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Ford Granada (North America)
Encyclopedia
The Ford Granada was a mid-size car
built and marketed by Ford Motor Company
in North America from 1975–1982, along with its sister models, the Mercury Monarch
, and Lincoln Versailles
. The Granada was touted by Ford as a rival to the similarly sized Mercedes-Benz 280
of the time. The Granada and Monarch were available as a 2-door coupe
or a 4-door sedan. A total of 2,066,336 Granadas were produced.
(although the Maverick stayed in production until 1977). Conveniently appearing a year after the 1973 energy crisis the Granada found its niche as “one of the most luxurious compacts on the market” appealing directly to people looking to move out of full-size cars. As such the Maverick stayed in production through 1977 when they were replaced with Ford Fairmont
and the Mercury Zephyr
for the 1978 model year. They were assembled in Wayne, Michigan
and Mahwah, New Jersey
, and also overlapped with the Maverick/Comet's ultimate successors, the Ford Fairmont
and the Mercury Zephyr
, which were released in 1978. The first-generation Granada and Monarch were based on the platform of the Maverick/Comet
four-door. It shared much of its design with earlier Ford compacts and intermediates, dating back to the 1960 Ford Falcon. Powertrain options included the base 200 CID six-cylinder, a 250 CID six, a 302 CID V8 "Windsor
" V8. Available transmissions included a standard three-speed manual
, a four-speed manual with overdrive, and a three-speed automatic
(standard on 302/255-powered cars). The 1981 model year added a 49-state optional 255 CID V8, which was the only V8 offered in California-spec cars that year.
The 1978 model year brought a minor restyling including rectangular headlamps and revised taillights, as well as more aerodynamic "bullet" style side mirrors, features which continued through the end of first-generation Granada/Monarch production in 1980.
The 1976–77 Sports Coupe and S packages included standard heavy-duty suspension, styled steel wheels, striping unique to this option and unique interior trim with standard bucket seats. The Granada's front spindles interchanged with the Pinto
(and the badge engineered
Mercury Bobcat) and Mustang II, but the rotors were larger, at 11 in (279.4 mm) compared to 9.5 in (241.3 mm), and used a "5 on 4½" (five lug, 4.5 in (114.3 mm) bolt circle) pattern. The 1978-80 ESS (European Sport Sedan) replaced the Sports Coupe and S models. Sports Coupes, and ESS models equipped with bucket seats, can be identified by trim codes beginning with "P" on the car's data sticker on the edge of the driver's door. The Granada and Monarch ESS models featured "blacked-out" chrome, and a standard-equipment bucket seat interior with a floor-mounted shifter, although a bench seat was optional. Ford Motor Company's design chief at the time, Stephen Estrada, mentioned later that "The Granada was my favorite design and the one that I'm most proud of". The ESS option included standard color-keyed wheelcovers (styled-steel wheels were optional) and unique opera-window louvres.
(introduced as the 1978 Ford Fairmont
and Mercury Zephyr
) for the 1981 model year and was sold through the 1982 model year. The Granada name was retained, but Ford retired the Monarch name for its Mercury brand as Ford began using a stretched Fox platform to underpin the next-generation Mercury Cougar
sedan. Styling of these cars resembled a slightly bigger and more formal version of the Fairmont, with upgraded interior trim. Base power for the Fox-body Granada was a 2.3 L Lima I4, with an optional 200 cid I6 and 255 CID V8.
A wagon joined the line-up for the 1982 model year, replacing the Fairmont and Zephyr wagons, available in "L" and "GL" forms. The 1982 model also saw the return of the Blue Oval logo on the exterior of a Ford vehicle for the first time since the Great Depression
(the logo was however clearly stamped on an interior aluminum trim piece attached to the door threshold of the first generation Granada, both two- and four-door models). Although most other Ford models saw the logo arrive in 1983 (except for the Fairmont, which was about to be replaced with the Ford Tempo
for 1984, and the Ford Thunderbird
, which rarely had any mention of Ford on the vehicle itself for most of its existence), the Granada saw it arrive a year early, largely as a test. While Ford had quit using the logo on its vehicles during the Depression, it had remained over the years as its logo in all other uses (corporate logo, sales literature, advertisements, owner manuals, dealership signs, etc.) and decided to use it again on its vehicles.
For 1983 the Granada name and styling was retired in the North American market, but the model was replaced by a similar Fox-platform-derived model that used the traditional big-car name LTD
. Ford also offered a Mercury
twin as the Marquis
.
Mid-size car
A mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
built and marketed by Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
in North America from 1975–1982, along with its sister models, the Mercury Monarch
Mercury Monarch
The Mercury Monarch is a compact sedan manufactured by the Ford Motor Company; it was sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division from 1975 to 1980....
, and Lincoln Versailles
Lincoln Versailles
This is about the Lincoln vehicle produced using the Versailles nameplate. For the Ford vehicles sold under the same nameplate, see Ford Versailles...
. The Granada was touted by Ford as a rival to the similarly sized Mercedes-Benz 280
Mercedes-Benz W114
The Mercedes-Benz W114 and W115 models are a series of coupes and sedans introduced in 1968 by Mercedes-Benz, manufactured through model year 1976, and distinguished in the marketplace by nameplates designating their engines....
of the time. The Granada and Monarch were available as a 2-door coupe
Coupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
or a 4-door sedan. A total of 2,066,336 Granadas were produced.
First generation (1975–1980)
Introduced in 1975, the Granada was meant as the successor to the Ford MaverickFord Maverick
The Ford Motor Company has marketed the following models using the Ford Maverick nameplate:* The Ford Maverick , a sport-styled compact car sold in North America and Brazil during the 1970s....
(although the Maverick stayed in production until 1977). Conveniently appearing a year after the 1973 energy crisis the Granada found its niche as “one of the most luxurious compacts on the market” appealing directly to people looking to move out of full-size cars. As such the Maverick stayed in production through 1977 when they were replaced with Ford Fairmont
Ford Fairmont
The Ford Fairmont is a compact car produced by Ford Motor Company for the North American market. Introduced for the 1978 model year, the Fairmont was produced in several bodystyles until it was replaced by the Ford Tempo for the 1984 model year...
and the Mercury Zephyr
Mercury Zephyr
The Mercury Zephyr is a compact car sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company for the North American market. Introduced as a replacement for the Mercury Comet, it was produced from 1978 to 1983...
for the 1978 model year. They were assembled in Wayne, Michigan
Wayne, Michigan
Wayne is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan, southwest of Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 17,593...
and Mahwah, New Jersey
Mahwah, New Jersey
Mahwah is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 25,890. The name Mahwah is derived from the Lenni Lenape word "mawewi" which means "Meeting Place" or "Place Where Paths Meet".The area that is now Mahwah was...
, and also overlapped with the Maverick/Comet's ultimate successors, the Ford Fairmont
Ford Fairmont
The Ford Fairmont is a compact car produced by Ford Motor Company for the North American market. Introduced for the 1978 model year, the Fairmont was produced in several bodystyles until it was replaced by the Ford Tempo for the 1984 model year...
and the Mercury Zephyr
Mercury Zephyr
The Mercury Zephyr is a compact car sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company for the North American market. Introduced as a replacement for the Mercury Comet, it was produced from 1978 to 1983...
, which were released in 1978. The first-generation Granada and Monarch were based on the platform of the Maverick/Comet
Mercury Comet
The Mercury Comet is an automobile produced by the Mercury division of the Ford Motor Company from 1960–1969 and 1971-1977 — variously as either a compact or an intermediate car.The Comet was based on the compact Ford Falcon and later the Ford Maverick...
four-door. It shared much of its design with earlier Ford compacts and intermediates, dating back to the 1960 Ford Falcon. Powertrain options included the base 200 CID six-cylinder, a 250 CID six, a 302 CID V8 "Windsor
Ford Windsor engine
The Windsor is a 90-degree small-block V8 engine from Ford Motor Company. It was introduced in 1962, replacing the previous Ford Y-block engine. Though not all of the engines in this family were produced at the Windsor, Ontario engine plant , the name stuck...
" V8. Available transmissions included a standard three-speed manual
Manual transmission
A manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
, a four-speed manual with overdrive, and a three-speed automatic
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
(standard on 302/255-powered cars). The 1981 model year added a 49-state optional 255 CID V8, which was the only V8 offered in California-spec cars that year.
The 1978 model year brought a minor restyling including rectangular headlamps and revised taillights, as well as more aerodynamic "bullet" style side mirrors, features which continued through the end of first-generation Granada/Monarch production in 1980.
Sub-Models
Ghia versions of both the Granada and Monarch included higher-level interior and exterior trim and added sound insulation. The 1975-76 Grand Monarch Ghia http://gmv-registry.com/generic483.html was a top-of-the line version. The Granada Sports Coupe http://gmv-registry.com/generic488.html was produced in 1976-1977; Mercury offered a similar treatment with its 1976-77 Monarch S.http://gmv-registry.com/generic481.html A 1977–1/2 http://gmv-registry.com/generic489.html variation on the Granada Sports Coupe, produced from May '77 through the end of the model year, featured blacked-out molding, modified trim, taillights, and color selections. Documentation of this half-year model exists in Ford advertising from spring 1977. This car is perhaps the "rarest" of Granada production.The 1976–77 Sports Coupe and S packages included standard heavy-duty suspension, styled steel wheels, striping unique to this option and unique interior trim with standard bucket seats. The Granada's front spindles interchanged with the Pinto
Ford Pinto
The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car produced by the Ford Motor Company for the model years 1971–1980. The car's name derives from the Pinto horse. Initially offered as a two-door sedan, Ford offered "Runabout" hatchback and wagon models the following year, competing in the U.S. market with the AMC...
(and the badge engineered
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
Mercury Bobcat) and Mustang II, but the rotors were larger, at 11 in (279.4 mm) compared to 9.5 in (241.3 mm), and used a "5 on 4½" (five lug, 4.5 in (114.3 mm) bolt circle) pattern. The 1978-80 ESS (European Sport Sedan) replaced the Sports Coupe and S models. Sports Coupes, and ESS models equipped with bucket seats, can be identified by trim codes beginning with "P" on the car's data sticker on the edge of the driver's door. The Granada and Monarch ESS models featured "blacked-out" chrome, and a standard-equipment bucket seat interior with a floor-mounted shifter, although a bench seat was optional. Ford Motor Company's design chief at the time, Stephen Estrada, mentioned later that "The Granada was my favorite design and the one that I'm most proud of". The ESS option included standard color-keyed wheelcovers (styled-steel wheels were optional) and unique opera-window louvres.
Second generation (1981–1982)
The range was moved to the newer Ford Fox platformFord Fox platform
The Ford Fox platform is a rear wheel drive, unitized-chassis, automobile architecture used by Ford Motor Company in North America. Introduced for the 1978 model year, it would go on to be produced until 1993 in its original version; a substantial redesign of the Ford Mustang in 1994 extended its...
(introduced as the 1978 Ford Fairmont
Ford Fairmont
The Ford Fairmont is a compact car produced by Ford Motor Company for the North American market. Introduced for the 1978 model year, the Fairmont was produced in several bodystyles until it was replaced by the Ford Tempo for the 1984 model year...
and Mercury Zephyr
Mercury Zephyr
The Mercury Zephyr is a compact car sold by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company for the North American market. Introduced as a replacement for the Mercury Comet, it was produced from 1978 to 1983...
) for the 1981 model year and was sold through the 1982 model year. The Granada name was retained, but Ford retired the Monarch name for its Mercury brand as Ford began using a stretched Fox platform to underpin the next-generation Mercury Cougar
Mercury Cougar
The Mercury Cougar is an automobile which was sold under the Mercury brand of the Ford Motor Company's Lincoln-Mercury Division from 1967 to 2002. The name was first used in 1967 and was carried by a diverse series of cars over the next three decades. As is common with Mercury vehicles, the Cougar...
sedan. Styling of these cars resembled a slightly bigger and more formal version of the Fairmont, with upgraded interior trim. Base power for the Fox-body Granada was a 2.3 L Lima I4, with an optional 200 cid I6 and 255 CID V8.
A wagon joined the line-up for the 1982 model year, replacing the Fairmont and Zephyr wagons, available in "L" and "GL" forms. The 1982 model also saw the return of the Blue Oval logo on the exterior of a Ford vehicle for the first time since the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
(the logo was however clearly stamped on an interior aluminum trim piece attached to the door threshold of the first generation Granada, both two- and four-door models). Although most other Ford models saw the logo arrive in 1983 (except for the Fairmont, which was about to be replaced with the Ford Tempo
Ford Tempo
The Ford Tempo is a coupe/sedan car model that was produced by Ford Motor Company for model years 1984 to 1994. It was a downsized successor to the boxy Ford Fairmont that introduced "jellybean" styling, which would later be shown on the larger 1986 Ford Taurus. and was replaced in 1994 by the...
for 1984, and the Ford Thunderbird
Ford Thunderbird
The Thunderbird , is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States over eleven model generations from 1955 through 2005...
, which rarely had any mention of Ford on the vehicle itself for most of its existence), the Granada saw it arrive a year early, largely as a test. While Ford had quit using the logo on its vehicles during the Depression, it had remained over the years as its logo in all other uses (corporate logo, sales literature, advertisements, owner manuals, dealership signs, etc.) and decided to use it again on its vehicles.
For 1983 the Granada name and styling was retired in the North American market, but the model was replaced by a similar Fox-platform-derived model that used the traditional big-car name LTD
Ford LTD
The Ford LTD was a car produced by the Ford Motor Company in North America. A range of full-size cars wore various forms of the LTD nameplate from 1965 to 1991 in the United States...
. Ford also offered a Mercury
Mercury (automobile)
Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand...
twin as the Marquis
Mercury Marquis
These were known as the "Continental Styling" years, as Mercury was trying to market itself as an affordable Lincoln, rather than a more expensive Ford...
.
External links
- Four Eyed Pride - A resource for all early Foxes