I really don’t understand what business GM’s “excitement” division had building large, luxurious, slow cars like this. Don’t get me wrong, I love the body style, and I’d love to have one, I’m just having trouble trying to come to terms with the reason for this car existing in the first place. It would have made a little more sense back in the 60’s when it was actually possible for a big car to have enough power to actually be exciting, but by the late 70’s, all the car makers were pumping out turd after (sometimes nice looking) turd and I don’t really see anything too exciting about that.
First introduced in 1964, the Ford Mustang was an instant success that combined style and performance into a compact and affordable package. The car’s long hood, short trunk, and V8 engine captured America’s hearts and launched Ford to the top of the sales charts like a Saturn V rocket. Ford was unstoppable, selling a staggering 600,000 Mustangs in 1966.
As time went on, the initial excitement over the new car began to wear off. By 1972, demand for the Mustang was down to 125,000 cars per year. Then in 1973 the oil crisis hit hard, sending gas prices soaring. It seemed as though the Mustang was going to be a tough sell.
Ford responded by introducing the downsized Mustang II in 1974, an ugly little thing that was based on the Pinto. Although it shared the Mustang name, it didn’t share anything else with the first generation cars. That’s what makes this 1973 Ford Mustang so special – it’s the last year of the original pony cars.
I’ve spent a few years trying to spot one of these things to no avail.. and wouldn’t you know it, I spotted two in the same week! The first was a completely thrashed black car in Phoenix, this was the second (on the other side of the country). As you can see it’s in excellent condition. Continue reading →
My friends and family often ask me why I go to the Scottsdale Pavilions car show so often. “Don’t you get tired of looking at the same cars all the time?” they inquire. While you do see a few of the same cars, it’s different enough to be interesting. You just never know what might roll its way into the Pavilions, and today’s post is a perfect example of what I am talking about.
This car is a 1947 Studebaker Commander Starlight Coupe. I’ve never seen one before and with only 13,299 ever produced (and far less than that surviving today), I doubt I’ll see very many more of these things around.
When things got weird in the 70’s with gas prices and emissions laws this little guy came around. It was one of the more luxurious compact cars around with the intent of easing people who were used to large cars into smaller cars. These first generation (1975-1980) Ford Granadas were based on the 4 door Maverick (the second generation Granada went on to ride on the Fox platform like every other Ford). There were 4 engine options, two I6 models, a 302, or a 351 Windsor. I don’t know too much about these cars and I wasn’t able to track down the owner (not sure if they work at the smoke shop, Goodwill, Kmart, or the pizza place.. but let’s not judge) so who knows what is going on under the hood. I’m not even certain what year this car is but they did switch to square headlights for the 1978-1980 model years, so it falls somewhere in there.
This car is the ESS (European Sport Sedan) model, even though it’s obviously a coupe. The ESS trim level is basically just a couple of blacked out body parts, some fancy wheels (not pictured), buckets seats, and possibly a heavy duty suspension setup.
I like that this car is daily driven, I see it all the time. I also like that it is not beat to piss or modified in any sort of ridiculous way, although that hood scoop is pretty atrocious. It makes me happy to see an old car being driven around fulfilling the simple duty of just being an old car.
In an interview with AAA president Obama mentioned that his very first car was a Granada:
“The Ford Granada was not the peak of Detroit engineering .. It rattled and it shook, and I don’t think the girls were particularly impressed when I came to pick them up in a Ford Granada .. But you know what? It moved and so I have fond memories of the fact that it got me to where I needed to go. That’s about all I can say about the Ford Granada.”
I don’t have much to add to that, he summed everything up nicely.
