Ford Granada (Europe)
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The European Ford Granada is a large
executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and small ...
manufactured by
Ford Europe Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany. History Ford of Europe was founded in 1967 by the merger of Ford of Bri ...
from 1972 until 1994. The first-generation model was produced from 1972 to 1976 at Ford’s German factory in
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
and at its British factory in
Dagenham Dagenham () is a town in East London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Dagenham is centred east of Charing Cross. It was historically a rural parish in the Becontree Hundred of Essex, stretching from Hainault Forest ...
. In 1976, production switched entirely to Germany. The original version was replaced in 1977 by a second-generation model which was produced until 1985. From 1985 to 1994, the Granada name was used, in the United Kingdom and Ireland only, for a third-generation model which was sold in other European markets as the
Ford Scorpio The Ford Scorpio is an executive car that was produced by Ford Europe from 1985 to 1998. It was the replacement for the European Ford Granada line (although in the UK and Ireland the Scorpio was marketed under the Granada name until 1994). Li ...
and in North America as the
Merkur Scorpio The Merkur Scorpio is a mid-size luxury car that was marketed by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford for the 1988 and 1989 model years through its Merkur sub-brand. Slotted above the Merkur XR4Ti in the model line, the Scorpio served as the fla ...
. __TOC__


Mark I (1972–1977)

Launched in March 1972, the Granada succeeded the British
Ford Zephyr The Ford Zephyr is an executive car manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1950 until 1972. The Zephyr and its luxury variants, the Ford Zodiac and Ford Executive, were the largest passenger cars in the British Ford range from 1950 until their r ...
, and the German P7-series as Ford's European
executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car which is equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and the non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars), and small ...
offering, and completed the integration of Ford's British and German model ranges. At first, lower models in the range were called the
Ford Consul The Ford Consul is a car that was manufactured by Ford of Britain from 1951 until 1962. The name was later revived for a model produced by Ford in both the UK and in Germany from 1972 until 1975. Between 1951 and 1962, the Consul was the four-cy ...
. This may have been because of a lawsuit by Granada Group, a major British conglomerate of the time; however, their application for an injunction failed at appeal and they could not prevent Ford from registering the name Granada as a trademark thus from 1975 on they were all called Granadas. The car soon became popular for
taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
, fleet, and police use. It was also converted into
limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment. A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a prof ...
and
hearse A hearse is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin at a funeral, wake, or memorial service. They range from deliberately a ...
versions by the British companies
Coleman Milne Coleman Milne is a coachbuilder in the United Kingdom that specialises in converting cars into funeral vehicles, stretched limousines, preparation of police vehicles and other specialist vehicles. Coleman Milne creates, builds, and sells hearse ...
and Woodall Nicholson. Traditional four-door limousines were offered (both long and short versions) alongside an unusual four-door "coupé limousine" (only 12 built), as well as hearses in either two- or four-door configurations. Mechanically, the British Granada conformed to Ford convention, the initial range using the Ford Essex V4 unit in 2.0 L
displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics *Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...
, and the Essex V6 engine in 2.5 and 3.0 L capacities. German models employed a
Ford Taunus V4 engine The Ford Taunus V4 engine is a 60° V4 piston engine with one balance shaft, introduced by Ford Motor Company in Germany in 1962. The German V4 was built in the Cologne plant and powered the Ford Taunus and German versions of the Consul, Capri, an ...
in 1.7 L displacement, or the 3.0L Essex V6, or, more commonly the Cologne V6 in 2.0, 2.3, or 2.6 L capacities. The V4 engine option was short lived - and was later replaced by the in-line "Pinto" (TL-series) unit in 1974. The car generally followed the mechanical layout of its predecessors Ford Zephyr/Zodiac, using a coil-spring independent rear end, although front
MacPherson strut The MacPherson strut is a type of automotive suspension system that uses the top of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in the front suspension of modern vehicles, and is named for American automotive engineer Ear ...
s were replaced by double wishbones, introduced 18 months earlier in smaller TC Cortina and Taunus. However, the Granada – like Ford 17M/20M/26M – featured drum brakes at rear, as opposed to the Zephyr/Zodiac rear disc brakes. The car was available as a four-door saloon, a five-door estate (Turnier), and a two-door
fastback A fastback is an automotive styling feature, defined by the rear of the car having a single slope from the roof to the tail. The kammback is a type of fastback style. Some models, such as the Ford Mustang, have been specifically marketed as ...
coupé A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...
. The early (1972–73) coupé had slightly different sheet metal - a more pronounced
coke bottle styling Coke bottle styling is an automotive body design with a narrow center surrounded by flaring fenders which bears a general resemblance to a Coca-Cola classic glass contour bottle design. It was introduced by industrial designer Raymond Loewy on ...
. In 1974, the coupé was revised, with straighter lines. A two-door saloon joined the range in May 1973, reducing the entry-level advertised German price of the car by 415 Marks, but the two-door saloon version was never produced nor officially sold in the UK. The revised “straight line rear wing” coupé was sold only in 3.0 Ghia trim in the UK, but elsewhere in Europe it was sold with other trims and all engines were available. This was the reverse of the situation with the TC Cortina and
Taunus The Taunus is a mountain range in Hesse, Germany, located north of Frankfurt. The tallest peak in the range is '' Großer Feldberg'' at 878 m; other notable peaks are ''Kleiner Feldberg'' (825 m) and '' Altkönig'' (798 m). The Taunus range span ...
, where the British model had the " coke-bottle" styling. In continental Europe, the 1976-1977 Granadas were also available with the fuel-injected Cologne V6, producing . ;South Africa In South Africa, the Granada Perana V8, built by
Basil Green Motors Basil Green Motors ( VIN: BG) is a former car manufacturer and racing team which is located in Edenvale, Gauteng near Johannesburg, South Africa. The company has specialised in Ford vehicles, in which the manufacturer's models are recognised by ...
, was available through Ford dealers with the Windsor V8 engine, developing and at 2600 rpm. Most Granadas in South Africa, however, were fitted with the 3.0 L six. The 2.5 L V6 was also offered, although this model was discontinued in 1975 as the six-cylinder Cortina increased in sales. The Granada was introduced to South Africa in late 1972 in 3000 GXL automatic trim, with other models (3000 XL, Coupé, 2500 L) to follow. The coupé was the last model planned, with a scheduled introduction for May 1973. The Granada replaced both the Australian-made
Falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...
(sold as a "Fairmont" locally) and the 20M of German origins. File:Ford_Granada_Consul_2_door_sedan.jpg, Ford Consul two-door saloon File:Ford Consul 2000 first reg August 1975 1993cc.JPG, Ford Consul four-door saloon File:1976 Ford Granada L 2000 Estate (14794742205).jpg, Ford Granada Mark I estate File:Ford Granada Coupe before rear three quarters reworked.JPG, Ford Granada Mark I coupé File:Ford Granada Coupe with Alpine greenery.jpg, Ford Granada Mark I coupé, later version


Mark II (1977–1985)

The square and straight-lined Granada Mark II - known internally within Ford as "Granada 78" - was released in August 1977 (for the 1978 model year) and was produced until April 1985 following a mild facelift and attention to drivetrain
noise, vibration, and harshness Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), also known as noise and vibration (N&V), is the study and modification of the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks. While noise and vibration can be readily measured, ...
in 1981. The Mark II was essentially a reskin of the 1972 car, with new external panelwork that brought the Granada into line with Ford's new design language initiated by stylist
Uwe Bahnsen Uwe Bahnsen (1930 in Hamburg – 30 July 2013 in south-west France) was an accomplished German painter, sculpter and car designer, widely noted for his 28-year career at Ford Motor Company, where he designed the second-generation Mercury Capri ...
, taking styling cues also used on the recently launched Cortina/Taunus Mk IV and Mk I Fiesta. The rear panelwork of the estate version was virtually unchanged from the Mk I Granada apart from details. The engineering was very similar, the main differences being the "Cologne" V6 engine in 2.0, 2.3, and 2.8 L forms replacing the older "Essex" unit, and the introduction of features such as
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
and, for the top-priced 2.8-litre versions, fuel-injection. In mainland Europe, a 1.7 L V4 was originally available. By the time of its introduction, UK Granada production had been quietly abandoned "for some time"; UK market Granada IIs were imported from Germany. Internally within Ford, the "Cologne" 1.7, 2.0, 2.3, and 2.8 units were the last derivatives of the 'V-Taunus' range of engines. UK and Irish spec 2.0 Granadas used the 4-cylinder " "Pinto" (or TL-series) engine, as did continental market 1.6 versions - this smaller capacity was deemed too small for the British and Irish markets and was therefore not offered. The coupé was discontinued when the new model began production, although there was a two-door saloon version in certain European markets. A relatively low number of vehicles were also produced with an Indenor four-cylinder
diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-call ...
in 1.9-, 2.1- and 2.5-litre capacities. Originally only available as four-door saloons (the later 2.5 also as an estate), most of these went to taxi operators, and few survive. The smallest 1.9 was quite underpowered and was soon replaced by the somewhat more powerful 2.1, which was presented as the "Granada GLD" in March 1979 at Geneva. By 1982, this was replaced by the more capable 2.5. Fuel-injected 2.8 models were originally rated at 160bhp and offered with a unique 'S' pack (based on L trim but with updated suspension, TRX wheels and tyres and spotlights) or with normal GL or Ghia trim. In 1979, the “iS” and “iGL” were replaced by the 2.8i GLS. A limited edition “Sapphire” model was also announced with slightly different trim and two tone blue over silver paintwork (strangely, the rocker panels were painted in body colour rather than matt black which made the side profile of the car look deeper and less sleek). Today early injection models are particularly rare. The 2.8i S model was immortalised by the silver vehicle used in the TV series ''
The Sweeney ''The Sweeney'' is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. It stars John Thaw as Detective Ins ...
''. Changes for 1980 were limited to new colours and new, more comfortable seats. The Granada was a strong seller in the UK, peaking in 1979 as the seventh best selling car with more than 50,000 sales, and also appearing in the top 10 for sales figures in 1978 and 1982. It remained the best selling car in this sector in Britain throughout its whole production run, despite competition from the likes of the
Leyland Princess The Princess is a large family car produced in the United Kingdom by the Austin-Morris division of British Leyland from 1975 until 1981 (1982 in New Zealand). The car inherited a front-wheel drive / transverse engine configuration from its pr ...
,
Rover SD1 The Rover SD1 is both the code name and eventual production name given to a series of executive cars built by the Specialist Division (later the ''Jaguar-Rover-Triumph'' division) of British Leyland (BL), under the Rover marque. It was produc ...
and
Vauxhall Carlton The Vauxhall Carlton is a series of large family car/executive car sold in two distinct generations by the Vauxhall division of GM Europe between 1978 and 1994. The Carlton was based on the Opel Rekord E (Mk.1) and Omega A (Mk.2). With the ...
.


Facelift

The range had a facelift in September 1981 (often unofficially known as the Mk2b or Mk2 Series 2, and is sometimes referred to as Mk3 outside of the UK as the Scorpio only received the Granada name plate in the UK.) with larger wrap-around bumpers, a three-bar body coloured grille (Or 2 bar with Chrome Border on Ghia & Ghia X), revised dashboard, restyled taillights, and redesigned seats which improved driver and passenger comfort. The two-door saloon was discontinued. There were also a number of detail improvements under the shell; the gearbox, clutch, and brakes were revised, the semi-trailing arm rear suspension geometry was altered, and variable rate rear springs became standard across the range. In Continental Europe the 1.7-liter V4 engine at the bottom of the lineup was replaced by the more modern, but still overworked, 1.6-liter Pinto engine. The British lineup began with the 2-liter four. The interior remained largely the same, apart from detail changes such as new trim materials and steering wheels - the dashboard layout was altered with the heater controls now oriented vertically next to the instrument cluster to make space for the optional trip computer, and higher models in the range now featured the electronic check-light system first seen on the Escort MkIII housed within an aircraft style overhead console above the rear view mirror. In most of Europe an even sportier looking Granada was added to the range as the Granada 2.8 Injection which had white metric-sized alloy wheels with
Michelin TRX The Michelin TRX, (and the related TDX), is a radial tire introduced by the Michelin Group in 1975. It is one of the first volume-produced low-profile tires. Although technologically advanced, and reasonably successful, the tire's requirement for a ...
tyres, uprated suspension, Recaro seats, deep front valance and bootlid spoilers, colour coded bumpers, front spotlights and blackened trim. This model used the same 2.8 injected engine, now slightly down rated at 150bhp, usually used in the Ghia models. Towards the end of its production run, the introduction of the 2.0 and 2.3 LX saloon and estate UK marketing packs provided lower cost versions with a slightly higher specification than the "base" L models. GL trim was also offered briefly on vehicles with 2.0 engines and Ghia trim was offered on a diesel engine model with the introduction of the 2.5 D Ghia. A special Ford of Britain-only marketing pack edition of the Ghia X model was later introduced as the "Ford Granada Ghia X Executive" which standardised luxury appointments such as the high-grade
Connolly Leather Connolly Leather Limited was a British company that supplied highly finished leather primarily to car manufacturers. Founded in 1878, it went out of business in that form in 2002. A successor firm, Connolly Brothers, UK, has resumed producing ...
interior that had previously been an optional fitment. Further refinements such an electric slide and tilt sunroof, electric boot release on saloons, electric seat adjustment, heated seats, a trip computer, and air conditioning set the Granada
Ghia Carrozzeria Ghia SpA (established 1916 in Turin) is an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, established by Giacinto Ghia and Gariglio as "Carrozzeria Ghia & Gariglio". The headquarters are located at Corso Guglielmo Marconi, 4, Turin ...
X above most other cost-comparable executive cars available in the UK in the early '80s. The special "Taxi" edition was available only in black, which included a foot-operated "panic button" in the driver's footwell which would operate the alarm system. In addition to these two models, the range was complemented by estate models which reflected the same appointment levels as the entire saloon range, including the Ghia X, but not the Ghia X Executive model.


Special models

Ford subcontracted assembly to
Hyundai Motor Company Hyundai Motor Company, often abbreviated to Hyundai Motors ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (, ; ), is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and founded in 1967. Currently, the company o ...
in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
for sales in that market, where it continued to be sold from October 1978 to 1986 when it gave way to the
Hyundai Grandeur The Hyundai Grandeur ( ko, 현대 그랜저) is an executive sedan manufactured and marketed by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 1986. From 1986 to 1996, the Grandeur was the flagship for Hyundai's South Korean range before the Hyunda ...
instead of smaller European Fords like the Sierra and Escort. Production ended in December 1985, after 4,743 had been built. The car originally received a 2.0-liter
V6 engine A V6 engine is a six-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration. The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik ...
with a two-barrel
Solex Solex may refer to: * Solex (musician), Dutch musician * Solex Carburetor, a French manufacturer of carburetors and the powered bicycle VéloSoleX * Solex College, a former private for-profit college in Chicago, Illinois * Solex Unit, a fictiona ...
carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...
,Korean Car World but after 1980, the more economical 2-litre four-cylinder was also available. The Granada competed with the Saehan Rekord, as well as the
Peugeot 604 The Peugeot 604 is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot from 1975 to 1985. 153,252 cars were sold during its 10-year production life. It was made in France and also assembled by Kia in South Korea. The Pininfarina-designed ...
, imported by
Kia Motors Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
. , the eldest son of Hyundai's founder
Chung Ju-yung Chung Ju-yung or Jung Joo-young (; November 25, 1915 – March 21, 2001), was a South Korean entrepreneur, businessman and the founder of Hyundai Groups, one of the largest chaebols in South Korea. Raised as the eldest son of a poor Korean far ...
, died in a car accident in a Granada. Additionally, hearses were offered by outside conversion companies, as well as a series of four-door limousines built by Coleman Milne. These included the slightly stretched "Minster" 15 cm, and the 68 cm longer "Dorchester" and better equipped "Grosvenor". As of autumn 1982, the Dorchester was also available in an estate version with elongated rear doors, called the "Windsor".


Mark III (1985–1994)

In April 1985, the third-generation car arrived, which was essentially a rebadged
Ford Scorpio The Ford Scorpio is an executive car that was produced by Ford Europe from 1985 to 1998. It was the replacement for the European Ford Granada line (although in the UK and Ireland the Scorpio was marketed under the Granada name until 1994). Li ...
, the Granada name being used in both
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and the United Kingdom only, with the Scorpio badge (which covered the whole range in
Continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...
) being used instead as a trim designation for the top of the range models. The Mark III Granada was the first European volume production model to have
antilock brakes An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maintai ...
fitted as standard across the range. It was voted
European Car of the Year The European Car of the Year ("ECOTY") award is an international Car of the Year award established in 1964, by a collective of automobile magazines from different countries in Europe. The current organising companies of the award are ''Auto'' (Ita ...
in 1986. Engine options included the familiar SOHC Pinto engine, in either tax-barrier undercutting 1.8 L form, or a more powerful 2-litre version with fuel injection available. The Cologne V6 engines were carried over from the previous range in short-lived (and not much more powerful than the 2 L Pinto) 2.4 L, and 2.8 L (later 2.9 L) capacities. In 1991, a new range-topping vehicle was introduced, the Scorpio 24-valve. It featured a 2.9 L Cologne engine that had been extensively reworked by
Cosworth Engineering Cosworth is a British automotive engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in high-performance internal combustion engines, powertrain, and electronics for auto racing, automobile racing (motorsport) and mainstream Automotiv ...
and featured quad camshafts and 24 valves, enough for . According to Ford, this gave a 0-60 mph time of 8.1 seconds and top speed of . This version of the Granada continued the "Ford family" styling concept from the previous versions; this time, the car superficially resembled a larger version of the Cortina's successor, the
Ford Sierra The Ford Sierra is a mid-size car or large family car manufactured and marketed by Ford Europe from 1982-1993, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément — and noted for its aerodynamic styling producing a drag coeffi ...
. It had followed the precedent set by both the Sierra and the Escort Mk III in changing from the angular saloon styling of their predecessors to an advanced aerodynamic hatchback body style. The Ford Granada Mk III was the last car to bear the Granada badge in the UK and Ireland, being replaced in 1994 with the pan-European Scorpio. The Scorpio shared its platform doors and roof with the Mk III Granada. The styling of the nose and tail sections were updated to match the ovoid designs being used across the Ford range in the 1990s. On the Scorpio, this resulted in a controversial design. After a 1998 redesign, it was taken out of production the same year with total European sales being 95,587 units. File:1991 Ford Granada Scorpio 2.0 I (14448603139).jpg, 1991 Ford Granada Scorpio 2.0 Saloon (Mark III) File:Ford Granada mkIII Scorpio 24v Cosworth.jpg, Ford Granada Mark III 24v Cosworth File:1993 Ford Granada 2.0 LXi Auto Estate (18336192568).jpg, 1993 Ford Granada 2.0 LXi Estate (Mark III)


References


External links


Ford Granada Club Community page for all Ford Granada OwnersThe Ford Granada Owners Guild of the U.KFGCUK Ford Granada Club UKFord Granada Mk123 ClubGranada & Scorpio Online
{{Hyundai timeline 1968–1997 Granada (Europe) Cars introduced in 1972 1980s cars 1990s cars Executive cars Rear-wheel-drive vehicles