Day: May 10, 2015

Gorfe’s Granadas: 2.8 Ghia Estate Automatic

Myles Gorfe on some of the highlights of the Ford Granada’s career. In this item, Myles considers one of the 80s’ best load luggers, the 2.8 litre Ghia estate.

1983 Ford Granada it its biggest and best: carandclassic.co.uk
1983 Ford Granada at its biggest and best: carandclassic.co.uk

Forget Volvo estates with their boxy looks. And you can forget Mercedes’ over-priced hearses. The 1977-1985 Granada ticked all the boxes: big, fast, comfortable and well-priced. It had more room than the Volvo 240 and Vauxhall didn’t even offer a serious alternative at any price. Citroen’s CX was a technical disaster on four wheels. Peugeot’s 505 was plain ugly and handled like a tugboat in a storm. Continue reading “Gorfe’s Granadas: 2.8 Ghia Estate Automatic”

Catastrophe

Jaguar’s commercial ambitions reached their zenith with this famously unsuccessful 1961 saloon flagship, whose legacy resonates to this day.

Image via Jag-lovers
Jaguar’s most influential car ever – from a styling perspective at least. Image credit: Jag-lovers

Some six months after the euphoric launch of the E-Type, Jaguar launched this radical saloon. Given the project name of Zenith, Mark Ten was a dashingly modern, dramatically styled leviathan of a car, conceived specifically for the North American market. Famed for his astute reading of market trends, Jaguar founder, Sir William Lyons didn’t believe in customer clinics or product planning. The Mark Ten was his vision of a full-sized luxury Jaguar Saloon – bigger, more opulent and technically sophisticated than any European rival. Continue reading “Catastrophe”