This was my dads first car. He moved from Jamaica to the USA in 1984 and got a 78 for $400 or 500. I found one recently on marketplace and asked him if I should buy for him. He asked me if I hated him.
A different version, I guess, of 'we bought our dad's first car and gave it to him as a present'. Should have done it, it would have made your daddy cry. 😪😂
4.1 liters to be exact. The EPA cast an evil spell over all American engines of the era. 1/3 hp per cubic inch was normal. 1/2 hp per cubic inch was performance.
The 5.0 litre version of this car (available with a manual!!!!) had an enormous 137hp and 243 ft lb The earlier models had less. Like. 122hp The 5.8 only had 161hp
My mom bought an Olds diesel in 84. It was the first brand new car she ever bought, and she's still bitter about that car to this very day. She got a Chrysler minivan after that, which was ok and lasted her a pretty long time. Then she decided to stick with Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep products for way too long after that and proceeded to get burned over and over again until just a few years ago. Now she drives a Rav4.
@@KayleeCee we got rear-ended at 65 miles an hour in that car. Had I been full-size I would’ve been killed so I have a soft spot for that POS. She bought a Volvo 740 after that Oldsmobile and it was in the family from 1987 to 2003.
I feel bad for your mom. I have a 1983 W123 300D Turbo that has half a million miles on the original engine, roughly half of which was on waste vegetable oil. Here, in Albania, almost everyone drives them.
I can still smell the velvet like interior of the dark green Granada driven by my maternal grandmother on our way to the city for “just me, my younger brother and grandma” day of getting spoiled.
k it is a family coupe. soarer is the real personal luxury car. as well as hardtops like mark ii corona exiv and arguably corolla/corona 2dr h/t coupes
The malaise engineering problem wasn't the gas mileage, it was emissions. It's easy to make a carbureted car get good fuel economy: put on a small carb and tune it lean. But lean burning engines create tons of nitrous oxides. In addition to dealing with the fuel crisis, the 70s were when the automobile stopped being a luxury and became a neccesity. Instead of 1 car per family there was 1 car per adult. The environmental impacts of the inexpensive engine tech that propelled cars into the mainstream was coming to a head. The triple threat the automakers faced wasnt that consumers needed more power and more mpg, it was that they also needed to not produce carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide, which meant having a much tighter control of the air fuel ratio, which is very hard to do with carburetion. Asian and European markets had historically used engine size as a basis for road taxation, which meant that when that market demanded a hot car, it had to be achieved technologically rather than displacement. This meant that, pre-fuel crisis, the imports were a novelty, impressive that they could make as much power as they could, but with engines a quarter the size of their American counterparts, there still was no competition. Add in shipping costs and import duties, and the US automaker's home field advantage was nearly insurmountable. But then oil embargos and emissions laws hit at once. If the American automakers had decided that it was time for their tech to evolve with the times, they could have been back on top by the late 70s. But instead, they presumed their home field advantage was ironclad, that displacement and the good name of the V8 would keep them on top regardless, and decided they'd play politics by making their emissions compliant vehicles far worse than they had to be, in the hopes it would pressure the public to recall the politicians who were imposing emissions laws. They figured the Japanese auto industry was fighting an uphill battle just to be recognized in the US and they had plenty of time to ride out the storm. If they had listened to their engineers instead of their bean counters, they could have made much better cars sooner. But instead they burned away all their home field advantage and lost the gamble that emissions regulations would be a temporary problem. They then had to figure out how to invest money in modern automotive technology and retooling and reestablishing parts supplies while the business was operating at a loss. And it took the whole decade.
When the US finally banned leaded gasoline, there was enough surplus lead for every US auto manufacturer to shoot themselves in the foot continuously, tommy gun style, and never run out of lead... for over a decade.
My first car in 1999, was my Grandma's 1978 4dr Ford Granada. And it was the same yellow. And it had the smokers windows. And it fit 7 of my friends in if we really really tried, and it kept the blunt smoke inside the car where it didn't belong. I had 3 exhausts fall off in the lovely salt planes that are New Hampshire roads, had a tow truck driver somehow rip my gas tank off while getting a tow and countless other things. When the car felt like scrap, I sold her to a shop. Months later, the shop would call me up, no one wanted to buy it, I'd get it back cheap. Only messed up issue I really had with it was the headlights. The 78 Granada had a left foot button switch for the highbeams behind and to the left of the brake pedal, a lot like the Kennedy assassination. Problem is, if you live where there's snow and rain, eventually, enough moisture would get into that button and then while you're cruising along, smoking shitty Mexican tire weed with your friends on a cruise, listening to whatever the radio would pick up, the headlights would just start flashing on and off irregularly, until you shut the car off for a few minutes and let whatever fucker was happening stop happening. Of course I was 16 and didn't know that was a simple short, but it's a memory I'll carry with me forever. I miss you Granada. You were a big, dumb, ugly boat of a car. And you were mine.
FINALLY, Mr Regular gets to review a true Malaise Era car! And it's BROWN! High end cars don't make Mr Regular happy. Malaise cars do. And he hasn't been this happy since he reviewed the AMC Ambassador sedan.
@@jamesgizasson Agreed. I remember the malaise era all too well. The cars were attractive and luxury was the new go-to feature since performance was all but gone by 1974 and not to return until 1984.
My first car (in 1998) was a 76 Granada. 5L (302 V8) with power steering and landau roof. True luxury for 17 year old me. I spent many summer nights sleeping across the sofa like bench seat, soaking in the teenage freedom. Handling, fuel economy and power didn’t matter. She was mine, and she floated me gracefully from A to B whenever called upon. Thanks old friend.
Love it!!! Just like my first car a 1966 Pontiac Tempest Custom 6-cylinder Yellow bought it for 150.00 in 1974, it was mine and wow you are right, total freedom how many trips I took around the New Mexico landscape. Never let me down the only time she didn't run was when we were intertubing in the Sandia mountains it was towed in a no parking zone. Sadly, I traded it on a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme buckskin metallic and I LOVED THAT CAR!!! Bought it brand new at Galles Oldsmobile Cadillac in Albuquerque New Mexico!! Those were the days my friend we thought Theye'd never end!!! Nothing but fun times in the 70s, God Blessed us we had so much fun!!!
I literally have one. I love it only because of how completely absurd it is. It gets about 14 mpg, no matter what. It actually moves at an ok speed considering it has a 3 speed trans with no od.
@@chepesantacruz777 It still had lots of torque though but people who don’t know much about cars only think of terms of horsepower which doesn’t paint the full of an engine’s output.
As a kid in 79, I remember these being everywhere. Especially with color matched landau tops and hubcaps. This and the Fairmont were peak Ford malaise.
Old Boomer here. I bought a 1980 Ford Fairmont new at the end of the model year. It had the 255 V8 but, you'd hardly know that it was a V8. But, it must've been made mid-week because it was a really good car while I had it. No problems at all.
Nah. The Fairmont had a strut front suspension and rack and pinion steering, and was Ford's first tiny step away from malaise. By Ford standards, it was practically a Volvo. Peak malaise at Ford was the Granada and the Ford Elite- a Gran Torino that had been blasted by the Brougham Cannon.
Seesawing at the wheel is the real world equivalent of playing a racing game with a keyboard and tapping the "D" key at the right frequency for the corner.
😅 I'm so used to doing that with controllers back in the day that I still find myself doing it in racing games with freakin' analog controllers today. 🙄 🤣 SMH at myself.
Ford Grenada - The official car of I made it, except I didn’t… My aunt had one of these, was this terrible green inside and out, had all the options like AC and cassette. I was maybe 7 and I have two memories of it - couch seats and it was so so slow on the highway that we would have to hang with semis on steep hills…
"like buffet slop at a failing casino on the edge of reno", kind of a funny line, since my grandfather had a 1975 Granada in the early 90s and we'd ride in that thing to the Bonanza casino, which wasn't failing but it was an often forgotten about casino, on the at the time northern edge of Reno.
Oh man, Bonanza brings back memories. I had the exact same experience, except it was the early 2000s and my grandpa had an 88 or 89 Taurus. White with blue cloth interior. No AC, of course, because my grandpa was a cheapskate who never spent more than $1k on a car.
That wife vs husband description was not what i needed in the morning. I had to politely not eat the eggs i made myself because now my appetite is vamanos.
Even now, I still remember the 1986 Nissan Maxima Mom bought while I was in middle school. Usually, I took the school bus, but there were times Mom picked me up school. All these frumpy old Granadas and Novas coming down the circle to pick up the other students, then Mom rocking up in the Maxima, looking like something from outer space. The contrast was incredibly striking.
I grew up going to scout camp in Mahwah, NJ near the Ford plant where these were built, and they were everywhere. Dad was a GM man, so we had a bare-bones '78 Malibu Classic with a V6 and a 3-speed stick rather than its locally-made competitor. It was no less terrible, but I miss it.
Friend's all-American father was so proud to get a 1979 one because his was a 'limited edition' Ghia model two door. Garbage then, garbage now. The Mercedes campaign came right out of PT Barnum thinking, including the ads featuring 'real people' who owned both cars and were SO excited their neighbors couldn't tell the difference.
When I was a kid, my parents had a 1974 Buick Electra Limited. "Limited" always struck me as a strange adjective for describing higher trim cars. Sounds so much like "limited mobility" or "limited mental ability".
When my father described my mother’s father…he would often mention (with distain) they owned a Granada. I never knew why he had to include that detail in a rambling story about the past.
Im greatful someone kept this and is at least taking care of it. Its amazing to see, its glad to see what was, it allows you to have a more honest opinion and experiences with these types of stuff. Good video thank you RCR
My best friend in high school (circa 1992) drove a 4 door Granada for a while. I don't remember what year it was, but it was white on red. Got it from his grandmother, natch. We just called it "car", because other than the OG Crown Vic, I've never seen a more generically car-shaped car. Like, if you asked a 5-year-old to draw you a picture of a car, whatever they draw will likely resemble a Granada.
@@ChineseGlobalism to avoid erasing or desecrating His name. This custom comes from Deuteronomy 12:4 in the Torah, which prohibits the destruction of God's name. The commandment is interpreted by some to mean that God's name should not be written, and most Jewish legal opinion agrees that it applies to the written name in Hebrew.
God forgive me, I like the way this car looks. Also, I inexplicably had a thought this morning that I could watch this video at my workspace at normal volume. I’m still watching it, but at 5% of the possible volume. Even the uncle + yearbook bit didn’t prepare me, didn’t warn me what was coming.
I owned a 77’ Granada Ghia there were only 1500 made. Power moon roof, red leather interior, aluminum spoke mag rims, power windows and door locks, AC, Cruise control, 4 wheel disc brakes and a 351 Windsor V8 engine with a 9” limited slip rear end. This bad boy even had a Police Spotlight mounted between the windshield and door. The perfect luxury automobile for a young 16 year old who aced driver’s Ed showing up at the bonfire like an undercover Cop. A champion transmission that had only reverse left in the end of its life
You would never hear Zappa on an AM radio in 1978. Back then AM radio was playing Stayin' Alive, Le Freak and Three times a Lady on a continuous loop. (ugh) I drove a Granada during Driver's Ed in High School. It felt the same as the simulators they had set up in a classroom where you looked at a movie about driving down a street on a projection screen. No road feel, whatsoever, but it was quiet and plush.
The whole point of crossovers is the seating position/ease of entry. They will not go away until human augmentation is commonplace because shitload of people have joint and back problems.
Only point I want to refute is the comment on "Personal Luxury Cars". The 1966+ Eldorado, Toronado, Riviera, early Monte Carlos, Thunderbirds (at times), Lincoln Continentals, Mercury Marquis and certain Pontiacs all were real, personal luxury cars. So, the segment did exist outside of the "Made Up" version. That is not an indication that the Grenada was within the actual realm of the title, but the segment did exist, up through the early 2000s with the last of the Eldorados and the Lincoln Mark 8. Maybe one could argue the last Retro Thunderbird was in the segment, but I think that vehicle existed more to bolster slumping sales of button down Hawaiian shirts and Beach Boys albums.
I came here to say this. The original Ford Thunderbird, 1955-1957, was a 2-seater meant to compete with the Corvette. When it grew a rear seat for 1958, it became a "personal luxury car". I don't know _exactly_ when the term was coined, but it was around well before the '70s.
I really think it’s cool that such a car has survived this long. That it’s still on the road. It’s not the type of car that people took care of. And it’s not the type of car people restore. As the years/decades go on, seeing any cars from this era, even at shows, will be super rare. People who keep/restore/drive/show malaise era cars really only do European and Japanese models. You may get lucky and see a mustang, Camaro, or corvette, but that’s because a lot more people love those models regardless of body style, and fixed whatever weak points they had.
It was not a car to be cared for. My dad had a 1978 Mercury Monarch (the Mercury equivalent of a Ford Granada) that I learned to drive with. They were 'five year' cars, meaning you could expect five years of reliable transport from point A to point B. Beyond that, you faced mounting repair bills and risks to your life.
@@The4preston so… …pretty much a modern car then. …only worse, because it’s more difficult to fix yourself since it’s out of warranty, and you pretty much need a proprietary computer to change out something that otherwise should be simple.
This brings back memories. My dad had one of these around 1983 (after his Pinto). It was originally this same color until he got a $99 Earl Scheib paint job, cream white with red pinstripes.
Cars were only cool if hot wheels made one. These cars were the cheap grocery store cars you'd buy in a 5pk made from single stamped metal with no glass or interior and post holding the wheels in place. No way you'd buy it as a kid, but your grandparents sure did like to😂😂
The script for this one was literally the BEST one of all (harking back to the first RCRs) because it was all simply so true! The uncle, the brown, the failing casino in Nevada. You're killing it man
I would say 1985 or so. Not all of us were buying new Corvettes. By the time the high, center-mounted brake lights and fuel-injection started to take hold, malaise was beginning to fade. Cars got lighter, somewhat more reliable and fuel efficient. '75-through '85: Unforgiving, crude catalytic converters on their way out as well. Just a thought.
My mom had a white 77 4 door with red vinyl interior and a red vinyl top when i was growing up. I remember the seats were a hundred degrees in the summer.
This is a remarkable survivor from the malaise era...I think younger drivers would benefit from the experience of piloting a malaise era floaty-boat with a comfy bench seat and wobbly steering at least once. It would give them insights as to what kinds of cars that their grandparents or great-grandparents drove.
There was one redeemable quality, the higher trim level Granadas and Mercury/Lincolns built on the same chassis, came with a Ford 9 inch rear end with disk brakes. They were perfect donors to swap into Firebirds and Camaros. Before there were dozens of aftermarket companies building custom rear axles.
Had one back in college in the '80's. We changed the head gasket on the 250 straight 6 in the dorm parking lot. It was a good car for it's time- there were many cars that were worse. It was slow, but reliable, and had the most comfortable bucket seats. It's one of the cars i miss.
If you were buying one of these used, let’s say 50,000 miles, back then, it would go to 100,000 better than a Japanese car, because it rusted less, and the engine was sturdier. The Japanese car would be rusted out and burning oil like crazy at 100,000.
No temperature gauge is a sin. Other than that, I actually really like this car! It's got a straight six, rwd, personality, and it has to be stupid simple to fix. :)
I have been watching RCR for ages now, and I shouldn't have known better than to be eating while watching RCR. I was not ready for that unhinged story.
As a european it's almost hard to believe a car like this is actually real. It's soo big, so slow, so impractical, and so archaic, it could just as easily been made in 1959, if not even earlier.
I always thought that Uncle Pultab was a character Mr Regular/The Roman came up with out of the blue to just refer to all those creepy old guys. But now i think about how consistent and precise the skits are, i think it's based on an actual uncle of his.
My grandparents had a '77 that was eventually passed down to my parents.... SO much nostalgia here! Ours had the SROD manual with the shift pattern 1, 3, 3, O/D. Dad joked that the ratios were so wide, that it was like a 7 speed missing 2nd, 4th, and 6th gears. We had no optional power steering... I remember my poor grandmother needing to wrench away at the wheel when making a 3 point turn. The looooong doors eventually sagged so we had to lift up on them while slamming. What a complete turd. Such a great video... OG RCR.
This Granada reminds me of a 4-door Dodge Aspen I drove when I had a summer job in the late 80s that had the Slant-Six in it. It even had about the same color!
The Mitsubishi Mirage of the late seventies, except it came with a diner booth seat made of Corinthian plastic, a trash bag full of rolling tobacco, and a five year / 36,000 mile powertrain warranty on the denial of your stagnating economic circumstances.
My 1st car was a 1977 Granada. I had the 4dr with the "5 point oh" V8. Yeah, it was a "malaise era" American car, but since I had nothing to compare it to, I loved it. Since most of my buddies drove small cars, they called it a HUGE boat of a car with a big motor. I would explain that in it's day, it was considered a "mid sized" car, with a "small V8". I still miss that old car!
There were some really good examples of Granada's that were really good looking and yes, luxurious. They also were tanks. This was the worst color available and had a stock vinyl interior. They really were ok cars with a few annoying mechanical traits.
My grandparents had one of these (seems to be a recurring theme here). A red 4 door variant. That thing was a tank and my grandma drove the hell out of it. Had the battle scars to prove it.
My family owned, not one, but two of these boats when I was growing up. It was a turbulent time for my family. My mom flipped one over a bridge, onto a railroad track. How is this possible? Not sure. She was livin' the High Life. Nonetheless, this video more clearly explains the last two American presidential elections than the millions of words written about it before now. Thank you.
My high school car was a 79 Mercury Marquis. It was the same cream color and interior color. 302 complete with rear main seal leak. It was more 2cycle than 4 cycle with the amount of oil going down its gullet. But the memories I had!! 4 people in the front/4 people in the back. Fun!
I agree with the vehicular sentiment, wait, keep calm, things will change, things will get better, things will pass❤ I've never heard of the Granada from Ford of Europe. Today, Monday June 29, 2024 is the 93rd anniversary of Ford's V8.
11:25 - "hadn't yet sunk in yet." Okay, I have to dock you points for that; otherwise this would be an A+ episode, but there's nothing wrong with an A. Again, great episode -- and at a more digestible length. Classic RCR. Thank you!
As a former Granada owner, it was one of the cars of all times.
One of the what?
He just said it, it's literally one of the cars of all time!
@@adrian199856 an car
It is indeed an automotive product
@@adrian199856 an car
This was my dads first car. He moved from Jamaica to the USA in 1984 and got a 78 for $400 or 500. I found one recently on marketplace and asked him if I should buy for him. He asked me if I hated him.
Lol this gave me a good laugh
Hillarious
A different version, I guess, of 'we bought our dad's first car and gave it to him as a present'. Should have done it, it would have made your daddy cry. 😪😂
Ig he didn’t like the car
@@shelbynamels973 it would make him cry but not for the right reason!
80-90 hp out of a 4 litre engine is a work of magic.
4.1 liters to be exact. The EPA cast an evil spell over all American engines of the era. 1/3 hp per cubic inch was normal. 1/2 hp per cubic inch was performance.
@@berke2336 Yankistan magic
The 5.0 litre version of this car (available with a manual!!!!) had an enormous 137hp and 243 ft lb
The earlier models had less. Like. 122hp
The 5.8 only had 161hp
@@rubberwoodyAnd then you look at the European Granada which at the time could have 160 hp from a 2.8 L V6.
If it was released today, it would have a 1.4T 4cyl engine with 140hp and an auto transmission that (or a CVT) that sucks all the life out of it.
This was my moms car… After a Pinto. Then an Oldsmobile diesel. She sure knows how to pick them.
That's... Just... Wow...
That’s impressive honestly.
My mom bought an Olds diesel in 84. It was the first brand new car she ever bought, and she's still bitter about that car to this very day. She got a Chrysler minivan after that, which was ok and lasted her a pretty long time. Then she decided to stick with Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep products for way too long after that and proceeded to get burned over and over again until just a few years ago. Now she drives a Rav4.
@@KayleeCee we got rear-ended at 65 miles an hour in that car. Had I been full-size I would’ve been killed so I have a soft spot for that POS. She bought a Volvo 740 after that Oldsmobile and it was in the family from 1987 to 2003.
I feel bad for your mom. I have a 1983 W123 300D Turbo that has half a million miles on the original engine, roughly half of which was on waste vegetable oil. Here, in Albania, almost everyone drives them.
I can still smell the velvet like interior of the dark green Granada driven by my maternal grandmother on our way to the city for “just me, my younger brother and grandma” day of getting spoiled.
my maternal grandmother also had one
@@Blando7887 EVERYBODY"S maternal grandmother had one.
Same but it was a Mercury Monarch. Annual trip to visit her in Scranton …that ashtray full of menthol butts is a memory
@@robertkirchner7981I can cosign, as my material grandmother had one as well. White on rust exterior.
@@Blando7887I second that lol
Something something premature ejaculation joke because early.
Extruding like playdoh
😝
80hp of sheer mailase era grunt.
I am shocked that it had that much torque.
So by this definition a Toyota Solara is a personal luxury car. I can live with that.
As a proud owner of a 99 I can absolutely confirm that it is and I love it for that
Love sitting in my '08 Solara, reading this comment
k it is a family coupe. soarer is the real personal luxury car. as well as hardtops like mark ii corona exiv and arguably corolla/corona 2dr h/t coupes
The Granada was NEVER A personal luxury car. It was a premium compact car
The whole review was the last ten seconds. Thanks.
The malaise engineering problem wasn't the gas mileage, it was emissions. It's easy to make a carbureted car get good fuel economy: put on a small carb and tune it lean. But lean burning engines create tons of nitrous oxides. In addition to dealing with the fuel crisis, the 70s were when the automobile stopped being a luxury and became a neccesity. Instead of 1 car per family there was 1 car per adult. The environmental impacts of the inexpensive engine tech that propelled cars into the mainstream was coming to a head. The triple threat the automakers faced wasnt that consumers needed more power and more mpg, it was that they also needed to not produce carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide, which meant having a much tighter control of the air fuel ratio, which is very hard to do with carburetion. Asian and European markets had historically used engine size as a basis for road taxation, which meant that when that market demanded a hot car, it had to be achieved technologically rather than displacement. This meant that, pre-fuel crisis, the imports were a novelty, impressive that they could make as much power as they could, but with engines a quarter the size of their American counterparts, there still was no competition. Add in shipping costs and import duties, and the US automaker's home field advantage was nearly insurmountable. But then oil embargos and emissions laws hit at once. If the American automakers had decided that it was time for their tech to evolve with the times, they could have been back on top by the late 70s. But instead, they presumed their home field advantage was ironclad, that displacement and the good name of the V8 would keep them on top regardless, and decided they'd play politics by making their emissions compliant vehicles far worse than they had to be, in the hopes it would pressure the public to recall the politicians who were imposing emissions laws. They figured the Japanese auto industry was fighting an uphill battle just to be recognized in the US and they had plenty of time to ride out the storm. If they had listened to their engineers instead of their bean counters, they could have made much better cars sooner. But instead they burned away all their home field advantage and lost the gamble that emissions regulations would be a temporary problem. They then had to figure out how to invest money in modern automotive technology and retooling and reestablishing parts supplies while the business was operating at a loss. And it took the whole decade.
Good background information. Will this be on the test?
Emission regs for Diesels are a problem everywhere now. CAFE is a problem for the US and is the reason manufacturers are using stop start crap.
@@---l--- IT WASN'T GOING TO BE, BUT NOW IT WILL. Any other questions?
When the US finally banned leaded gasoline, there was enough surplus lead for every US auto manufacturer to shoot themselves in the foot continuously, tommy gun style, and never run out of lead... for over a decade.
Very clear answer on why we got cat converters & so on! 1 car per person vs 1 per household makes a HUGE difference in those pesky greenhouse gasses😬
RCR & Malaise go so well together
RCR 🤝 Malaise
BROWN
Like hot cheetos and enemas.
My first car in 1999, was my Grandma's 1978 4dr Ford Granada. And it was the same yellow. And it had the smokers windows. And it fit 7 of my friends in if we really really tried, and it kept the blunt smoke inside the car where it didn't belong.
I had 3 exhausts fall off in the lovely salt planes that are New Hampshire roads, had a tow truck driver somehow rip my gas tank off while getting a tow and countless other things. When the car felt like scrap, I sold her to a shop. Months later, the shop would call me up, no one wanted to buy it, I'd get it back cheap.
Only messed up issue I really had with it was the headlights. The 78 Granada had a left foot button switch for the highbeams behind and to the left of the brake pedal, a lot like the Kennedy assassination. Problem is, if you live where there's snow and rain, eventually, enough moisture would get into that button and then while you're cruising along, smoking shitty Mexican tire weed with your friends on a cruise, listening to whatever the radio would pick up, the headlights would just start flashing on and off irregularly, until you shut the car off for a few minutes and let whatever fucker was happening stop happening.
Of course I was 16 and didn't know that was a simple short, but it's a memory I'll carry with me forever.
I miss you Granada. You were a big, dumb, ugly boat of a car. And you were mine.
Ford Granada: they loaded the corporate parts cannon and gave it a full broadside.
it was a Falcon underneath as was the craptastic Maverick
Maverick wasnt that bad. @stanmarcusgtv
FINALLY, Mr Regular gets to review a true Malaise Era car! And it's BROWN!
High end cars don't make Mr Regular happy. Malaise cars do. And he hasn't been this happy since he reviewed the AMC Ambassador sedan.
Honestly, I'd take any Malaise square mayo jar over what's available now. They have character and can be fixed. :3
@@jamesgizasson Agreed. I remember the malaise era all too well. The cars were attractive and luxury was the new go-to feature since performance was all but gone by 1974 and not to return until 1984.
Our '77 was BROWN!
My first car (in 1998) was a 76 Granada. 5L (302 V8) with power steering and landau roof. True luxury for 17 year old me. I spent many summer nights sleeping across the sofa like bench seat, soaking in the teenage freedom.
Handling, fuel economy and power didn’t matter. She was mine, and she floated me gracefully from A to B whenever called upon. Thanks old friend.
Love it!!! Just like my first car a 1966 Pontiac Tempest Custom 6-cylinder Yellow bought it for 150.00 in 1974, it was mine and wow you are right, total freedom how many trips I took around the New Mexico landscape. Never let me down the only time she didn't run was when we were intertubing in the Sandia mountains it was towed in a no parking zone. Sadly, I traded it on a 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme buckskin metallic and I LOVED THAT CAR!!! Bought it brand new at Galles Oldsmobile Cadillac in Albuquerque New Mexico!! Those were the days my friend we thought Theye'd never end!!! Nothing but fun times in the 70s, God Blessed us we had so much fun!!!
Hello Mother. Hello Father. I am driving in this old Granada.
Foot to the floor, engine's straining;
And the wipers only quit when it is raining. :)
@@jamesgizasson trans is sloppy, tank is empty, oh, the tire's flat again please come and save me.😂
@RegularCars you know this deserves a heart
Just remember that the cadillac 8.2L v8 made 187 horsepower in 1976.
"How could they get such little power from a v8 moterrr"
could propably pull a whole house though!
@@dmer-zy3rb torque in the mid 300s
I literally have one. I love it only because of how completely absurd it is. It gets about 14 mpg, no matter what. It actually moves at an ok speed considering it has a 3 speed trans with no od.
@@chepesantacruz777 It still had lots of torque though but people who don’t know much about cars only think of terms of horsepower which doesn’t paint the full of an engine’s output.
As a kid in 79, I remember these being everywhere. Especially with color matched landau tops and hubcaps. This and the Fairmont were peak Ford malaise.
Old Boomer here. I bought a 1980 Ford Fairmont new at the end of the model year. It had the 255 V8 but, you'd hardly know that it was a V8. But, it must've been made mid-week because it was a really good car while I had it. No problems at all.
Nah. The Fairmont had a strut front suspension and rack and pinion steering, and was Ford's first tiny step away from malaise. By Ford standards, it was practically a Volvo. Peak malaise at Ford was the Granada and the Ford Elite- a Gran Torino that had been blasted by the Brougham Cannon.
The Fairmont was built on the same platform as the Mustang ... good ol' Fox body. They're a bit sought after these days.
My Families was silver with red vinyl top with 2 doors. Red vinyl interior with FM and AM stereo. It was a standard with manual steering.
My dad had a 1980 Ford Fairmont wagon in malaise BROWWWWNNNN. Kinda reminds me of this Grenada honestly...
Seesawing at the wheel is the real world equivalent of playing a racing game with a keyboard and tapping the "D" key at the right frequency for the corner.
😅 I'm so used to doing that with controllers back in the day that I still find myself doing it in racing games with freakin' analog controllers today. 🙄 🤣 SMH at myself.
That opening scene was terrifying lol
it was giving buffalo bill
I jUsT wAnNa SeE yOuR yEaRbOoK!!
Ford Grenada - The official car of I made it, except I didn’t…
My aunt had one of these, was this terrible green inside and out, had all the options like AC and cassette. I was maybe 7 and I have two memories of it - couch seats and it was so so slow on the highway that we would have to hang with semis on steep hills…
"like buffet slop at a failing casino on the edge of reno", kind of a funny line, since my grandfather had a 1975 Granada in the early 90s and we'd ride in that thing to the Bonanza casino, which wasn't failing but it was an often forgotten about casino, on the at the time northern edge of Reno.
Underrated steak house at the Bonanz!
Oh man, Bonanza brings back memories.
I had the exact same experience, except it was the early 2000s and my grandpa had an 88 or 89 Taurus. White with blue cloth interior. No AC, of course, because my grandpa was a cheapskate who never spent more than $1k on a car.
I'll be honest, as a kid the Bonanza buffet was pretty lit. But then again I was a fat kid who loved mashed potatoes and beef gravy.
I grew up in Cold Springs and remember the Bonanza! Feels like a lifetime ago but I remember the cigarette smoke and slot machine sounds so well.
"I don't think I am particularly funny. In fact, I know I'm not." - Jeremy Clarkson
I misread the title as "1979 Ford Grandpa"
Pretty much the same thing
Yeah close enough tbh.
Granada is Canada's grand-dad.
Can Granada see Canada’s high school yearbook?
Hell yeah dude this comment rules
Wrong. Granada is IN Canada. Granada QC, 20 min drive from Rouyn-Noranda where I was born... learned to skate on the outside rink in Granada.
Now that there is a comment 😂
Cuh-nah-dah
I love how this Granada looks like it should be on the set of Edward Scissorhands.
That wife vs husband description was not what i needed in the morning. I had to politely not eat the eggs i made myself because now my appetite is vamanos.
I had to stop watching while eating...and then skip the rest afterwards.
Going through a very difficult time in my life, those ending words were much needed. Thank you Mr Regular, see you next time.
This car’s theme song is “Oh Lord, Mr. Ford” by Jerry Reed lol
I love that song so much!
Oh if Mr. Ford could see what his simple horseless carriage has become...
Even now, I still remember the 1986 Nissan Maxima Mom bought while I was in middle school. Usually, I took the school bus, but there were times Mom picked me up school. All these frumpy old Granadas and Novas coming down the circle to pick up the other students, then Mom rocking up in the Maxima, looking like something from outer space. The contrast was incredibly striking.
The one car I wish was in GT games, PURELY for how Sunday Cup-y it is.
That and a whole bunch of stuff. Really don't care for 58 shades of an EG Civic, give me Lesabres Cordobas and Granadas.
1977. When the fastest American car was a truck with wood in the bed
Little red express or the Chevy C10 454
Pontiac Trans Am?
@@Marklin15 slower than both to 100. LRE and C10 454 both had about 230hp. Fastest trans am had 201hp
And the other with a gold disco flying chicken on the hood, lol.
I grew up going to scout camp in Mahwah, NJ near the Ford plant where these were built, and they were everywhere. Dad was a GM man, so we had a bare-bones '78 Malibu Classic with a V6 and a 3-speed stick rather than its locally-made competitor.
It was no less terrible, but I miss it.
Dad had a blue on blue Grand Prix and he hated that 301 engine 3 sp auto. Even when the ‘79 models offered 4sp manuals there was still no overdrive
Friend's all-American father was so proud to get a 1979 one because his was a 'limited edition' Ghia model two door. Garbage then, garbage now.
The Mercedes campaign came right out of PT Barnum thinking, including the ads featuring 'real people' who owned both cars and were SO excited their neighbors couldn't tell the difference.
When I was a kid, my parents had a 1974 Buick Electra Limited. "Limited" always struck me as a strange adjective for describing higher trim cars. Sounds so much like "limited mobility" or "limited mental ability".
When my father described my mother’s father…he would often mention (with distain) they owned a Granada. I never knew why he had to include that detail in a rambling story about the past.
This review is peak regular.
OG RCR
Im greatful someone kept this and is at least taking care of it. Its amazing to see, its glad to see what was, it allows you to have a more honest opinion and experiences with these types of stuff.
Good video thank you RCR
My best friend in high school (circa 1992) drove a 4 door Granada for a while. I don't remember what year it was, but it was white on red. Got it from his grandmother, natch. We just called it "car", because other than the OG Crown Vic, I've never seen a more generically car-shaped car. Like, if you asked a 5-year-old to draw you a picture of a car, whatever they draw will likely resemble a Granada.
I would gladly trade my yearbook for a 1978 Ford Granada.
2014 RCR is back. There is a G-d. Look at that gorgeous brrrrrownnnnn interior.
Imagine censoring God
@@ChineseGlobalism to avoid erasing or desecrating His name. This custom comes from Deuteronomy 12:4 in the Torah, which prohibits the destruction of God's name. The commandment is interpreted by some to mean that God's name should not be written, and most Jewish legal opinion agrees that it applies to the written name in Hebrew.
@@SamLed1111I thought God's name was Robert Mitchum?
This video is definitely OG RCR.
Christ, I was TRYING to eat breakfast… 😂
God forgive me, I like the way this car looks.
Also, I inexplicably had a thought this morning that I could watch this video at my workspace at normal volume. I’m still watching it, but at 5% of the possible volume. Even the uncle + yearbook bit didn’t prepare me, didn’t warn me what was coming.
The love your enemies sections felt like a therapy session or a moral lesson from a dad
I own a W114 Merc and it's pretty funny that Ford tried to advertise against it with this. Gotta aim for the stars I guess.
I remember seeing the ad.
The car that’s been in the background of every single movie and TV show, ever.
I owned a 77’ Granada Ghia there were only 1500 made. Power moon roof, red leather interior, aluminum spoke mag rims, power windows and door locks, AC, Cruise control, 4 wheel disc brakes and a 351 Windsor V8 engine with a 9” limited slip rear end. This bad boy even had a Police Spotlight mounted between the windshield and door. The perfect luxury automobile for a young 16 year old who aced driver’s Ed showing up at the bonfire like an undercover Cop. A champion transmission that had only reverse left in the end of its life
I should really know better than to watch these while eating breakfast
I watch them while eating breakfast on purpose.
I have very refined taste.
You too, huh? I ironically was eating the Factor pancakes and sausage, and had to pause during the intro part...and then all but skip it afterwards.
You would never hear Zappa on an AM radio in 1978. Back then AM radio was playing Stayin' Alive, Le Freak and Three times a Lady on a continuous loop. (ugh) I drove a Granada during Driver's Ed in High School. It felt the same as the simulators they had set up in a classroom where you looked at a movie about driving down a street on a projection screen. No road feel, whatsoever, but it was quiet and plush.
I'd be surprised if you heard Zappa on FM radio in 1978, let alone AM.
"Personal luxury car" = Crossover/SUV-Coupé
Precisely what came to mind as he described it.
I can't wait for the crossover era to either end, or actually give us vehicles that come anywhere near delivering on their promises.
Ain't that the truth. The malaise era never really ended. It just turned into SUVs, trucks, and crossovers.
@@aidanpysher2764 What's really sad is how the most practical cars were abandoned: minivans, hatchbacks, and wagons! T^T
The whole point of crossovers is the seating position/ease of entry. They will not go away until human augmentation is commonplace because shitload of people have joint and back problems.
Only point I want to refute is the comment on "Personal Luxury Cars". The 1966+ Eldorado, Toronado, Riviera, early Monte Carlos, Thunderbirds (at times), Lincoln Continentals, Mercury Marquis and certain Pontiacs all were real, personal luxury cars. So, the segment did exist outside of the "Made Up" version. That is not an indication that the Grenada was within the actual realm of the title, but the segment did exist, up through the early 2000s with the last of the Eldorados and the Lincoln Mark 8. Maybe one could argue the last Retro Thunderbird was in the segment, but I think that vehicle existed more to bolster slumping sales of button down Hawaiian shirts and Beach Boys albums.
I came here to say this. The original Ford Thunderbird, 1955-1957, was a 2-seater meant to compete with the Corvette. When it grew a rear seat for 1958, it became a "personal luxury car". I don't know _exactly_ when the term was coined, but it was around well before the '70s.
new rcr stereotype voice unlocked
I watched this video on the family computer and my mom heard the c-u-m stuff and now I’m grounded for the weekend, thanx guys
I really think it’s cool that such a car has survived this long. That it’s still on the road. It’s not the type of car that people took care of. And it’s not the type of car people restore. As the years/decades go on, seeing any cars from this era, even at shows, will be super rare. People who keep/restore/drive/show malaise era cars really only do European and Japanese models. You may get lucky and see a mustang, Camaro, or corvette, but that’s because a lot more people love those models regardless of body style, and fixed whatever weak points they had.
It was not a car to be cared for. My dad had a 1978 Mercury Monarch (the Mercury equivalent of a Ford Granada) that I learned to drive with. They were 'five year' cars, meaning you could expect five years of reliable transport from point A to point B. Beyond that, you faced mounting repair bills and risks to your life.
@@The4preston so… …pretty much a modern car then. …only worse, because it’s more difficult to fix yourself since it’s out of warranty, and you pretty much need a proprietary computer to change out something that otherwise should be simple.
This brings back memories. My dad had one of these around 1983 (after his Pinto). It was originally this same color until he got a $99 Earl Scheib paint job, cream white with red pinstripes.
I love it when RCR returns to form.
"Meet your enemy" is such a lovely thought here. This was a great one.
Cars were only cool if hot wheels made one. These cars were the cheap grocery store cars you'd buy in a 5pk made from single stamped metal with no glass or interior and post holding the wheels in place. No way you'd buy it as a kid, but your grandparents sure did like to😂😂
The script for this one was literally the BEST one of all (harking back to the first RCRs) because it was all simply so true! The uncle, the brown, the failing casino in Nevada. You're killing it man
The Sawtooth driving, Mr. Reg driving like a classic cartoon character lol.
Now we know why the classic cartoon characters drive like that
50s/early 60s rear-projection movie scene driving.
At 3:48 is peak Mr Regular. Brown and more brown!
I would say 1985 or so. Not all of us were buying new Corvettes. By the time the high, center-mounted brake lights and fuel-injection started to take hold, malaise was beginning to fade. Cars got lighter, somewhat more reliable and fuel efficient. '75-through '85: Unforgiving, crude catalytic converters on their way out as well. Just a thought.
My mom had a white 77 4 door with red vinyl interior and a red vinyl top when i was growing up. I remember the seats were a hundred degrees in the summer.
Imma need to see that year book
I got so excited thinking that this was going to be the European Granada
Have you seen World's End, perhaps? :)
The European one was much better than this. Either mk. 1 or 2. Mk.1 Ghia had much more style.
This is a remarkable survivor from the malaise era...I think younger drivers would benefit from the experience of piloting a malaise era floaty-boat with a comfy bench seat and wobbly steering at least once. It would give them insights as to what kinds of cars that their grandparents or great-grandparents drove.
Exactly. Don't forget the one speaker am radio.
I grew up in the back of one of these. It was slow but very comfortable.
79 Ford Granada. The car that knows where all the bodies are buried.
There was one redeemable quality, the higher trim level Granadas and Mercury/Lincolns built on the same chassis, came with a Ford 9 inch rear end with disk brakes. They were perfect donors to swap into Firebirds and Camaros. Before there were dozens of aftermarket companies building custom rear axles.
Had one back in college in the '80's. We changed the head gasket on the 250 straight 6 in the dorm parking lot. It was a good car for it's time- there were many cars that were worse. It was slow, but reliable, and had the most comfortable bucket seats. It's one of the cars i miss.
If you were buying one of these used, let’s say 50,000 miles, back then, it would go to 100,000 better than a Japanese car, because it rusted less, and the engine was sturdier. The Japanese car would be rusted out and burning oil like crazy at 100,000.
No temperature gauge is a sin. Other than that, I actually really like this car! It's got a straight six, rwd, personality, and it has to be stupid simple to fix. :)
"Hello Muddah. Hello Faddah.
Here I am at Camp Grenada"
I have been watching RCR for ages now, and I shouldn't have known better than to be eating while watching RCR. I was not ready for that unhinged story.
As a european it's almost hard to believe a car like this is actually real. It's soo big, so slow, so impractical, and so archaic, it could just as easily been made in 1959, if not even earlier.
Worst decade of American car culture that's for sure😂 this thing is a dumpster fire.
Not even close to being a big car.
An appreciated message on this rainy New England afternoon.
Now, this is a regular car
Another review that reminds me of your older work. I love the talk about enemies. Great job.
US Granadas are totally different to the ones we got.
It's amazing how America still had a car industry with their attitude in the 70's and 80's.
Because us 'Muricans don't accept the future until we're forced to, and even then...
I always thought that Uncle Pultab was a character Mr Regular/The Roman came up with out of the blue to just refer to all those creepy old guys.
But now i think about how consistent and precise the skits are, i think it's based on an actual uncle of his.
"Antique Cream" =))))
Why, Ford, whyyyy?!
My grandparents had a '77 that was eventually passed down to my parents.... SO much nostalgia here! Ours had the SROD manual with the shift pattern 1, 3, 3, O/D. Dad joked that the ratios were so wide, that it was like a 7 speed missing 2nd, 4th, and 6th gears. We had no optional power steering... I remember my poor grandmother needing to wrench away at the wheel when making a 3 point turn. The looooong doors eventually sagged so we had to lift up on them while slamming. What a complete turd. Such a great video... OG RCR.
This is regular. So regular! 👍
This Granada reminds me of a 4-door Dodge Aspen I drove when I had a summer job in the late 80s that had the Slant-Six in it. It even had about the same color!
The Mitsubishi Mirage of the late seventies, except it came with a diner booth seat made of Corinthian plastic, a trash bag full of rolling tobacco, and a five year / 36,000 mile powertrain warranty on the denial of your stagnating economic circumstances.
I'm surprised the warranty was THAT long back then.
My 1st car was a 1977 Granada. I had the 4dr with the "5 point oh" V8. Yeah, it was a "malaise era" American car, but since I had nothing to compare it to, I loved it. Since most of my buddies drove small cars, they called it a HUGE boat of a car with a big motor. I would explain that in it's day, it was considered a "mid sized" car, with a "small V8". I still miss that old car!
The "Curious George Yellow" color really suits this car.
Nah, this is the 70's, so its PALE BROWNNNN
There were some really good examples of Granada's that were really good looking and yes, luxurious. They also were tanks. This was the worst color available and had a stock vinyl interior. They really were ok cars with a few annoying mechanical traits.
The official factory name for the colour was Antique Cream. I know this b/c my dad's '78 Mercury Monarch sported the same paint job.
My grandparents had one of these (seems to be a recurring theme here). A red 4 door variant. That thing was a tank and my grandma drove the hell out of it. Had the battle scars to prove it.
I don't understand, how can Ford and GM know how to make good cars in Europe but not know how to make them in the US?
Corporate bullshit, and a vast gulf in aesthetic taste?
"The Grenada's theme is just, CAR" 😂😂😂
1979 also saw the Fox body mustang
While car this was the last of the compact Falcoln/Maverick platform that had been started in 1959 (1960 Model Year).
My grandpa had a '77 T-bird in this same body color but with white interior. We called it the "banana cream pie". It drove about as well as a pie 😂
Old car's Review frm this channel literally sucks
4:32 by this point I really should know better than to eat while watching rcr
Uwu I'm early
The Granada was filler until the Fox chassis was ready in the Fairmont and Mustang and could produce in volume.
Damn you can use the steering wheel like when a cartoon character is driving and not actually crash
ahhh the car used as the image on the wikipedia for the malaise era
My family owned, not one, but two of these boats when I was growing up. It was a turbulent time for my family. My mom flipped one over a bridge, onto a railroad track. How is this possible? Not sure. She was livin' the High Life. Nonetheless, this video more clearly explains the last two American presidential elections than the millions of words written about it before now. Thank you.
My high school car was a 79 Mercury Marquis. It was the same cream color and interior color. 302 complete with rear main seal leak. It was more 2cycle than 4 cycle with the amount of oil going down its gullet. But the memories I had!! 4 people in the front/4 people in the back. Fun!
So many absolute banger lines in this one, boys.
I agree with the vehicular sentiment, wait, keep calm, things will change, things will get better, things will pass❤
I've never heard of the Granada from Ford of Europe.
Today, Monday June 29, 2024 is the 93rd anniversary of Ford's V8.
11:25 - "hadn't yet sunk in yet." Okay, I have to dock you points for that; otherwise this would be an A+ episode, but there's nothing wrong with an A. Again, great episode -- and at a more digestible length. Classic RCR. Thank you!