The Ford Granada was likely one of the safest decisions you could make as a consumer shopping for a mid-sized vehicle. It was neither too risky nor too safe; it was neither exciting or ugly; it was not powerful nor was underpowered (well, if you got the V8); it was everything to everyone. The Granada today is barely a footnote in the automotive history books, no doubt thanks to its average qualities. But finding one that has escaped a standard life of new, used, and then junkyard fodder is somewhat exceptional, as this donated 1978 Granada coupe listed here on eBay shows us. It’s offered with no reserve and bids currently sitting at $1,525.
The Granada was a parts bin special when it was introduced, with Ford pulling components off of different assembly lines and from other parts bins to get it to market. Based on the Maverick, it was never going to be much of a performance car or offer a spirited driving experience, but it could offer some savings off the MSRP and at the pump when stacked against the more luxurious LTD. Again, right in the middle of everything: maybe you really were trying to be cheap but the rest of the world didn’t have to know, because at least you weren’t driving a Maverick. The car shown here has lived a charmed life given how impressively clean it remains.
The extra padding on the seat cushion practically guarantees an older driver kept this Granada in fine shape over the years, and the odometer indicates it has under 5,000 miles. While I doubt highly that the figure is accurate, it really is in striking condition, certainly clean enough that I don’t believe it has high miles, even if this number is inaccurate. The Granada sports the optional automatic transmission, as a manual gearbox did come standard, but it still has manual controls throughout. It even still has its original Motorola AM/FM radio, but that’s about it as it pertains to additional features.
The standard inline-six engine offered around 88 horsepower when new, but a 351 v8 was optional. When the Granada was making the rounds as a new model, Ford relied heavily on a marketing campaign that drew comparisons between it and “comparable” Mercedes-Benz models (for the sedan, it was the W123 and for the coupe, like this one, a C107). The ads today look borderline hilarious in terms of Ford was hoping shoppers would compare the two models on a feature-by-feature basis, while choosing to ignore the fact that most Mercedes shoppers bought those cars for the prestige factor alone, a feature sorely lacking in any Granada model. Still, survivors are rare, and this one will likely go quite cheaply to the next caretaker.
Looks as it was a one owner car that could not use it any longer. I am pretty sure it’s spun that odometer around at least once. It does look as it was maintained well, newer master and that positive battery cable caught my eye. This is a Fox body platform and would make a great sleeper. It amazing that Ford used this platform until 1995, yes that 95 Mustang still used the fox platform. SN 95 parts will give you brake upgrades etc.
This generation of Granada was not on the Fox platform. Its platform roots date all the way back to the 1960 Falcon.
1972 to 76 is the first generation of the car and that would be correct.. This is the second generation and is based off the Fox platform.
Yeah from what I am reading it says 1981-82 was when the Granada used the Fox platform.
Bob those are shocks on the front your correct. I apologize Struts would be the give away.
Nice nod to the European 🇪🇺 flavor and flair Ford intended with this Granada coupè model Lavery. 😌
Yeah, bu!!sh!t was a thing even back then. But nowhere at the level it is these days if you know what I mean.
The `78-`80 Granada ESS was the model that was marketed as comparable to a Mercedes W123 models.
Blacked out trim, bucket seats and floor shifter was standard, with a bench seat optional. Special louvered quarter window & color keyed wheels.
This is not that car.
My 76 Granada was an ok car for its time. Realize that most of what we were offered back then was no where the quality we get today. So if you kept it up, touched up nicks and chips to prevent rust, re-glued on plastic trim that came loose, you were rewarded with a quiet smooth ride and reasonable fuel economy. Mine had a 302 and 3 speed manual which delivered better mileage than the six with automatic in real world driving. Not exactly a collector car but then there is no fuel injection, air bags, back up cameras or modern electrical stuff to have costly repairs. Should be inexpensive to run.
I believe at one point we had the largest collection of Granda’s on the east coast :) We had a 1976 4 door v8 auto that was metallic brown with a tan landeau top and tan vinyl seats and a 1976 4 door white with cranberry red vinyl interior v8 auto. I dont remember anyone having one let alone 2 of these. I drove the brown one for a bit while in highschool I added Kraco 6×9 speakers in the rear and a audiovox FM tuner. The car was very reliable had ice cold AC and hot heat. We drove it till the rear bumper fell off and then sold it to the junk yard. We has it for well over 20 years ! Used it and abused it and it never let us down. I am kind sorta looking for another one!
No dissing the Maverick! We had a ’74 four-door bought new for my mother that was quite reliable – in fact, my father counts it as one of the top cars he ever bought, still to this day. Paired with his ’71 LTD with a 429, we were very much a Ford family back then.
I never liked the square headlights on this Granada. The round ones looked better in my opinion.
I’m glad you mentioned the ads, Scotty. I collect original broadcasts (most with original commercials) of sporting events, mostly from the 70s and 80s, and the Granada ads are hilarious in Ford’s attempt to compare it to a Mercedes. Same goes for explaining the “excitement” of the Mustang II, or the later EXP. Maybe it worked for Ford in 1977 …