How a British legal battle shaped the identity of a European executive car

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When Ford launched its new executive model in 1972, the name Granada was almost blocked by a powerful British conglomerate. The resulting legal friction forced Ford to market early versions under the Consul badge. Once the trademark was secured, the Granada became a fixture of European roads, taxis, and police fleets.

The European Ford Granada emerged in 1972 as a strategic move to unify Ford’s disparate British and German model ranges. Replacing the British Ford Zephyr and the German P7-series, the Granada was initially produced in both Cologne and Dagenham before manufacturing consolidated in Germany by 1976. The car’s development was deeply influenced by Ford’s desire for a cohesive design language; for the second generation, known as the 'Granada 78', designers were explicitly tasked with creating a vehicle as aesthetically compelling as the Pininfarina-designed Fiat 130 Coupé.

The Granada’s mechanical lineage was a blend of Ford’s established conventions and evolving technology. While early models utilized V4 engines, these were soon replaced by the more reliable 'Pinto' units and the robust 'Cologne' V6 engines. The car was a versatile platform, serving not just as a standard saloon or estate, but as a base for specialized conversions, including hearses and stretched limousines by companies like Coleman Milne. Its popularity extended globally, with assembly even subcontracted to Hyundai in South Korea, where it competed in a high-tax bracket for larger vehicles.

By the mid-1980s, the Granada nameplate had become a regional identity. While the third generation was sold as the Ford Scorpio across most of Europe, the UK and Ireland retained the Granada badge until 1994. This final iteration, built on a stretched Sierra floorpan, marked a technological milestone as the first European volume production car to feature standard antilock brakes. Despite its success and a 1986 European Car of the Year award, the Granada eventually faded, replaced by the ovoid-styled Scorpio, which struggled to find the same market resonance before production ceased in 1998.

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