I’m pretty intimate with the more actively-used CCs on the streets around my part of town. Some disappear, others show up, like this charming Fox-Cougar four-door. It’s more of a beater than a patina-mobile, but the paint is getting there, as well as the top. A couple of young guys are out and about in it quite a lot, and drive it hard. That doesn’t mean exactly fast, as it obviously has the 200 six, due to its bleating and belabored exhaust. Sometimes sixes don’t sound all that great, especially when they’ve been strangled, and are pushing against an automatic. More like tortured than anything else.
Awwwwwwww man for a min I thought it was a genuine Mercury Zephyr (I know they’re the same Fox based car.) There was a very well preserved Zephyr in my neck of the woods but I haven’t seen it in a while. Triple “Burnt Orange”, very 70s – 80s.
BTW how many Fox sedans were painted that god awful beige color in the picture? Sometimes it seems like half the survivors were that color.
I remember that color when new and it wasn’t beige, more of a “metallic pink chablis”. This one is just too dirty and faded.
The Granada/Cougar was what happened when Ford’s Brougham Boys got their hands on the Fairmont/Zephyr. Did they restore the traditional overboosted steering & underdamped suspension so miraculously omitted from the original? I don’t recall what the reviewers said at the time.
Ford may as well’ve called the Fairmont the Falcon II, for that was its layout & market role. The Fox Granada was thus a logical development.
But Pauuuuulllll, it’s a straight 6! Actually, the Ford 200 six had a sound that was never quite as satisfying as some others, particularly when tied to an automatic.
I actually always liked the look of these quite a bit. Most did not agree with me apparently. I always found these more attractive than the 83-86 LTD/Marquis version of this sedan. Of course, I love the wagons more.
I agree completely, despite the vinyl top, the lines aren’t bad at all. Nothing wrong with a formal roofline; besides, Volvo did it with their 700 series. Europeans called it “American Styling,” unsure if it was meant as a pejorative. I appreciate it more now that few cars have a decent greenhouse. I do like to see out of my car.
Tell me about it. The Falcons with the two-speed Fordomatic always sounded so pathetic, partly because the engine speed didn’t vary that much. Kind of like a CVT, with the engine always at about 2400 rpm or so.
But put a low-restriction muffler on a stick-shift Falcon or Comet, and it suddenlt has a nice little snarl, a lot like a Triumph six. The green ’60 Comet I did the CC on had the 144, stick and better muffler, and it was delicious.
A 200 in a Mustang with a C4 isn’t much better. Uneven fuel distribution, uneven cooling and a tiny 1 barrel carb don’t do much for performance, or efficiency. And and as a final insult, Ford cast the cylinder head with an intake manifold so that you can’t fix any of the above. Though over time people have sold replacement heads that can make decent power from these durable 7 main bearing engines.
Still, a 289 or a 302 fits wherever a 200 was, isn’t much heavier and is capable of about the same fuel economy (with the 2 barrel, and a light throttle input anyhow).
200 cube Falcon 6 isnt much of a powerhouse even the alloyheaded ones were gutless, good on gas but theres little else to recommend one.
This would be THE car to receive a complete 5 liter GT Mustang mechanical transplant. Absolutely perfect. Zero exterior modifications allowed, quiet mufflers, hidden tailpipes, etc. Oh yeah.
Yes, plenty of room between those struts, more than in the old Falcon body. My mother’s 302 Futura was a blast to drive even w/ only 133HP. Sometimes the tires broke loose on our downhill-facing driveway, pretty embarrassing for a schoolteacher! Once I managed to recover from fishtailing in the wet (very proud of myself). Did Ford ever produce a better-handling domestic sedan (in stock form anyway) up until that time?
Per Kiwi, I suspect Ford did NOTHING to develop the 200 six after its introduction, other than add smog controls. Do any engine wonks have different information?
My mother’s 302 Futura was a blast to drive even w/ only 133HP. Sometimes the tires broke loose on our downhill-facing driveway, pretty embarrassing for a schoolteacher!
On wet pavement and with a good positrac my Mother managed to burn some pretty good rubber getting away from a stop sign a few times in our Cutlass Supreme with the 307. I loved the look on her face when she did that. Kinda like she just farted in church.
Sadly, Ford never offered any kind of power enhancement to its sixes. The 200 before it was de-smogged wasn’t too bad, behind a stick. Ideally (but rarely), that would be a four speed.
In Australia they did a crossflow head, first in iron, later in alloy, then another version (alloy head II) with EFI. In the late 80’s there was an OHC version, then DOHC. There were 10 distinct evolutions of the Falcon 6-cyl engine after the 1970 200/250ci.
GOLLY NEDS!!! Isn’t that a Mercedes?
At a local Senior housing complex, there was an 81-82 Granada 2 door, same era, grayish patina. Was in their lot for 10 years or so, mid 90s to mid 2000’s. Was a local landmark, one of the oldest running cars in area.
Always kinda liked the Fox Coug-ranadas… why, I’ll never figure out…
Always thought these were a nice improvement on the Zephyr sedan and managed to well capture and re interpret the G. Marquis design cues in a more svelte pkg.
I only thought they could have done a better job on the bumper caps… Something like the ended up doing in the Mk VII.
I actually liked these, although until this post I kind of forgotten about them.
The sedans were actually quite nice looking.
1981 Ford Granada Sedan:
…compared to the Granada coupe:
1982 Granada coupe:
That green sedan looks pretty good! Does anybody remember the Fox Cougar two-door sedan the bad guys drove at the beginning of 48 Hours?
Pic from imcdb:
Hey, it has the same wheelcovers as the Cougar XR-7 a few weeks ago!
There can’t be too many of these left; the last time I saw one was a neighbor’s black-over-red Cougar wagon in about 1994. He traded for a Grand Voyager SE that year, if I remember correctly.
I HAVE seen a burgundy ’83-’86 Fox Marquis in town–I’ll have to track it down for pics one of these days…
The 2-door (XR-7) is even more awkward.
I rode in a guy’s 81 Granada sedan once, and it seemed as though we must be speeding until I looked at the speedometer and we were at the limit. No feeling of effortless speed there….