UK’s rarest cars: 1977 Ford Granada 3.0 GL Estate, one of only five left
This load-lugging version of the range-topping Ford had few British-built rivals, although its own production moved to Germany in 1976
By their nature, estate cars have a poorer survival rate than saloons, many seemingly ending their careers as cheap haulage wagons for builders or scrap dealers. Trevor Handy’s Granada 3.0 GL Estate is now rarer than your average Le Mans-winning GT40 racer – as well as being a good deal more practical.
When Ford GB launched the Granada Estate in October 1972, it was the firm’s first in-house large station wagon; the outgoing Zephyr/Zodiac Mk4 Estates had been coach-built by E.D. Abbott of Farnham in Surrey. The Telegraph thought it should help the company “to take back some sales from Continental and Japanese manufacturers”.
The modest Salesman’s Guide predicted that the Granada Mk1 would become the most wanted and prestigious estate car in Britain as it offered “an unchallengeable combination of prestige, performance, luxury and engineering”. Paralleling the saloon range, Ford initially badged the cheaper 2.5-litre version as the Consul and its 3.0-litre V6 stablemate as the Granada.
The Estate’s huge load bay was one sales advantage, while its looks were another. The Telegraph believed that Ford had “achieved a reasonable compromise between appearance and utility”, further praising the Granada Estate’s handling, performance and comfort. Autocar saw it as “A unique vehicle with no British competitors”, which Ford must have welcomed, since 15 per cent of UK Granada sales were predicted to be of the Estate.
In 1975, Ford dispensed with the Consul badge as part of a facelift, with the Granada Estate now available in 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre L and 3.0-litre GL guises. The highly publicised “Added Value” programme meant that the GL gained £325 worth of extra equipment, with a specification including power-assisted steering, front fog lights, a leather-covered steering wheel, a “push button radio” and a sliding roof.
Ford’s positive genius for product placement saw a green Granada GL Estate appear in the popular sitcom George and Mildred as transport for the eponymous couple’s disapproving next-door neighbour, Mr Fourmile. It was clever automotive casting since a Granada Estate was ideal for an ambitious estate agent in Teddington: practical, comfortable, more prestigious than a Cortina and smart without being flamboyant, all for £4,908.
Car magazine paid the 3.0 GL Estate the slightly backhanded compliment of being a sound package “for the person who doesn’t really need an estate car, but thinks he needs one for the dog”. At least Fido would travel in a certain amount of dignity, as the GL was the ultimate Granada Estate; the top-specification Ghia trim was available only in saloon or coupé forms in the Mk1.
As for rivals to this model, a Jeffrey Fourmile-esque motorist in 1977 might have considered the well-appointed last-of-the-line Triumph 2500S Automatic Estate, at £5,151. Its looks clearly harked back to the 1960s, however, while the Triumph’s fellow British Leyland product, the £5,290 Rover SD1 3500 Automatic, was a hatchback, not a “proper” estate car.
Vauxhall offered the VX 2300 Estate for only £3,225, but it was more of a mid-Atlantic-style five-door fastback, while its four-cylinder engine lacked the prestige of the Granada’s six cylinders. The Volvo 245 DL Automatic was undeniably respectable and excellent value, at £5,027, but more stolid in appeal than the Ford.
Finally, the Datsun 260C and Toyota Crown Custom estates at £4,199 and £5,390, respectively, appeared far more chintzy than the low-key Granada, and the £4,395 Peugeot 504 Estate was too utilitarian. The Citroën CX 2400 Safari cost only £4,870, but that was front-wheel drive – and too unorthodox in general.
So, the sole choice had to be the Granada, with the bonus of apparently supporting the British motor industry. The reality was that from 1976 onwards Ford imported them from Germany; UK production had ceased to make room for the new Fiesta. At least the GL Estate now had an automatic gearbox as standard: “Chances are you’ll never drive with a manual gearbox again,” ran the advertising.
The Granada Mk2 replaced the original in 1977 after 846,609 units. Dan Godley of the Ford Granada Mk1 and Mk2 Drivers’ Guild believes only 25 first-generation Estates survive, of which five are 3.0 GLs. Handy, the owner of one of them, has long been a Ford devotee – “after passing my test, I bought an Anglia” – and he sold a Capri to purchase his Granada. “As I am over 6ft tall, I just love the Estate. It keeps up very well with modern traffic and is well able to maintain 70mph on motorways.”
Over the past six months, Handy has fitted his Granada with new front wings and rear arches, two new twin Weber carburettors and electronic ignition. On the road it tends to attract vast amounts of attention, with younger members of the public marvelling at its appearance. But then a Ford Granada 3.0 GL Estate is a car with a certain presence, as well as giving the proud owner the opportunity to “Travel first class”.
[Source: Daily Telegraph]
