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Thread: Ford Granada (North America) 1st gen 1975-1980

  1. #1
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    Ford Granada (North America) 1st gen 1975-1980

    Ford Granada #1
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  2. #2
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    Not hi-res, but still worth sharing (and possibly good for a laugh).
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    UCP's biggest (only?) fan of the '74-'76 Mercury Cougar.
    UCP's proudest owner of a '74 Cougar

    My favorite color is chrome.

  3. #3
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    My father bought a new Granada Ghia in 1976. It had a 302, 2 barrel carb and 130 ground pounding HP...not. It was a comfortable car, but nothing to write home about. I remember it fondly since that's that car I drove when I got my first drivers licence. In the ad I've posted, the Granada is the same color as the one we had.
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    "NEVER ALLOW SOMEONE TO BE YOUR PRIORITY, WHILE ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE THEIR OPTION"

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    Ford Granаda (1978)
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  5. #5
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    Sorry for bringing back the dead, but I read today that a late Seventies Granada was Barack Obama's first car, and unsurprisingly, the traitorious unAmerican bastard hated it.
    As a way of apologizing for bringin back this thread, I will let you feast your eyes on this red-blooded American car.
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    Last edited by Man of Steel; 10-10-2021 at 11:49 AM.
    "Kimi, can you improve on your [race] finish?"
    "No. My Finnish is fine; I am from Finland. Do you have any water?"

  6. #6
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    where will you post McCains T Ford that he bought brand new form the factory?
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  7. #7
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    I always though McCain was a covered-wagon man.
    "Kimi, can you improve on your [race] finish?"
    "No. My Finnish is fine; I am from Finland. Do you have any water?"

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by f6fhellcat13 View Post
    I always though McCain was a covered-wagon man.
    hearse?
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  9. #9
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    no
    also called prairie schooners
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    "Kimi, can you improve on your [race] finish?"
    "No. My Finnish is fine; I am from Finland. Do you have any water?"

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by f6fhellcat13 View Post
    no
    also called prairie schooners
    nah, too sophisticated....
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  11. #11
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    The North American version of the Ford Granada is a range of sedans that was manufactured and marketed by Ford; two generations of the model line were sold from 1975 to 1982. Developed as the original successor for the Ford Maverick, the Granada shares its name with Ford of Europe's flagship sedan. The model line was marketed as a luxury compact vehicle, expanding the segment in the United States.

    The first generation of the Granada was a compact sedan, slotted between the Maverick and the Torino (and the Fairmont and LTD II that replaced them) in the Ford sedan range. The second generation was a mid-size sedan, slotted beside the Fairmont and LTD. For the 1983 model year, the Granada underwent a mid-cycle revision, taking on the Ford LTD nameplate; the model line was ultimately replaced by the Ford Taurus for 1986.

    In total, over two million examples of the Ford Granada were produced for the U.S. market. The first generation was produced by Mahwah Assembly and Michigan Assembly with the second generation produced by Atlanta Assembly and Chicago Assembly.

    Background
    While originally intended to replace the Ford Maverick, design work for the Ford Granada predated the 1973 fuel crisis. In 1969, Ford began research predicting the emergence of the luxury compact segment, driven by gasoline prices, multiple-vehicle families, and urban traffic. In 1970, Ford began design work on a prototype vehicle, later becoming the production Granada. In what would later become a central theme of the marketing of the Granada, Ford benchmarked the Mercedes-Benz 280 (W114), using it as a basis for styling and dimensions. As an alternative, Ford considered importing Ford Granada produced by Ford of Europe; it was rejected as cost-prohibitive.

    To expand its sales potential of fuel-efficient automobiles, the Ford Granada was redeveloped before its launch, becoming an additional compact model line. While not intended as a direct competitor for European luxury sedans (such as Mercedes-Benz or BMW), Ford intended for the Granada to be sold to buyers either downsizing from a larger intermediate or full-size car while wanting to retain the same comfort and convenience features along with buyers seeking to upgrade from a lower-content compact car.

    First generation (1975–1980)
    The first generation of the Granada was introduced for the 1975 model year, slotted between the Maverick and the Torino within the Ford product line. Originally intended as the successor for the Maverick, the development of the Granada was heavily influenced by the 1973 oil crisis. In response to increased demand for compact-segment automobiles, Ford continued the production of Maverick (through the 1977 model year); the Granada was repackaged as a premium vehicle in its segment.

    In its most basic form, the Ford Granada offered few standard features over the Maverick (including manual steering, non-power brakes, and a column-shifted manual transmission). To allow for a high degree of owner customization, the option list for the Granada was long, adding many features traditionally included on the Ford Gran Torino and Ford LTD.

    Chassis
    The Ford Granada derives its rear-wheel drive chassis from the 1960–1965 Ford Falcon (effectively giving the model line mechanical commonality with the first-generation Ford Mustang and Mercury Cougar). Retaining the use of unibody construction, the Granada was equipped with coil-spring front suspension; it was equipped with a leaf-sprung live rear axle (in contrast to larger Ford sedans). Both versions of the Ford Granada have a 109.9 inch wheelbase, derived from the four-door Ford Maverick.

    While the Granada was largely a clean-sheet design, the forward part of the floorpan of the Maverick was adopted into the unibody structure, along with elements of the steering gear and suspension.

    The standard brakes for the Ford Granada were front disc (11-inch rotors) and rear drums (10-inch). Four-wheel disc brakes were offered as an option, offered with an optional anti-lock system (marketed as "anti-skid" brakes), powered by a central hydraulic system.

    The Ford Granada was equipped with a 200 cubic-inch inline-six engine as standard, with a 250 cubic-inch inline-six as an optional engine. Shared with the Maverick, the 302 Windsor V8 was offered as an option; the 351 Windsor V8 was an option solely for the Granada. A three-speed manual (column-shifted or floor shifted) was standard, with a three-speed automatic offered as an option (standard on the 351 V8); a four-speed manual was introduced in 1976.

    Body
    The first-generation Ford Granada was offered as a four-door sedan and two-door coupe. In a major shift away from the Coke-bottle styling of the Ford Maverick, the Granada adopted a combination of both U.S. and European design elements. The roofline of the four-door sedan was heavily influenced by Mercedes-Benz, along with the proportion of the taillamps and grille. The two-door was given a separate roofline; the trapezoidal door window with an opera window in the B/C-pillar was a design feature later used in the Ford Thunderbird, Ford Fairmont Futura coupe, Ford LTD 2-door, Ford LTD II and all of their Mercury badged counterparts.

    While designed independently from the U.S. Ford Granada, the European Ford Granada Mark II (produced from 1977 to 1982) would adopt similar design features as its four-door U.S. counterpart, including the roofline and rear fascia. For 1978, the exterior of the Ford Granada underwent a mid-cycle revision, concentrating on the front fascia. In addition to a revised grille design, the round headlamps were replaced by rectangular units stacked above the turn signal lenses (to more closely match the design of the Ford LTD II and the Mercedes-Benz W114). The rear fascia was given revised taillamp lenses and revised center panel trim if optionally equipped. In the interest of aerodynamics, the sideview mirrors were changed from rectangular to oval.

    Trim
    In addition to the unnamed base-trim level produced during model years 1975 to 1980, Ford offered the first-generation Ford Granada in three additional trim levels during its production. In a break from Ford nomenclature, two Ford Granada trim levels shared names with their Mercury Monarch equivalent.

    During model years 1976 to 1977, the Granada was sold in a Sports Coupe trim (the Monarch equivalent was the Monarch S). In addition to cosmetic upgrades (styled steel wheels, exterior striping, bucket seats, and interior trim) the Sports Coupe was given heavy-duty suspension and larger front brakes. A 1977½ variation on the Granada Sports Coupe, produced from May 1977 through the end of the model year, featured blacked-out molding, modified trim, taillights, and color selections.

    As a replacement for the Sports Coupe, Ford introduced the Ford Granada ESS, produced from 1978 to 1980 (Mercury also sold a Monarch ESS). Distinguished by its blacked-out exterior trim, the Granada/Monarch ESS featured bucket seats with a floor-mounted shifter as standard equipment (though a bench seat was optional). The ESS option included standard color-keyed wheelcovers (styled-steel wheels were optional) and unique opera-window louvres for coupes. As part of the marketing for the ESS trim line, Ford visually compared the Granada to the Mercedes-Benz W123.

    The top trim level of the Granada was the Granada Ghia (a name shared with both its European counterpart and the Mercury Monarch). Externally distinguished by a vinyl roof, the Ghia received an upgraded interior; with either cloth or leather seats offered as options, along with a wood-trimmed dashboard.

    Ford did not offer its own equivalent of the 1975 to 1976 Mercury Grand Monarch Ghia; the trim line was repackaged as the Lincoln Versailles for 1977.

    Source: Wikipedia

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    Ford Granada (1st gen) #7
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    Ford Granada (1st gen) #8

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