While we come across all sorts of Blue Oval models from the past in excellent condition with low miles on the clock, one particular vehicle that we haven’t seen in quite some time meeting that criteria is a Ford Granada. In North America, the Granada was a machine that hung around for a few model years – 1975-1982 – and two generations, succeeding the Maverick and sharing a name with Ford Europe’s flagship sedan of the era. Around two million Ford Granada models were built for North America, but these days, we rarely see one pop up for sale – especially one as nice as this ’78.
This 1978 Ford Granada is up for auction at Bring a Trailer with just 47 miles on the clock, which is a stunningly low figure by any measure. The original owner purchased it new in Sandusky, Ohio, and proceeded to stash it away in storage, where it remained all this time – at least, until the seller acquired it last year. As a result, we might very well just be looking at the nicest 1978 Ford Granada in existence, with near-perfect black paint and chrome trim. The car is pretty much bone stock, too – the original tires were replaced, but given how old they were, that’s probably for the best.
Inside the cabin, one will find perfect red vinyl front and rear bench seats, woodgrain trim, and amenities including a floor-mounted shifter, a cabin heater, bright door sill trim, intermittent windshield wipers, and an AM/FM stereo with an eight-track player. Power comes from the naturally-aspirated 4.1L inline-six engine, which was factory rated to produce a rather modest 88 horsepower and is mated to a four-speed manual overdrive transmission.
It will certainly be interesting to see how much someone is willing to pay for what might be the nicest (and certainly lowest-mile) Ford Granada on earth, as we don’t really have anything to gauge it against. We have seen some other barely-used rides hit big recently, however, including a 1998 Ford Taurus SHO with just 700 miles, as well as a 1998 Lincoln Mark VIII with a mere 300 miles.
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I'm old enough that I used to want one of these, as a newer driver. Very smooth-riding for its time.
The European Granada was far better looking.
I owned one, smooth ride, nice interior. But the car was total junk, got rid of it after 3 years.
Dad and Mom bought a new 1976 model.
i'd buy it !
I'd buy it for cheap driving
Nostalgia aside, I'm sure this is a thoroughly miserable car from an era of emission-choked engines and sketchy build quality. But... the 4-speed makes me want to drive it anyway.