Utterly clean, straightforward and well-proportioned. Even after more than four decades, the second generation of the Euro Ford Granada still doesn’t look hopelessly outdated or downright ridiculous. How nice it was to come across one of my favorite classic Euro Fords in such a good condition.
Even better, there was a contemporary competitor of this six-cylinder Ford in the same classic car parking lot. Also from Germany and also in a shade of beige.
The second Granada generation, designed by Uwe Bahnsen, was introduced in 1977. The other Ford car models on the Continent were the Fiesta, Escort, Taunus and Capri. The Granada was the line-up’s head honcho, the Fiesta was Ford’s only front-wheel drive car in those days.
The Ghia was the plush top trim level, offered on all Euro Fords.
The 1978 four-door sedan at the show was powered by a carbureted 2.8 liter Cologne V6 with a maximum power output of 135 DIN-hp. Also available were a two-door sedan and a five-door wagon, called the Granada Turnier.
The rims must look familiar. In Europe, they came with the Ghia package.
Our maximum Brougham level by Ford, around 1980.
Now then, over to PSA General Motors. Splendid, a 1979 (first registration, year built 1978) Opel Senator A1 2.8 S.
The production of the Senator A, that’s the first generation, started in 1978 and ended in 1986; A1 from 1978 to 1982 and the revised A2 from 1982 to 1986.
The Senator A was based on the more humble Rekord E (introduced in 1977) and became Opel’s high-end sedan after the demise of the bigger Admiral B in 1976 and Diplomat B in 1977.
This sweet ride is powered by a carbureted 2.8 liter inline-six, 140 DIN-hp. I just mention carbureted because fuel injection was also available on the top models of Ford, Opel and other automakers. Most certainly on anything with a six-cylinder engine.
The most powerful engine in the Senator A was the 3.0 E (180 DIN-hp), in the Granada Mk2 it was the 2.8 i (160 DIN-hp).
Wheelbase, length, registered curb weight Opel: 2,683 mm (105.6”), 4,839 mm (190.5”), 1,396 kg (3,078 lbs).
Wheelbase, length, registered curb weight Ford: 2,769 mm (109.0”), 4,720 mm (185.8”), 1,358 kg (2,994 lbs).
Our maximum Brougham level by Opel, around 1980.
In the meantime, executive (E-segment) sedans built by Ford, Opel and other mainstream automakers have long gone the way of the dodo. In today’s market, the Ford Mondeo and Opel Insignia are clearly D-segment models, no matter how you dress them up. And most likely, those will go the way of the dodo too.
Related articles:
CC Capsule Ford Granada – The Non-Brougham Euro Version (ha!)
Such handsome cars. Ford and GM could have done themselves some favors building these in the US for the North American market.
Ford came sort of close with the Fairmont, but the original execution had all the charm of a penalty box economy car. When Ford created what amounted to the Fairmont Granada edition in 1981 they luxed it up a bit, but pulled all the added parts from the brougham bin, and discovered that Americans had had enough of that shtick.
Just our luck…..
I think in the Oct 77 Car & Driver, there was an article about the new 1978 European cars.
I was a big C&D reader. It influenced me some, but even more, it reinforced my perspective.
I was fond of cars that were quick and fuel-efficient–and generally, this meant German cars. At the same time, I was a patriotic kid, frugal, and American cars were better values in my 13-yr old eyes.
“….while GM and Ford are facing off in the US with Malibus vs Fairmonts, in Europe it’s the Senator vs Granada…”
While I liked the EUROPEAN Granada, I thought the new Senator was THE Opel–a bargain priced BMW 528 to me!
Amen! See my comments below. 🙌
I think there’s a logical reason why these are so much nicer than their American counterparts.
These were among the largest, if not the largest, Fords and Opels in the European market, while their similarly sized American counterparts were one or two sizes from being the smallest. To most Americans at that time, smaller meant cheaper. Something this small and this nice In the US would’ve meant pricing it above what the market would bear, and close to the price of a similarly nice full-sized car (full-sized by US standards at the time, that is).
If I recall correctly, these faced competition from comparably sized BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes of that era. They eventually disappeared because buyers in this class preferred the prestige that came with driving a BMW or a Benz, as opposed to a Ford or an Opel.
Given that many employees received a company car as a perk (as a way around high income taxes), they went for the more prestigious offering, even if it was initially more expensive. It wasn’t their money, so…
In the late seventies, the more direct (price-wise) competition for these Ford and Opel top models came from Renault, Peugeot, Volvo and Citroën.
All of them were one segment below the Benz S-Class, BMW 7-series and Jaguar XJ.
I was thinking of the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class.
I know, I meant to say that (very) well-optioned six-cylinder Fords and Opels were cheaper than the BMW E12 5-series and MB W123 with such an engine.
I must add that the Citroën in that segment (the CX back then) never had more than four cylinders.
I really miss that middle rank of marques that delivered quality and engineering innovation without the pretensions of the luxury brands. Saab, Volvo, Triumph, Rover, big Citroens and Peugeots, Lancia, Audi before it got above itself… Cars for doctors, architects, headmasters, authors. Some of those marques have gone, others have changed into something new. Badge snobbery aside, the Granada and the Senator were solid members of this group.
I’ll just park this here…
Now that’s what I call a choice (though I’ll pass on the Tagora).
Thanks T, I’m especially blown away by the (French) price of the Volvo, I’d never expected that. Did exchange rates have anything to do with that?
Johannes; regarding the very high price of the Volvo: don’t forget that Sweden was not part of the EEC back then, thus tariffs were much higher for Volvos in EEC countries. Volvos and Saabs never sold well in EEC countries for that reason; they were always quite uncommon. Their big export market was the US.
Back then, Sweden was part of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), as was the UK (prior to joining the EU) as well as Austria and other non EEC countries. That explains why Volvos (and Saabs) sold well in the UK, but not in EEC countries.
Prior to joining the EU, which Austria did quite late, British cars were quite common in Austria because they were both part of another customs union then. The same goes for Swediish cars; my godfather had a series of Volvos in the 60s and early 70s, as they were decidedly cheaper than EEC cars, including those from Germany.
Tariffs and custom unions had a big influence on trade, hence the EU, which Sweden (and Austria) did eventually join. Until the EU fully expanded, and the remaining EFTA countries made a trade deal with the EU, the European car market was still very much defined by these regional trade associations and the resultant tariffs. That was the whole idea of the EU, to make it a true open market.
Right, thanks Paul. Forgot all about the fact that the Swedes were not in the EEC in those days.
EFTA, I assume.
Bernard: yes, EFTA. I amended my comment to clarify that. Austria was in the ETA along with Sweden, the UK and others, and explains why British and Swedish cars were much more common there than in German, for example. Austria was crawling with Brit cars when I was there in 1980. Lots of Rover SD1s (6 cyl version), and lots of Minis too.
I’m really fond of Opels from that era, probably for having learnt to drive in part in my father’s ’79 Rekord 2.0, then 2 years old or so. There are many things interesting about that Senator, I will note a couple. The Senator had an identical interior to the Rekord, of course save for the upholstery material, gadgets, and color availabilty. And, that Senator curiously lacks badging. Where the script “SENATOR” is, engine size and eventually a letter would follow, such as “2.8 S” for the carburetted engine, “2.8 E” or “3.0 E” for the 2.8 and 3.0 injected engines. On the other side, the “OPEL” script should be present at the same line. Great cars, indeed, Granada included.
Peak design right there. I think I should just cancel all other posts for the rest of the year and leave this at the top for all to enjoy. How are these two continents so different that these same two companies could and did create such disparate vehicles for each one? Such clean unfussy shapes. And then there’s the US Granada. Ugh.
The Senator has perhaps just the faintest whiff of brougham in the interior in top trim mainly due to the burled walnut but if that’s the worst it can do, then bring it on. The Granada on the other hand is all business and oh so sweet in that Cadbury brown loveliness of an interior.
Thank you for this.
I was wondering when did European car design totally diverge from the American?
In 50s European cars above certain size looked very similar to shrunk American cars. In 60s Euro design followed lot of American design ideas starting with Corvair revolution. But whether it is in the late 60s or early 70s, Euro design went via a much more modern direction and never looked back. Granada is such a stark example.
My father, a Ford mechanic, had a 1985 Ghia 2.3 litre 6 cylinder which he claimed to have been the best car Ford ever produced, and also indestructible. In the street where we lived, there was another tired looking estate Granada which still run after a million kms (owner’s claim) in the city taxi service. Fantastic cars.
From a British perspective I would say the early ’70s, though in the case of BMC/BL I’d say the divergence was earlier (all the FWD Issigonis cars from 1959’s Mini onwards) while Jaguar followed their own path, albeit always with an eye on the American market.
Last ‘American’ style models: For Ford the Mk.3 Cortina/TC Taunus of 1970 and Ford Granada Mk.1 of 1972, for Vauxhall the HC Viva of 1970 and FE Transcontinental range of 1972 and Rootes/Chrysler the Avenger of 1970 and the 180 of 1971.
First ‘Euro’ style models: Ford Capri II of 1974, Vauxhall Chevette 1975 and Chrysler Alpine of 1974.
Peak Ford and Opel era in Europe pretty much coincided with the Malaise era in the US.
I saw a lot of this Granada and the contempo Capri Mk2 when on biz in the UK and always found them to be much better looking than their US iterations. Woulda coulda owned the US market.
Then toss in a few Dolly Sprints, TR5’s, P5B’s, HF’s and I’m back in fantasyland…
Having travelled many miles in a Granda Ghia X estate I can vouch for them being comfortable beasts. What’s not obvious in the sedan is how much of it is actually still the 1972 Mk.1 version, though if you take the black plastic door protection strips off the charateristic concave shape is revealed. Basically Ford put a new front and back on the old shell. Still, if it ain’t broke. And the Mk.2 was handsome.
We had the Senator here in that generation as the Vauxhall Royale; the Ford Cortina and Ford Taunus were basically the same car too.
Ah! The door thing, I wondered what you meant till the Net in Her infinite wisdom provided. See it exactly now.
It’s one heck of a re-skin, and with the Cortina, must rank amongst the most effective ever (the Granny1 being nice but a bit, yawnful), with my money on the honey of the Granny2 – wonderful looker to this Gen X even now.
The final generation of Cortina was just as elegant as the Mk2 Granada.
Such a pity that the illustrious name of “Ghia” ended as no more than a trim-level on a Ford…..
No, the Cortina 2 wasn’t, and I refer to my comment above, and also objective standards like….my personal opinion. So there.
To be clear, I really like that Cortina, despite driving a few and finding them way, way prettier than they actually drove (which was fairly crapulous, really). But the Granada beats the little bruv for looks, I reckon. (And by all accounts, for driving).
Agree about the Ghia thing, but I’ll confess I was a sucker for the veloured lux the badge came to mean on Fords!
Very cool comparison! I much prefer the styling and interior of the Granada, and think its design has held up better over time than the Senator. The interior is very Euro Mercedes-like of the era, even down to the seat style and upholstery. Definitely not too Broughamy for me!
I realize that it was replaced because it was becoming outdated, but I prefer the Mk I Granada. The Mk II looks modern, yet it doesn’t look like a range-topping car…at least not to me. But that may just be the American/bigger is better view.
Looks just like the second generation Mazda 626
Anybody who wonders why Ford and GM didn’t export their European models to the US has clearly forgotten the Merkur Scorpio. It wasn’t at all a bad car, but exchange rates were brutal at the time. The base price of a Scorpio was MORE than a Lincoln Town Car!
Catera, how did that work out.
Hi Evan – I think you’re right. I loved the Merkür Scorpio (Granada) and XR4Ti (Sierra) in the US as a kid and enjoyed the one I had in the UK, but the entire Merkür franchise was doomed from the start by the extremely strong value of the Deutsche Mark at the time. Remember that W124 Benzes were going for $50K-ish (US) back then – which is plus or minus $100K today. That’s a lot of money for a Ford, you know? 😳
I always wondered where Ford stylists got the idea for the greenhouse of the 1983-86 Fox body LTD/Marquis sedans. That Opel had to be an inspiration.
I realize that exchange rates may have doomed the whole operation, but the Euro Granada should have shared floor space with Lincoln and Mercury. Price buyers would see what a great value the American Mercury buyer was, while prestige buyers would not feel out of place where other pricey cars were sold.
To some extent, Ford, at least, did draw on its European arm for several of its early and mid-1980s vehicles, culminating in the 1986 Taurus and Sable.
The interiors of the Taurus/Sable, aero Thunderbird/Cougar and even the Tempo/Topaz appear to have been more influenced by these Euro-Fords than the “American Brougham” look. Those Ford vehicles still strike me as a good effort to adapt this European look in a way that middle-Americans would accept.
I remember my neighbor across the street from my childhood home in Buenos Aires (Florida, Vte. Lopez) had a red two door version that was immaculate. Argentina did not officially sell the Grenada, they sold the Taunus line, then the SIerras – this was a special order, automatic – which was unheard of back then. He was a broken down shell of a man, an executive with three super hot daughters and a parade of D-Bag boyfriends who would congregate after school in all sorts of motorcycles and cars (Honda XLs / Yamaha XTs – Citroen Meharis / VW buggies)
If anyone wants to know about the Argie current car scene, go to their bible website, Argentina Autoblog (https://autoblog.com.ar/)
Good times.
Ford North America had plastic wheel covers at the time (Fairmont, Mustang, F-series, E-series) that looked similar to the alloy wheels on the Granada Ghia.
Some were wheel covers, but the ’82 Mustang GT wheels were alloy as well.
Paul wrote a brief article about one and discussed how several markets offered similar wheels at the same time:
Paul’s wheel article
The circa 1983 Granada 2.8 Injection wagon is one of my wishlist cars ever since I saw it in the Ford catalog.
A piccy from Ford’s ‘Car’ publication, Oct. ’83:
Of course these cars turned up in OZ as local builds with a few tweaks but there are a few Euro versions in NZ gawd knows why when the Aussie product was cheaper more readily available and had a parts back up supply in place but they are here anyway.
Of course these cars turned up in OZ as local builds with a few tweaks
Um, not really. The only commonality between European Granada and Australian “Granada” (Falcon, Fairmont, etc.) was headlamps and front turn signal indicator housing. The Australian version was an extensively revised XC platform (1976-1978) with larger windows that cut deeper into the doors.
Excellent article about the Australian Falcon: https://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/australian-ford-falcon-part-2/4/
And from the General Motors side, the Aussie Commodore used Australian powertrains, and we used the Rekord body with the Senator’s longer nose.
Yes they married the two bodies to fit the red six in some of the two door models turned up in NZ in both Opel and Vauxhall flavours something I never saw in OZ, though the smaller Opel was there called a Torana and also in hatchback.
Thanks, Johannes – Greatly appreciated. I was stationed in the UK from 2002-2009 so most of these were gone by then but I do remember seeing them occasionally. By that time, predictably, always either a pristine example prized by an older person or completely rusted out beater some unfortunate soul was using to get to work… no middle ground. 😂
I did have a 1986 Granada Scorpio 4×4 which I loved (same Köln 2.8 V-6 as the Granada above) and always had a thing for the next-gen Senator (B) although I never had or even drove one… turns out, I’m just a sucker for a straight six as evidenced by how many BMWs have cycled through my life, up to and including the E90 and E70 sitting out front as I write today. The Scorpio met a sad end: I told the dude I sold it to it had a serious oil leak that needed to be either fixed or attended to regularly. I saw the car on a rollback some weeks later and never again, so my assumption is that he or his missus had run it out of oil and seized the engine… “lead a horse to water,” you know? 🤷♂️🤣
Great post, and these are both great designs. I remember being in Europe as a kid in the mid-’80s and taking note of these Granadas. I was like, whoa… what kind of alternate universe is this, where the Granada is a genuinely great- and modern-looking design?
I will always root for the “home team” and our homegrown products, even if they’re underdogs, but *all* of the European Fords (and Opels) looked, I don’t know, five years or more into the future compared to what Ford and GM was offering here in the States.
I spent most of the summer of 1979 in Germany visiting relatives. One of my uncles’ houses faced a Ford dealership’s back lot where trade-ins, cars waiting for repairs and cars that didn’t make the TŰV inspection were parked.
I can remember seeing these models there and around town. I really got to inspect one of the Granadas rather closely at one point and I found it amusing that it had the same name as the fancy Falcon that we had in the States. I grew up in a small town in Ohio, I hadn’t had a great deal of experiences yet, so I also had to deal with the cognitive dissonance that there could be two vehicles named Ford Granada that probably only shared tire sizes.
Throughout the 1980’s, Ford did a reasonably good job of trying to inject some European styling across the whole USDM product line. The first shot was Jack Telnack’s 1978 Fairmont, followed immediately by the 1979 Mustang. After those high points, things got a little melty until the Taurus. But by 1986, everyone else was on the “Euro” bandwagon, (i.e. stuff like the Chevy Celebrity Eurosport, which was euro only in badging) and the aerodynamic wars had commenced.
I don’t know if it’s advacing age, or a sense of nostalgia but Lord knows I would love to see new cars with this clarity of design again. In the age of 10+ airbags and drivers who never look up from their cell phones while driving, I guess our cars (wait, what cars? CUVs, yes CUVs!) need to be pleather lined rolling fortresses.
Progress?
I had a Eurosport Celebrity. Dark gray, because that’s pretty European. It had a more padded steering wheel and a red pinstripe, so there’s more Europeanness.
Might have had a quicker steering ratio, I’m not sure. The Iron Duke was definitely European-y, in that it burned a fuel and was made of metals. It did have a flat-black dash, so pretty much a 70s Porsche 911, no?
I have nothing new to add, but what great looking car that Granada is, inside and out.
The more I look at it, the more perfect it seems.
Yep. Have a glance at an Aussie XD Falcon to see how the exact same cues can go awry, if not actually awful.
That generation of Granada was seriously hard to fault. Reliable, supremely comfortable with big squishy seats and a supple ride and a decent turn of speed from the larger engined versions. Engines ranged from a 2.0 ohc through 2.3 and 2.8 Cologne v6s, plus a 2.1 and 2.5 4 pot diesel. One of Ford Europe’s best all rounders.
Lots of very nice Opel’s at this car show.
I missed the Ford, but the Opel above was very nice.
Also quite clear (special show inside the building) that Opel’s were very similar in appearance to Chevy/Buick between 30’s and 50’s.
Marcel, many Opels will follow soon. I was there on Saturday, till halfway the afternoon. I took all pictures outside, many visitors arrived in their classic Opel, plenty of nice rides in the parking lot behind the main building!
When I made it to the UK in the late 80s early 90s these Granadas had a somewhat lower image being the working class man’s (never a woman’s!) aspirational vehicle. They lost their value very quickly and hence a popular option for those who wanted cheap and reliable luxury. At that time there was a Granada in almost every street of every housing estate but as you can expect they are now almost extinct (they did rust…).
The equivalent of 2nd hand Lincolns of that age?