Ford Granada: the executive Ford from The Sweeney to Cosworth (1972-1994)
At a glance
- Years
- 1972-1994
- Body styles
- Four-door saloon, two-door coupe, five-door hatchback and estate
- Drivetrain
- Rear-wheel drive (four-wheel drive on the Mk3 2.9i)
- Engines
- 2.0-2.1 fours; 2.3-3.0 Essex and Cologne V6; 2.9 24v Cosworth V6; 2.5 diesel
- Power
- From around 90 bhp to 192 bhp (2.9 24v Cosworth)
- Trim levels
- L, GL, Ghia, Scorpio; the Mk1 GXL and the Ghia coupe
- Production
- Ford of Europe's executive car across three generations from 1972 to 1994
- Assembly
- Cologne, Germany (and Dagenham on early cars)
- Designer
- Ford of Europe
- Values
- Ordinary cars near worthless; good Mk1 coupes and V6s £8,000-£20,000; tidy 24v Cosworth around £3,000-£5,000
- On screen
- The Mk1 Granada and its Consul sister were the Flying Squad cars of the 1970s TV series The Sweeney
- Award
- The Mk3 was European Car of the Year 1986
The Granada was the car Ford sent up against Rover and the German marques at the top of the range, and for over two decades it held that ground: the company car that director-level Britain actually drove. From the handsome Mk1 of 1972, made famous by the Flying Squad in The Sweeney, to the aerodynamic, award-winning Mk3 and its Cosworth-engined flagship, the Granada was Ford of Europe’s answer to the executive saloon for a generation.
This is the guide to the whole family: how the three generations developed, the Granada and Scorpio names that confuse so many people, and which cars enthusiasts chase now. The third-generation car has its own page, the aerodynamic Granada Mk3 of 1985.
Three generations of Granada
The Granada changed completely over its life. The Mk1 (1972-77) was the original: a big, square-shouldered executive car offered as a saloon, an estate and a handsome two-door coupe, with four- and six-cylinder engines and, in Ghia and GXL form, real luxury. The Mk2 (1977-85) was a crisper, more restrained restyle of the same idea, the sensible executive Ford of the late 1970s and early 80s.
The Mk3 (1985-94) was a different animal: a smooth, aerodynamic hatchback that brought executive-class technology to the mainstream, won the European Car of the Year title, and sold across most of Europe as the Scorpio. It ran to 1994, when Ford dropped the Granada name in Britain.
The Sweeney era: the Mk1
The Mk1 Granada earned its place in popular memory on television. The big Ford, alongside its four-cylinder Consul sister, was the unmarked Flying Squad car of the 1970s series The Sweeney, sliding around London in pursuit of armed robbers. The car’s tough, fast, no-nonsense image was set there, and it is a large part of why the Mk1 is so fondly remembered.
It deserved the role. The Mk1 was a genuinely good car, comfortable and quick in V6 form, and the coupe in particular is now the Granada enthusiasts most want. It is the generation that gives the whole range its character.
The modern executive: Mk2 and Mk3
The Mk2 of 1977 kept the formula but sharpened the styling, and served as the respectable big Ford of its day. The real leap came with the Mk3 of 1985, which abandoned the three-box saloon shape for a smooth aerodynamic hatchback. It was Ford’s most advanced car yet, the first mainstream European car to fit anti-lock brakes as standard across the range, and it took the European Car of the Year award for 1986.
At the top of the Mk3 range sat the 2.9-litre 24-valve V6, with Cosworth-developed heads, around 192 bhp and a top speed near 140 mph, the fast executive Granada and now the most prized of the later cars.
What it is like to own
The Granada is a big, comfortable, easy-going classic, and a surprisingly cheap one. The V6 engines are smooth and unstressed, the cars cruise happily, and the mechanicals are shared with the rest of the Ford range, so servicing is straightforward and parts for the running gear are reasonable. Some trim and brightwork for the rarer Mk1 and Mk2 models takes more hunting.
To drive, these are relaxed, spacious cruisers with real presence for the money, exactly as an executive car of the era was meant to be. For a lot of comfortable, characterful classic motoring on a modest budget, few cars offer as much.
Buying guide: what to look for
Rust is the main concern, especially on the older cars. Check the floors, sills and inner sills, the wings, the wheel arches, the boot floor and the suspension mounting points, and on the Mk1 and Mk2 the structure around the screens and the box sections. The Mk3, being newer, fares a little better but still rots in the usual places.
Mechanically the engines and running gear are durable; on the Mk3 check the electronics, the anti-lock brakes and, on the 24-valve cars, that the engine is healthy and standard. Ordinary Granadas are worth so little that many have been neglected, so a sound, rust-free, complete car is worth far more than a cheap one needing work.
Current value and where it sits
The Granada spans from near worthless to genuinely valuable. Ordinary cars are worth too little to save, but a good Mk1 coupe or V6 saloon reaches roughly £8,000 to £20,000, the best Mk1s beyond. The Mk3 2.9 24-valve Cosworth sits in the low thousands, around £3,000 to £5,000 for a tidy example, a lot of fast, comfortable saloon for the money. For the eras the Granada belongs to, see British classic cars of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
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