.
Power windows were available on Granadas, but the switches were on the doors; these are aftermarket (probably dealer installed along with the Henry County Coupe stickers/plaque that probably added a nice, totally bogus markup).
The console was is optional equipment on this model.
This Granada appears to be in very good condition, and I’m sure it is rare due to these being so unloved, but is wildly overpriced.
The Good: Overall condition, loaded option list, including the V8. The Bad: Over priced by about double what it’s worth, “Malaise Era” anti-smog gear. The Ugly: Vinyl roof, Malaise Era Ford “three-box” styling, baroque grill! The Verdict: The first “Fox Body”platform car, predates the Fox Body Mustang by a year, so lots of Mustang parts will fit. A classic example of the Malaise Era, not many remain today, most were consumed by rust, crushed and recycled. The motor and suspension can be brought to life with the usual assortment of Mustang go-fast parts, and the luxury interior, with bucket seats likely sourced from an LDO Maverick, is a big plus!
I prefer the styling of the Maverick’s true successor, the Fairmont, with it’s clean, crisp look, as opposed to the rather baroque look these cars wore, but this one is a true survivor, worthy of preservation for that reason alone, but not at the $20k asking price. As for the “Henry County Ford” badges, Meh. Color them gone IMHO. GLWTS in any case.
Really beautiful condition example but $20k? I think his Alzheimer’s is getting worse.
I get the spot lights. They can make a deer freeze on the side of a road instead of running into the car. Lots of deer in Henry County.
How nice! Grandma & Grandpa didn’t want to hurt Bambi, LOL!
It’s a Granada . I give him 6000 top
Clearly nobody here is looking to buy this car. Manufacturers and distributors are inclined to produce special editions to generate interest. If done correctly they are a success and make some additional profit for those involved. Custom trucks and vans are an example most of us can relate to. Ford needed an upmarket compact car more than a replacement for the Maverick. The public responded and the Maverick lived on until its replacement, the Fairmont, arrived. What this buyer got was a 7/8 scale GM G-body and they were happy with that. I’m also not a buyer here, but this appears to be in very good condition. Love those front seats.
True, but I would be surprised if even one of these were sold outside of the county in question
I would also be astounded if it were not put together by the dealerships in Martinsville, reaping generous profits
I’m sure you’re right. It’s the name of the game. Your car says a lot about you. These spoke to someone and that’s all that matters. Every unit sold is money in someone’s pocket. The upfitter, dealer, salesman, barber, diner, grocer, gas station owner and the taxes collected to provide infrastructure and services. Money makes the world go round.
Had a 75 Granada Ghia 4dr,bucket seats and console, disc brakes 351W with a 9in.Put a 4bl and dual exhaust on it.That made it a fun car it drive .
Granada? For that kinda scratch you might as well check to see if numbers match and engine block stamping.
nice
Pop bought Mom a new 76 Granada Ghia 2 door. 302 + AC +automatic. Was perfect for my mom. I drove it a few times and was unimpressed with it. Floated like a barge and was just as slow. It was very quiet inside, but those seats were way too soft. Sitting in the back seat was like being in a cave. My folks got many carefree miles out of it. When Mom passed, Pop put it in the garage and never drove it again except for weekends. He would back it out, wash it and put it back in the garage. Finally sold it after he passed years later. Hated to let it go but I didn’t want to drive it either. It was Mom’s car.
This is a really nice Granada years ago I got to drive one optioned like this but in green and had a manual in the same console, power windows were mounted on the doors in the same square switch box with wood grain Ford used in everything at that time. But as nice as this one is there is no way I pay 20k maybe 6-7k and that’s a stretch.
Really can’t remember seeing any coupes but obviously they built a few, good luck pulling 20k for it though.
I am surprised by several things here. First how many comments there are. Second, how many people are so knowledgeable about Granadas. And how much the ask is for this one. When these were new I didn’t pay any attention to them and until this popped up on BF I had forgotten all about them. There’s a reason why this period of time is referred to as the Malaise Era. GLWTS. I truly wish the elderly gentleman well. And I hope his prized car finds a good home.
Personally, except for all the dealer glitz that was added, I like this car. A car is a “collector” because somebody wants it. As one generation dies off, the demand for that generation’s “collector” cars starts to wain.
People desire cars that impressed them in their youth. A Model A, not in my youth. A Granada, in my youth.
Collector cars in some years from now I think will be gone. Can you vision a Honda Fit as a collector car? or a Hyundai XG-350 as a collector? 30-40 years from now? I think the old autos trucks up to the yr. 2000 should all be cherished because the end is near. 1995 is the year I saw the closing of Santa Fe Speedway in Willow Springs, Illinois close. A Stock Car Dirt Track and my heart jumped up in sadness and that said to me……………….The End.
Had a few of these come through friends and family over the years. Dad worked at a Ford dealership and had a 75 Ghia as a demonstrator. Dark blue, whitr roof, metallic silver blue interior. Had that early catalytic converter eggy smell. Two adults and three teens were “cozy” in there. But they sold a lot of them, mostly to older people. Someone at work typed up an order for one and misspelled it “Grandad” and, intentional.or not, made my dad laugh like crazy as it was sooooo appropriate.
Two friends and I spent two days cursing and practically dissembling a 76 Granada to change the blasted wiper motor which was buried in there somewhere.
This one looks great, save for the dealer option special edition decals, but not $20k great.
Price has been lowered – to 18K.
I’m not sure if this has the Ghia trim, but it has the optional Ghia buckets and console. It also has the Ghia mechanical “digital” clock that unfortunately has been covered by that tacky HCC plate.
Price was lowered to 16K OBO, not surprising,…