Ford Granada Coupe - good or bad choice?

mike65

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=609049

I've always had a soft spot for this model, as an "everyday" classic would one stack up?

Mike.

8~)

No experience of one, but my logic is that they were a big comfy and reasonably quick car 30 years ago so would be able to keep the pace with modern traffic today.

Assuming you start out with a good one that is bodily sound and mechanically sound then why not. Mechanical parts can be got and it's rare that things just break without warning - you can normally plan repairs/maintenance in advance. Fuel economy would be in the low 20s.

S.I.R

granada's are great , much better then the capri or jag's as used in a famous cop show from the era

imo i'd buy it , nothing like some classic ford to whip around in on the weekends...

gyppo

Nice car Mike, I've always fancied this model as well. The bronze colour of that era looks good too.
Ever seen the "Parklife" video from Blur? - afaik, there was one of these in it.

mike65

Exactly the same trim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKCoBt43HWE

Mike.

corktina

oh yes go for it....

ianobrien

A buddy of mine has one. It's the most comfy car I ever sat in for a long journey.

Half the fun is that nobody seem to know what it was. It was called a Cortina, Capri, Mustang, Corvette, Camero and what the f**k was that!

There was a nice rumble from the V6 as well

Most of the bodywork rear of the windscreen was coupe specific and is now bloody hard to get. Mechanically, the same as a Granada saloon (rear springs rates may be different)

Go for it!

bo-bo

love these cars, there is just something cool about them. Mechanically they are reliable and as with most fords of the era parts are no problem. id be a little concerned over the availability of rear body panels though!

gyppo

Nice vid post Mike!

I remember my father had the saloon model mk1 granada many years ago - I've always been fond of them since.
I'd be happy with a good saloon version, the coupe is definately the icing on the cake though.

Arthur Daley

Thats a nice Granada, coupe is rare enough. Almost as nice as an original Consul GT.:D

Earth Worm Jim

I had one of these in the 80's, and it was brilliant to drive, used to throw it around corners, great fun and solid too.

galwaytt

ooooh, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Many years ago one pulled up on the side of the road near me, and he asked me for directions to the nearby old folks home. He was driving a coupe - and it was even the exact same colour as this:

The guy's name? Bunny Carr. Remember him?

mike65

Bunny Carr in a Gold Granny Coupe? You should have taken a picture

Mike.

Alfasudcrazy

I always thought the Mk I Granada looked great but was a bit cumbersome and uninteresting to drive.

I much preferred the Mk II (pre facelift) a much tauter car and with the 2.8 engine rapid too. I have always been on the look out for a 2.8i ghia Mk II pre facelift but they all seem to have died.

I hated the facelifted models of which plenty sadly remain.

The Mk I coupe is just a bit too las vagas for me - if I was to get a Mk I it would have to be the saloon - but in Granada Ghia trim - preferably in white with a black vynil roof - stunning.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1980-FORD-GRANADA-GL-AUTO-BEIGE_W0QQitemZ260199462666QQihZ016QQcategoryZ29755QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

corktina

the coupe is said to be rare BUT you seem to see very few Saloons at shows...and quite a few Coupes...

hmm now where have I seen that shape before?

hi5

Is that a ford Taurus coupe?,never seen one before,very nice:)

A Granada coupe also in white

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=853331

Didn't one of the priests in Tv Series 'Ballykissangel' drive a Granada coupe.

Hifive

galwaytt wrote: »

ooooh, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Many years ago one pulled up on the side of the road near me, and he asked me for directions to the nearby old folks home. He was driving a coupe - and it was even the exact same colour as this:

The guy's name? Bunny Carr. Remember him?

He lived about 500 yards from my family home. I used to see him in the car every day. My dad had a base spec saloon, in the same colour, I was very jealous.
"STOP THE LIGHTS"


http://www.ivenus.com/therightstuff/features/RS-TC-FocalPoint-wk45.asp

maidhc

Lovely car.

THAT one has been on sale a long time though... maybe 12 months. I was looking at them before I went for a Capri of the same vintage.

Id examine it underneath like a hawk before parting with a penny.

bo-bo

the feb 2007 issue of classic ford mag had a feature on them........might be worth trying to get a copy for it.

dubtom

That coupe looks very similar to the one sold a couple of years back at the city west show for a good deal less money I believe. If it's based in the d20 area it's the same one,I'd hazzard a guess it would go less than asked;)
For anyone interested,their is another coupe in chapelizard industrial, black I think,but in not great condition.

MercMad

I thought Chapelizod Industrial estate was now a block of aprtments ??

Anyway did you realise there were two bodystyles for the Mk1 Granada Coupe ? One had Coke Bottle rear styling whilst the later car had flat sides !

The car from the blur video, the "actual" car showed up at Trim a few years back I recall. Also a buddy of mine owned an identical one, Irish reg, and I think it ended up with a Mustang 289cu V8 in it. It was later sold and tarted up gangsta style before being written off !

Early style ( you can just make out the coke bottle shape)

PaulK_CCI

MercMad wrote: »

Anyway did you realise there were two bodystyles for the Mk1 Granada Coupe ? One had Coke Bottle rear styling whilst the later car had flat sides !

Anorak mode, on...:D

Actually the styling difference has nothing to do with 'early' or 'later', but UK Built or German built. The Consul/Granada was unique in that it was built both in the UK and in Germany (Cologne). The differences between saloons are very slight, but the German Coupe's had the coke bottle rear end and the UK built ones had the straight rear end. Also engines were different for the various markets. You can see in the picture of the red car that it;s LHD.

Anorak mode, off...

superboy

MercMad, the old Sunbeam factory is now apartments. Chapelizod industrial estate is still very much there!! In Fact that pic of the gold Granada is taken inside Chapelizod industrial estate!!

MercMad

PaulK_CCI wrote: »

Anorak mode, on...:D

Actually the styling difference has nothing to do with 'early' or 'later', but UK Built or German built. The Consul/Granada was unique in that it was built both in the UK and in Germany (Cologne). The differences between saloons are very slight, but the German Coupe's had the coke bottle rear end and the UK built ones had the straight rear end. Also engines were different for the various markets. You can see in the picture of the red car that it;s LHD.

Anorak mode, off...

........actually Paul I recall it was your good self who first pointed out these differences on another thread last year, I was trying to sound educated but missed the marque !!

MercMad, the old Sunbeam factory is now apartments. Chapelizod industrial estate is still very much there!! In Fact that pic of the gold Granada is taken inside Chapelizod industrial estate!!

.........oh I see, thanks for that I hadn't even realised that was where the Sunbeam factory was !!

So does someone in there, presumably Ashley, have a crush on Granny Coupe's?
In fact the chap I spoke of earlier worked there too, year ago !

superboy

Thats Sunbeam as in ladies stockings, not the vehicular company!!!

Henry Ford III

Fine cars. The Essex 3.0 V6 is a great lump. Good torque and a better soundtrack.

corktina

absolutely I prefer my 3 litre to my 2.8 when the grin factor is taken into account...i think the 2.8 is faster though....

MercMad

superboy wrote: »

Thats Sunbeam as in ladies stockings, not the vehicular company!!!

:eek:

carchaeologist

Any granada,but particularly the coupe is worth saving as the banger racers in england are doing their best to smash them to extinction, there was a few nice ones smashed up at the shamwreck in rosegreen on a couple of occasions aswell. And didnt the editor of practical classics mint granada MK1 saloon get stolen and banger raced 2 years ago. Nothing worse than seeing good cars getting destroyed when they shouldnt.