The Ford Granada - A Tale of Malaise Majesty 

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My parents bought a new 78 Granada 4 door for my mom when I was 5 years old. Like you, it’s the car that sparked my love of cars. It was a stripped model with power nothing and about 20lbs of plastic knock out plates, but had a heavy duty transmission and the large V8. Mom used to love racing cars at red lights. Thanks so much for this video. What a trip down memory lane!

When I was a child my parents bought a used 1978 Mercury Monarch Ghia. I remember how excited my mom was because, although at the time it was a couple years old, it was the newest car we’ve ever had. Thanks for making this video, it brought back lots of nice family memories.

This is a re-upload to correct some audio mixing problems in the original post. This is definitely not my best voiceover work as I was still dealing with some lingering effects of that malaise so many of us have dealt with as of late, but at least the audio levels are a little more even. I hope you enjoy and thanks as always for the amazing support!

Folks had a 1977 Granada 4 door it was our Family car we drove all over the United States in that car. You can't beat the 302 V8 Paired to a C-4 Transmission it was a good car......They finally sold it in 1997.

The funniest Mercedes comparison commercial was the 1979 ESS commercial with the inspector and the woman in the Mercedes outside. She tells him to meet her outside in her car, but he jumps into the Granada behind her instead. They spend a few seconds saying "I'm in the car". Finally they meet outside the cars and she says "That's a Granada you fool!"

I remember when my our nextdoor neighbor came home with a new Granada, it was white with a red interior & it was loaded with options. Thanks for jogging my memory!! 👍👍

Great video Tolpher!! A 1976 Granada was the first "nice" car my Mom got. The base model with the 302. PS PB AC & power windows. It was such a nice high quality car. The big Michelins it had went past 50k and when she traded it in at 75k it had been a completely trouble free car. It was quiet and rommy and luxurious with just a $5,600 window sticker.

My first car was a '77 Monarch 4-door, silver with red interior and vinyl top. It was a 10 year old hand-me-down from my grandfather. It rode like a truck and the 6 layers of rustproofing were about 10 layers short of where it needed to be, but it was my first car and I loved it.

Damn i love that intro music. Never gets old. My buddy had a baby blue Granada. Great memories. A slight tear jerker. God Bless your father & prayers for a speedy recovery. My mom died last October. Still feels not real & is impossible. She was an Oldsmobile girl, then a Chrysler minivan fan. Another superb video Tofer, Happy New Year!

Another great offering Tofer, I thoroughly enjoyed it! I absolutely love how you make it personal and relatable. So glad to hear that your Dad is doing better. Thanks for more fantastic entertainment!

I knew a family who must have loved this style. The mother drove it's stable mate, a Mercury Monarch. The father drove a Dodge Diplomat.

What a wonderful video! Thank you so much for making this! In the summer of 1993 my great uncle passed away he willed his car to my father it happened to be a 1979 white Ford Granada 4 door He had bought the car new back in the fall of 1978. A lot of wonderful childhood memories with my dad are with that car. Thank you again!

The 'blackout' windows were sorta like heavy mascara on a fading beauty...lots of designs got that treatment around 1977/78 - Ford Capri & Cortina, Morris Marina, Datsuns to name but a few. 😊

Yes, it's important to remember the mainstream cars that most of us, or our parents drove. Not many people had a Lamborghini or Mercedes, but I'm sure many of us remember being driven around in these malaise era cars, or even owning one as our first car. Sure, they may not have been fast, refined or handled well, but it's the cars we remember and grew up with. We didn't have a Granada, but I remember being driven around by my mother in her brown 1978 Ford Pinto. Then when I got my license, I got to drive that car! Good times! (as seen through rose-colored glasses, lol)!

My Gram had a couple of these cars when I was a kid. Both with the green interior. It was the first car I remember riding in that had A/C.

In terms of being a full size like smaller, nailed it. They were comfortable cars.

My Grandfather had a 4 door round headlight red on red model. I didn't know why I used to love riding in that car back then but as I look back, it was one of the first cars to make me appreciate my love for under appreciated throw away cars from the mid 70s to the mid 90s. My grandfather was an immigrant from Lithuania from the 40s and he always kept that Granada washed and would use nail polish to touch up the chips n scratches in the paint. Growing up in the rust belt I gotta say that the tricks my grandfather used to keep that car up have stuck with me to this day. Thanks for bringing back some memories of my childhood. Sorry to hear about your old man. Keep taking us down memory lane brother

We had friends who had an ABSOLUTELY LOADED 76 Ghia with the leather seats and console with floor shift and EVEN a full size Continental Kit on the back with a full size spare in it. The car looked like it was right out of Superfly. It was just crazy!!! Ahhh, the 70s!!!

WE owned one new in 1975. Power nothing, 250 inline 6, no A\C etc. That car rode well, never broke down and I bought it from my parents in 1980 and drove it through 1991, then my wife's brother drove it till 1995 before it spun a rod bearing. Great car for the time.

We must’ve had the same parents cause my dad was really into cars too. 1965 I was born and brought home in a ‘65 rambler wagon my purchased just for this occasion. My was a wonderful man who loved cars. From his roadrunners, to his Chrysler Newport, and duster. Now I have many beautiful and gorgeous cars in my collection thanks to my dad!

My first car was a 1975 Ford Granada. Silver with a maroon vinyl roof and interior. 250 six cylinder and factory a/c, power steering and power brakes (over assisted which I so miss today), automatic transmission. and AM/FM Stereo. I paid $400 for it in 1988 and drove it for three years. It only had 75,000 miles on it when I bought it. Great car that was easy to work on. Gas mileage was so/so but gasoline was 89 cents a gallon then so it wasn’t a problem and I used the a/c a lot. Great video here. I enjoy your channel that covers so many cars I remember growing up.

Excellent video! I remember when my dad bought me my first car in 1997, it was a really beaten 1982 Granada L. No headliner, paint totally faded, shirts in the seats to cover holes, top of the dashboard cracked, broken tail lights and a strong smell of plants (it was used by a florist store for deliveries), you had to push several times the pedal to make it run but ... it was my first car!. I went to junkyards in my city and also across the border to slowly fix each part (as a student with a limited budget, it took me 2 years to fix it). At first, you saw a not at all desirable car but once I finally cleaned, painted and rebuild the engine, people turns to look at my Granada. It was beautiful and shiny and the only Granada in a great condition in the town. Unfortunately, even rebuilding the engine and transmission I felt frustrated for the poor performance of the engine, specially in uphills. Long story short I bought an SUV and the car was parked for months until my brother took it and a few years later of absolutely no care and no love to the car he trashed... thanks to your video I know more of the history of this model and I keep turning my head when I see a Granada on the road (very unusual in this time) and I wish I did something to save mine.

I remember as a kid my grandpa got a free 1975/76 Granada around 1987. Being a Pastor, people gave him free or discounted vehicles all the time. I remember it was blue and something dented the rear quarter panel. It also had a wooden bumper because the metal one had rusted away from the Minnesota salt. My earliest memories of doing car repairs was under its hood.

My heart out to you and your dad.. I'm with you on these cars.. They are like Comfort Food for the soul, reminding us of our youth being driven around by either family or friends parents.. Thank you for all of your great videos!!

My very first car was a 1978 Ford Granada with a straight 6!! Red pleather with white and black and red plaid pattern in the seat stitching lol. Loved that car. Drove it for 4 yrs from 1988-1992

My Grandfather had one of these in circa 1980/81. Not sure what year the car was, but it was dark blue, with matching interior including the carpet. It had a wood grain trim on the instrument cluster with shifter on the column. I can still smell the interior. He had traded in his 1970 Torino (base model) for this because the Torino was starting to rust as the rear wheel wells in the trunk. Or so my grandmother said years later.

My 1st car back in the early 90s was a black 77 Granada, 4 door, red vinyl roof and interior, with the 302. It was my parent's old car. My buddies kept talking about how "HUGE" it was, and the "Big V8". I had to explain to them that it was considered a mid-sized car, and the 302 was the little V8 back then. Honestly, I loved that old tank!

I got the LEMON Granada. I loved the way it drove. It just wouldn't stop breaking down. The rear leaf springs broke. The heater fan stuck on full blast. Had a wire fire under the dash while I was hauling back home a 5 gallon can of mower gas. Started skip running. Map sensor went out. I think they built my Granada on a night before a two week shut down. Nobody gave a shit.

My first brand new car was a 1980 Granada 2 door bare bones model. Six cylinder stick. Loved it! Very affordable, perfect size, great ride, & reliable. Wish there was a comparable American coupe built today. Thanks for video & reminder of simpler times.

As a "Carnut" since '51 and my Dad's '47 Beige Chrysler Windor 4 speed semi-automatic, LOVE your channel!

Awesome Granada video and a lovely montage of your memories there at the end; thank you for sharing both. Wishing your dad a full and speedy recovery.

Just brilliant video. There was a lot of ridicule directed at Granada, but like the LTD a decade earlier, offered dignity and luxury in the 'low priced field' and eased the transition away from land yachts.

Remember seeing these around back in the day. Lots of good 70s memories. Hope your dad gets well soon.

I learned to drive on a 78 4 door Granada. At one point, we were a 2 Granada family. My brother's 1st car was a 82 2 door ESS Granada. Brings back a lot of memories. We went cruising on Friday and Saturday nights and also hunting and fishing in the Granada. I've gotten it sideways on a gravel road many a time. The staight sixes were pretty much bullet proof. The V8s a little tempermental. Probably more reliable than most other cars in the 70s. My Mom's 78 4 door survived two teenagers and more than one trip into or through a ditch. Don't see many on the road today. That's a shame. Always thought the 2 doors looked great.

My dad bought a 1975 Granada. It was the Ghia model with luggage rack and landau top. It had no radio. He was not the greatest driver and wrecked a couple of times. But my dad bought two more Granadas for parts. He worked on it till he died. He was gonna fix it up. I remember my mom had to sell the cars cause we moved. Back then our parents fixed em or patched them up. FoMoCo families just do that. I remember he also had three 65 Country Squire Wagons. Great memories for sure.

Another impressive video as always. The background scenes and music really enhance these. My mother got a Mercury Monarch sport coupe in the Antique Cream color. It was a big part of our family life at the time. As you said, these cars are time capsules to recreate another time. That is why I still have my godmother's Cutlass Supremes. They can transport me back to the time I spent with her. An added bonus is that these are the actual cars we drove around to the car dealers of all makes when there was always something new every fall. I really appreciate your videos.

I was thinking back and recalled those commercials of the parking lot attendant bringing the customer the wrong car. The customer asks for his Mercedes and he brings out a Granada. It inspired a cartoon in the newspaper. I think it was Doonesbury. The customer arrives and says "my 59 DeSoto please". You can see huge tail fins at the back of the lot.

I owned four of these vehicles starting with a 1977 Mercury Monarch loaded with a 302 v8 then a 1978 Ford Granada ESS with a 250 6 cylinder then a 1976 Granada with a 302 v8 with bucket seatss and finally a 1980 Ford Granada 6cylinder 2 door and a Landau Roof the two door looked sporty. I miss this car!

My parents bought a 2 door Mercury Monarch with red velour interior when I was a kid. I still remember the 8 track player and the Ford demo tape that we played in it.

I’ve followed you on different car sites before, Tofer. I thoroughly enjoy your videos.

A friend in college had a really clean one in that tan color with all the Ghia leather and stuff. It was a round light car, and I think a big six. I drove a '77 LeSabre beater.

Seriously Tofer even if it's a reupload, every time one of your videos graces my sub box I get excited and your intro song starts playing in my head haha. These simple car history videos have brightened some very dull days in the past few months for me.

Had a 76 Monarch Ghia back in the early 90's. Had the 351 Windsor motor, was kind of a sleeper. 15 mpg on highway, 9 in town. Easy car to work on, though, nice driving car, good basic transportation.

I missed out my love for cars was all to myself. No one had the car bug like I did. My Poor Dad tried showing me how to change a tire on our 1957 Black with White roof Chevy Wagon. He cursed and cussed in the kitchen telling my mom he wanted to show me 1 thing he knew how to do with cars, as I sat by the car at 4 years old listening because he couldn’t get the wheel off the car. When I learned of Dealer Brochures by age 12 I started walking to dealers and collecting new ones for each year as if they were magazines for me. From 1972 to the 1985 then I gave up as the cars stopped exciting me and I got into classic car books. You’re so lucky to have these memories with your dad. My Dad always promised to take me to a car show the closet I came to a car show was in 1972 when we went to a dealership to buy a Ford Country Sedan. Not brand new but newish. And kept the 9 passenger wagon for 6 years in New England parked outside

One of my Aunt's had a 1977 2 door Granada in metallic brown with beige vinyl roof and cloth bucket seats. It was the middle of the road model with the large 6 cylinder, PS, PB, AC, tilt wheel, power locks and windows. I thought it was the most beautiful car I had ridden in up to that point in time. The car was a MAJOR step up for my Aunt who traded in her clapped out, rusted 1971 base model Chevy Nova for it. She absolutely loved that car !!!

I had a 1977 Grenada with a V8. If you punched the pedal to the floor and held it, you could literally see the fuel gauge dropping...aerodynamic as a brick.

Sorry to hear about your father. My worst fear is if my father, currently 83 and in overall good health, were to suffer a stroke. He had a ‘75 Granada which was one of the few cars he kept for less than 5 years. The worst car he ever owned, and it was 40 years before he bought another Ford.

12:34 The bucket seats were, in fact, from a European sports sedan, if you consider the European version of the Granada, with its 4-wheel independent suspension, a sports sedan. Those seats were said to be the only parts shared by the 2 cars.

Great video! The American Granada was very rare here in Europe (we had the German/British Granada, a completely different animal) but the few we saw here, with V8s were definetley more exclusive than an everyday Mercedes 200!

I really enjoy your videos. I had an acquaintance with a Granada Ghia coupe, which I never rode in but thought was was quite handsome. The Mercedes comparison was ridiculous, and still was when Cadillac used it with the Seville around the same time, although not quite as far fetched. I gathered from your commentary your father is recovering, which is great news! I hope he heals rapidly and completely. The photos you shared are wonderful, and I'm glad you still have him. I went through this with my parents and as scary as it was, I counted it a privilege to care for them and treasure the resulting closeness beyond measure. Happy 2022, and thanks for all the wonderful memories this channel stirs up!

What a wonderful time capsule of the late 1970s, and a lovely tribute to your folks. I liked the Granada much more than our 1974 Maverick. My stepfather had a Versailles, and it was a cream puff! Solid, super quiet ride, all the bells and whistles, leather seats, everything. I loved that car. I have a friend who has a garage-kept 1976 Mercury Monarch to this day out on his farm. He won’t part with it.

Owned 2 Granada's and they were great cars.

One of my neighbors had a 2 door version in sort of a green/yellow color. It was a car that got noticed in those days.

Great video and I think that I remember that my father had one in the late 70's

Very nicely done. Spot-on time capsule references. Our parents worked to build the Falcon, Granada, others that got us here. Life is empirical by nature so nothing crummy or awful about progress except that it's messy....my daily Zen thought. Moving tribute to your dad and family... he'd be proud

When the 'average' car had class and style, and affordable, without taking out a second on the house. Now it's 'extra's' galore and extra to the bill. My first new car was a Chrysler Cordoba I purchased in 1975($3250, off the lot) emigrating from the UK that year.

wonderful video, thank you for sharing it with us!

Another wonderful video! Thank you so much. 😊

I Drove a 76 V-8 Automatic and a 79 V-8 Automatic both were dependable great running cars for under a grand used haven’t seen one in years

hands down my fav ford i have owned. great car

Great video!! Thank you!!

So odd .. I clicked your video as I recall my Dad debating between a 1980 Olds Cutlass or the Ford Granada. GM I knew as we had been getting them for awhile .. 73 Lemans wagon, then 75? (white wagon with mactac wood, with a 455 motor) Lemans wagon, then the 78 Lemans sedan (first sized down, but 305 v8). I liked the Olds and told him the Granada look old fashion or something .. whatever I said the guilt hit me years later as I would often say something to defeat my Dad (I just did not know better). He was such a generous man with me .. his company would factory order his lease cars and he always sat down to go through all the brochures and have me write down the codes for ordering; would bring a new car home (I remember the 85 Plymouth Caravelle with the Mitsubishi engine, and he put on the "speaking car" option for me .. GM cars NEEDED V6 and were way underpowered on 4 cylinders, and he had to get 4 cylinder at that point) and he came home and just handed me the keys and said "see you later tonight".

Thanks for the memories.

Great video! My friend had a Granada. We had a ball with it

I enjoyed Lawrence Welk in the Background😃😃😃👍👍

I discovered your channel yesterday, and one thing I have to say is your theme song goes well with dance sequences, such as the one you provided in this video. One thing you said I disagree with. We had a Mercedes Benz during my childhood, and I have cherished memories associated with it.

A friend of mine had a silver '76 four door with a 351. Pretty good car, went really good to. Unfortunately one day in about '93, a drunk guy t-boned it, at least it happened right outside a fire station so help was quick. Him and his parents in the car were banged up but nothing serious.

Thank you for this, wish you and your family all the best for your dad's recovery.

Very nice

My family had the two door Granada with the V8. It could haul. But overall, the car seemed to be designed to fail after a few years.

Bought a blue 1976 two door Granada Ghia when I was in the Air Force. Was it an American Mercedes (No), but for a 23 year old 2nd Lt. it made me feel kind of special.

The first car I owned (1982-1985) was a 1975 Granada Ghia 4 door. It was white with green trim and interior. It was well used and cheap when I got it ($500) 100K miles. It gave me transportation for a few years and all I did was rebuild the transmission, and normal wear items. Not a great car, but there weren't many great cars from the seventies. Thanks for the video. I'm surprised there's no coverage of the Lincoln Versailles

Here comes a great story

My brother had its sister car the Mercury monarch back when I was in 6/7th grade black with a tan Landu top and tan interior and had magnum 500 style wheels on it sadly he never did anything with it and scrapped it for spare cash I loved looking at that car in my mom n dads driveway

I owned 2 "granades", either one of them impressed me. Granted, both were used cars and I expected some problems with them but these cars were absolutely pathetic. The first car I had was a '78 with a 302 V8. The car only had 90K miles on it but it had a serious main oil seal leak and the car would shut down at random. I replaced all the usual ignition parts but the problem never went away. The second granade was a bit more reliable with 6 cylinder engine. I suspect the piston rings were worn because it was constantly putting out blue smoke. Both cars were very heavy and underpowered. I always felt 30 years older while driving these vehicles. And no...it was nothing like driving a Mercedes.

They were NOT "great cars", however, in December 1989, I was driving my '75 Granada when it was squeezed by a logging truck and was "pushed" HEAD ON, into a freeway gaurdrail at 40+ mph! I walked away from this crash...never LIKED the Granadas, BUT THEY WERE BUILT VERY WELL!

Art

Well done video with tons of nostalgia to bring out the emotions.

love the Granada!

The Granada was a fine car. It had nothing exotic, but by the same token, it was reliable...or it could be fixed by almost any mechanic. Compare that to today, where most components cannot be repaired by any mechanic.

The last of the Falcon platform

That is quite a video!

I think my dad's 76 Monarch with the 302 V8 was putting out a neck snapping 110 HP. 😆😆

Tofer, I don’t know how you edit your videos the way you do but i absolutely adore that skill! I also enjoy the theme song, how did you come up with it?

All time favorite car. Grow up with 1977 gernoda ghia.

Only a couple things not mentioned. There was a 75-76 Grand Monarch Ghia which was a precursor to the 77 Versailles. This model also had the Hydraboost brake system and 4-wheel disc brakes. Only available in 4dr. There was also a 77-1/2 Granada Sport Coupe which had a different stripe package and louvered windows. The Granada Sport Coupes used Monarch Tail Lights.

Almost was passed down a station wagon variant of this as a teenager. It was totaled out on the street by a drunk driver. Ended up with a 65 mustang coupe instead as my second car. First one was a Ford fairmount 200 6 cylinder that ran great till my mom drove it to the ground after the radiator hose went. Had that for like a week. Paid $100 for it on my own and was so happy. Still sorta pissed about that whole affair. Malaise era cars almost put me off cars as a hobby. So glad that car got totaled as I still have a mustang kick to this day. Got a 69 Fastback hopefully Restomod done in March.

Good video 😀

I’ve used two different Granada 302s as Gamblers. Keep oil and water in them and they just keep going. You couldn’t do that in a Fusion.

We once had a 76 Granada Ghia, and, as bad as that car was, it was still waaaayyyy better than either of the two Licks-asses I was dumb enough to buy.

That was a fun journey best wishes to you and your dad.

prayers for your father

Kitty Forman drinking out of the blender! Mother's little helper, lol!

A good friend of mine borrowed his uncle’s Granada and we went for a cruise to the local DQ. We were sitting in it and listening to the radio in the DQ lot when the disc jockey announced the death of Elvis.

Why 'o' why wont anyone do a video on the Ford Fairmont / Mercury Zephyr ? My first car . Fairmont Futura . Thank you .

Hello mudda, hello fadda, here I am at camp Granada My parents had a white 77 4 door with a red vinyl top and red vinyl interior they bought new. I was born in 1979 so this is the earliest car I remember riding in.

📺 Loved the video the first time, love the tightened audio the second time.

I've had 3 of them.

Why did Ford not invest in the 250 six like the Australian division? By ‘76 the Australian Falcon six had a cross flow head to meet the new pollution requirements of the time, the infamous ADR27A that crippled GM-Holdens sixes.