first on the Granada and not a big seller – along with Colognedesigned V6s in 2.3-litre, 2.8-litre and 2.8-litre Bosch K-Jetronic forms instead of the previous Essex units. There was also a very attractive estate, but while a two- door saloon was available in certain territories, there was no successor to the Mk1 Granada Coupé.
The Ghia combined the 2.8-litre V6 with Borg Warner C3 automatic transmission, and Phil's Granada features the injected engine. The launch of the Mk2 meant the Essex 3-litre V6 was now found only in the Capri Mk2 and the Transit – the 2994cc motor had been associated with upmarket British Fords since 1966, but it was no longer suited to post-1973 Fuel Crisis petrol bills. Furthermore, as the Granada was made in Germany – UK production ceased in 1976 to allow space
for the Fiesta – there seemed little economic sense in shipping components from Dagenham.
Ford sold the Granada in its now-familiar hierarchy. The L came with a laminated screen and a MW/ LW radio, while the GL represented the next rung on the corporate ladder with its sliding roof, powerassisted steering and remote control driver’s door mirror. Twin driving lamps denoted the S, while the diesel was ideal for minicab operators and was so miserably appointed that it was even devoid of halogen
headlamps, a rear folding armrest and a clock.
By contrast, the Ghia was the Granada for anyone who knew his/ her way around the Golden Egg menu. Dearborn had acquired Carrozzeria Ghia in January 1973, and a year later the shield badge appeared on a new top- of-range Granada Mk1. Previous flagship British Fords had worn Executive logos since 1965, but in the late 1970s the name Ghia had come to denote the sort of motorist who generally appreciated the good things in life and who strode through the office car park like a minor Colossus. It also inferred a realm of the Jet Set, taking their ease in Paris or
Rome as opposed to a weekend break in Swanage.
As befitting a car costing £6747 (or £6974 with the injected engine), Ford equipped the latest Granada Ghia with tinted glass, alloy wheels and a radio- cassette player complete with an electric antenna. The real talking points were the central door locking and the electric front windows at a time when the entry-level Fiesta listed ‘ Tailgate with twin gas struts opening from floor level’ as a sales feature. By 1979 the specification included front fog lights, headlamp washers and electric rear windows. Our feature car is also fitted with the optional air conditioning and
leather upholstery, which Phil believes really suits the interior.
In terms of the Granada’s rivals, we can envisage a solicitor or a chartered surveyor contemplating a stack of brochures one Friday evening as a Demis Roussos LP (shades of Abigail’s Party) plays on the Sanyo music centre. The very attractive Renault 30TS Automatic and the Citroën CX 2400 Pallas may have cost just £6185 and £5498 respectively, but both were FWD cars in a very conservative market sector. The latter also featured four- cylinder power, and it was frankly too offbeat compared with the Granada.
Next, there was the C2-series Audi 100 5E that looked slightly more conventional and was priced at a very competitive £5948. However, the potential Ford buyer was still probably suspicious of front-wheel- drive in a large saloon, and the fittings list was adequate as opposed to luxurious. Besides, whoever heard of a petrol engine with five cylinders? The Datsun 260C was at least RWD and represented quite a bargain at £4760 but, as with the £6056 Toyota Crown Custom, it was just too chintzy.
The last- of-the-line Opel Commodore GS/ E, the Peugeot 604 SL and the Volvo 264 GLE all seemed more plausible alternatives to the Ford, but were very expensive at £7150, £7167 and £7950 respectively. Furthermore, they possessed a slightly middle-aged image, one of being chauffeured to the office after a three-hour business luncheon, whereas the would-be Granada driver still had dreams of youth, vigour and over-taking Morris Marinas and Hillman Hunters on the M27.
Of course, in the late 1970s there was still the impetus for fleet and private buyers alike to purchase locally-made transport, or at least one with a badge that had UK associations. ‘One of those foreign cars’ was still a phrase heard in those remote parts of the country that regarded The Wicker Man as a documentary. At least the Granada was still associated with Dagenham, despite actually being a German car from an American concern.
In reality, there was just
one domestic alternative to the Ghia. Not the Jaguar XJ6 3.4 S2 which was priced at a comparatively stratospheric £8174 or Vauxhall who would not offer the (German-built) Royale until 1978, but the Rover 3500 SD1 one of the few redeeming elements of The New Avengers. It was also the Car of the Year 1977, and cost a reasonable £6474 in automatic form. Autocar claimed ‘on every score, its qualities justify any kind of enthusiasm.’
Yet to the traditional-minded driver of that period, the SD1 had several disadvantages. As with the Renault, it was a fivedoor hatchback at a time when many buyers still demanded a separate boot. With the demise of the Triumph 2000/ 2500 in late 1977, BL would not offer such a car until the 1986 Rover 800. An equally pressing issue was British Leyland’s reputation for unreliability, with TV news bulletins covering a seemingly never- ending succession of industrial disputes.
Phil’s car is also a reminder that a Ghia targeted motorists who aspired to ownership of a W123 Mercedes or a 5-Series BMW, but who lacked the necessary overdraft facilities. It is easy to forget that such fine machines were rarely sighted on British roads in the late 1970s. At the time of the Granada Mk2’s debut, even a Mercedes 200 would have set you back £5650, while the 280E was listed at £8951 and the BMW 528 at £7449. At the unveiling of the Mk2, Ford emphasised the low running costs of their Granada and that a Ghia presented a reasonably priced alternative to a Mercedes- Benz or BMW with barely any loss of social standing.
When William Boddy of Motor Sport tested the 2.8iS version in 1978, he concluded: ‘I would not necessarily rate this fine new Granada as a Mercedes- Benz or a BMW eater so much as a most acceptable luxury car in its own right.’ A Ford that was ‘not in any way ostentatious, but which will go to 117mph if you let it’ was precisely what many buyers demanded. Equally importantly, the Ghia’s cabin with its wooden door cappings (although the fascia was clad in simulated woodgrain) and Verona/Crushed Velour seat trim epitomised discreet good taste. So much so that Ford claimed: ‘ When you settle behind the wheel of the new Granada you immediately get a feeling of
In reality, there was just one domestic alternative to the Ghia – the Rover 3500 SD1
well-being.’
The Mk2’s lines were primarily due to Uwe Bahnsen’s appointment as Ford’s Vice President of Design. Under his stewardship, the company’s output moved away from midAtlantic stylistic tropes towards a more consciously low-key appearance. The very svelte looks of LNF 514V represent extensive research undertaken at clinics in the UK, Germany and the USA. Bahnsen and his team aimed to create a car that anticipated the 1980s and, as Motor noted: ‘would carry the identity of the new generation of European Fords.’
The Mk2 also had to be largely based on the running gear and inner skins of the Mk1 on the grounds of cost. The result was a car with a larger glass area, improved aerodynamics, some 100lbs lighter than its predecessor and possessing a very contemporary appeal. In the 1950s and 1960s large British Fords were often regarded, however unfairly, as quasi-American transport for spivs, wide-boys and Flash Harrys in general. The original Granada was instrumental in changing this image, and with the Ghia
Mk2 the days of the chrome-laden
Zodiac Executive already seemed very distant.
By 1979 the Granada was the seventh best-selling car in the UK, and in the following year Autocar described the Granada as ‘the large family or business car to which most others are compared.’ They also added that the Mk2 ‘once and for all allowed Ford to rid itself of its former rather down-market image.’ The range was constantly updated before its replacement by the Mk3 in 1985, and those updates included the creation of the Ghia X and the Ghia X Executive. Who knows, had production of the Mk2 continued for a few more years there may well have been a Ghia Supreme Commander of the Galaxy...
The surviving ranks of the Mk2 are now very limited due to the familiar ravages of corrosion and banger racing, a pastime whose charms often seem on par with being forced to watch Holby City on a permanent loop. LNF is one of the few first- generation models, constructed prior to the £50 million facelift of September 1981. Phil acquired the Ghia back in May 2001, and notes: 'It was my first Mk2 Series I, though I’d previously owned a Mk1 Coupé and four Mk2 Series IIs. The condition was good, but with a lot of room for improvement. One issue was a slight bit of rust in one of the sills, but the interior was in a very good state.'
Naturally, the Ghia frequently receives looks of admiration or envy. This is partially because of the distinctive Cirrus Red paint finish – which was only offered for about a year – but mainly because it is a prime example of one of Ford’s great cars. ‘ The public love seeing it at shows and out on the street,' says Phil. 'Most people can relate to a Granada like “I had one of those and it was the best car I ever owned" or “my dad had one of those and he wished he never sold it”. I also often hear people exclaim: "That’s Cowley’s car!".' We should point out that the Cowley reference is not to the Morris factory near Oxford, but to George Cowley, head of CI5 in TV's The Professionals, and LNF does indeed look primed to chase any over-acting villain in the name of national security.
As a long-term Granada enthusiast, Phil thinks the Essex engine has more torque from standstill, but he describes the Cologne unit as 'lovely, especially at cruising speeds. The most enjoyable aspect of owning a Mk2 Granada is cruising along the coast where we live, the sound of the V6 purring away and seeing the smiles on people’s faces as we pass by.’ He says it always puts a smile on his face too, and it is indeed a marvellous vehicle. It was the car that bridged the gap between the twilight of the flared trousers and the rise of the Yuppie, and yet it is testament to the design that it did not look dated even at the end of its run.