Low-Mid Level Ford Granada Becomes Continental-Peer Lincoln Versailles

The automobile industry is usually in a turbulent state.  At times, the turbulence is more extreme than usual.  One such period for American carmakers was from around 1973 into the early 1980s.  Two major factors were (1) the oil supply crisis in the wake of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and (2) increased federal government regulation activity regarding fuel economy and collision safety.  The result was that new design generation cars were smaller/lighter/more-streamlined than before, while having more robust bumpers and stronger passenger compartment pillars.

This downsizing affected even luxury brands.  Cadillac introduced its 114.7 inch (2903 mm) wheelbase Seville for 1975, and Lincoln followed with the 109 inch (2769 mm) wheelbase Versailles for model year 1977.  In 1977, base prices were $11,500 for Versailles and $13,359 for Seville, the latter being 16 per cent more expensive.  Annual production in 1977 for Versailles was 15,434, 45,060 for Seville -- Seville production almost three times that of Versailles.

Why the large difference despite Versailles' price advantage?

The Seville was based on its own platform (derived from other General Motors platforms).  But the Versailles was a derivative of Ford Motor Company's 1975 Mercury Monarch and Ford Granada.  That's the American Granada, not Ford's European one.  The problem was that the Versailles was too similar to its less-expensive stablemates, even sharing the same motors.  More importantly, the 1977 base price for the entry-level 4-door Grenada was $4,118.  That's only about 36 percent of the Versailles' price.  And the two cars looked nearly alike, as is shown below in the Gallery.  No wonder the Versailles was a market failure.

Gallery

1975 Ford Granada - unknown photo source, probably car-for-sale photos
A "three-box" design, fashionable during the non-streamlined 1970s.

1977 Lincoln Versailles - car-for-sale photos
The grille design is similar to that of standard-size Lincolns.  Quad headlights are here rather than the round, twin headlights of the Granada.  However, bumpers and turn-signal light assemblies are almost the same on both cars.

Side views: this Granada has vinyl roof covering like the Versailles below.

The most obvious side difference is the carriage light seen on the B-pillar.

Rear quarter views.

The "Continental" spare tire bulge on the trunk lid is non-functional; the tire itself lies flat under the trunk's floor.  The padding under the roof vinyl is obvious from this viewpoint.  Tail light assemblies differ, bumpers are nearly alike.

1980 Lincoln Versailles - Mecum Auctions photo
For 1979, Versailles got modified roofs, and sales briefly rose.  ('79 production was 21,007, but fell to 4,478 for 1980, the model's final year.  Total Versailles production was 50,158.

1991-96 Chevrolet Caprice Sedan

Because of the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the gasoline shortage it caused, also Federal regulations related to fuel economy, by the late 1970s American "standard size" car models were becoming smaller.  So by the late 1990s, Chevrolet's new Caprice sedans struck me as being almost too large.   Their wheelbase was 115.9 inches (2944 mm) and their length 214.1 inches (5438 mm).  That length was in line with most standard American cars of the 1950-1975 period.

Other B-body cars of that generation at General Motors were the Buick Roadmaster with the same wheelbase, and the longer Cadillac Fleetwood, both higher-priced than the $16,500-$18,500 Caprice (respectively around $23,000 and $34,000).

Ford launched its competing Crown Victoria for the 1992 model year.  That car was almost the same size as the Caprice, and it had similar styling features.  Interestingly, at that time I didn't consider Crown Vics as heavy-looking as Caprices.  A likely reason why can be found in the photo captions below.

Gallery

1991 Chevrolet Caprice Classic - via Car and Driver
Long passenger compartment greenhouse and comparatively short hood and trunk lid.  Also, six windows.

1992 Buick Roadmaster - car-for-sale photo
The Buick version had four windows, a large C-pillar zone, and a less-tapered aft roof profile.

1993 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham - car-for-sale photo
The wheelbase is 121.5 inches (3086 mm), length 225 inches (5715 mm).  That permitted a more formal greenhouse design.

1992 Ford Crown Victoria - Mecum Auctions photo
The Ford Crown Victoria  is surprisingly similar to the Caprice shown in the image below.  Greenhouses have six windows.  Doors and door post angles are similar.  Ditto frontal profiles and side trim.  I suppose basic dimensions and passenger packaging factors played a part in this similarity, along with wind tunnel test results.  Still, I have to wonder if there wasn't a whiff of industrial espionage going on during development of both designs.

1993 Chevrolet Caprice Classic - BaT Auctions photos
Note how the roof profile flows onto the trunk area.  I think this fairly small detail caused me to consider the design to seem "heavy," despite that huge amount of glass area.

A clean, though not exciting, design as seen from the front quarter.

The roofline flow seen from a normal viewing perspective.  Note how high the trunk lid is and how the flow relates to it.  Some visual heaviness is found here.

High quarter view.  The backlight window is huge -- larger than necessary.  The whole rear area seems heavy-looking, unlike the more conventional Crown Victoria.