Meet The Owner - Alex J. Sebbinger-Sparks and his Ford Granada Ghia X Estates
25 June 2024
As one of the leading lights of the Modern Classic Executive Car Club, Alex is naturally a connoisseur of fine 1980s machinery. Some might say owning two Caspian Blue Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia X Mk. 2 Estates is utter decadence—but then, who could resist the lure of such “space-age load carriers”?
The original Granada Mk. 1 Estate of 1972 was initially available only with one trim level and the 3.0-litre V6 ‘Essex’ engine—a cheaper 2.5-litre version wore the Consul badge. An autumn 1975 facelift saw the Granada Estate range expand to the 2.0-litre or 2.5-litre L and a 3-litre GL. The Mk. 2 debuted in September 1977, using the Mk. 1’s panels rear of the A-pillars.
And on the 1st March 1979, Ford launched the Ghia Estate, with a 2.8-litre V6 engine in either carburettor or fuel injection form. The original brochure images appealed to the reader’s inner social climber: tweeds, a country house and several braces of pheasant in the boot. With such a vehicle, you would clearly be the envy of all Citroën CX Safari and Volvo 265 owners.
1981 saw a facelift of the range, with a three-bar body-coloured grille and improved interior. The Ghia X made its bow in early 1982 as the ideal car for drivers who needed even more prestige than the Ghia could provide. Customers at the A31 Little Chef would cease eating their Jubilee Pancakes in amazement when they saw a Granada with power-adjusted heated front seats, air conditioning, a trip computer, and metallic paint as standard.
As with the earlier Ghias, Ford applied these luxuries in a subtle – dare we say “tasteful”? - fashion. The time of the flamboyantly quasi-American Zodiacs had gone the way of Teddy Boys and Dansette record players, as the Granadas were for drivers who wished for comfort, prestige and executive dignity.
Car magazine thought the Ghia X saloon: “exactly the kind of car you love to have waiting at the airport on a wet Friday night, to drive without effort or undue thought”. Effortless motoring was what most of its customers demanded, as well as setting an example to those junior employees in their Escort Populars,
Naturally, the Ghia X Estate was not a cheap prospect. In 1984, the fuel-injected version cost £13,786, compared with £11,190 for the Citroën CX 25TRI Safari Automatic or £12,300 for the Volvo 260GLE. A Granada buyer might also have given that to the Mercedes-Benz 280TE, but your Ford dealer might tell you cost it a vast £15,810. They could also point out there was no equivalent estate version of the Rover SD1 or the Vauxhall Senator.
The Mk.3 replaced the Mk.2 in 1985, and by the end of the century, the second- generation Granada was already regarded as a modern classic. Alex regards the ownership of his Estates, both carburettor models, as “achievement unlocked”, and as for their road manners:
To drive, they belie their age. Whilst certain elements do show themselves as being a product of the late 70s/early 80s such as the three speed automatic transmission meaning the engine is revving more than you’d expect on a newer car with a four speed, the cars keep up with modern traffic well, and on the recent trip to and from the NEC from the West Country (a not inconsiderable distance), It was comfortable, smooth and enjoyable.
When Alex displayed one of his Ghia X Estates at this year’s Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show, it proved a star of the NEC. Over that weekend, its Caspian Blue magnificence attracted countless visitors, all mesmerised by the Granada that was “Designed to delight the fastidious”.
Not to mention the Ghia X being a car for “a very discerning driver”.
With Thanks To: Alex J. Sebbinger-Sparks and https://www.facebook.com/groups/modernexecs/