Here’s a pristine, museum-worthy Ford from the late 1970s, built for everyday driving. It’s practically a preserved time capsule, boasting just 47 miles on the odometer. It may not be exciting or fast, but it does have a unique four-speed manual gearbox. In 1978, some lucky people bought a new BMW 635CSi or Porsche 928. Some bold party supply buyers might have bought a new Lamborghini Countach. Most Americans had regular jobs and ordinary cars. Maybe their only excitement was seeing Starsky & Hutch drive by a fruit stand once a week. Regular cars got old and were thrown away, while Porsches and BMWs were kept shiny and taken care of. But not everyone. Today’s classic car on Bring a Trailer is a 1978 Ford Granada two-door with just 47 kilometers on it. It is held by Hearst Autos and Invoice Pricing. According to sources, its original owner drove it home from the dealer and stored it for decades, which is an unusual garage-queen lifestyle for such a common car. It has aged well and still looks original and impressive. Ford created the Granada in 1975 for people who liked the LTD but didn’t want a large car. It was a small improvement over the Maverick. The Granada was built on a simple Maverick design and was more for parents who wanted to listen to Perry Como on their way to work at the Acme stapler factory rather than for young disco lovers. You can choose from many different luxury choices for large cars on the Granada —or you might not be able to. This version is special because it features a manual gearbox with four gears, an AM/FM radio, and an eight-track player. It has 14-inch steel wheels with covers, a black exterior, and red vinyl seats. The 4.1-liter Thriftpower inline-six engine has 88 horsepower, making it more efficient than strong. The tires were changed three years ago. Ford’s ads were designed to improve the Granada’s image by encouraging people to compare it to a similarly sized Mercedes. “Can you distinguish its appearance from a $20,000 Mercedes-Benz?” Yes, I think so. Sure. In the late 1970s, quality control wasn’t very good, so Ford’s factories made things quickly. The Granada provided some luxury features for less than one-fifth of the price of the Merc. This Ford, which has just 47 miles on it, shows what life was like at the end of the 1970s. This is perfect for people making a historical picture, TV show, or a museum exhibit about the Carter era. Or you might show up at your local Cars & Coffee event with a car that hasn’t been seen in decades, along with all the other antique BMWs and Porsches. A well-kept Granada with a four-speed manual gearbox and low mileage? If you put some Perry Como eight-track tapes in the glovebox, it will feel like the late 1970s again. The sale will end on February 11.
