Since 2014, the motor vehicle tax exemption for old-timers applies to cars with an age from 40 instead of 25. Whatever you think of that, it ensures that the classic is again more the cherished enthusiast car that it should be. However, there are always exceptions.
Before stretching the age limit, you could find duty-free cars on every street corner, often on diesel or LPG, that had nothing to do with classic love. The Mercedes 200d and old Waves were purely a means to pay as little tax as possible. The right of the owners, of course, but the shifting of the age limit can be defended in that light.
Now that the limit is at 40 years, the tax-free car has become much more of a real enthusiast’s thing. Keeping a car on the road for four decades simply requires a lot of love and attention.
At least, we thought so. This Ford Granada proves that it can also work if you completely neglect your car. The car is from 1980 and reached the magical 40-year mark in March. Yet he looks like he has just been fished from the nearby IJ. The moss is literally growing out of the bumpers and the paint appears to be in dire condition. Of course, that does not necessarily say anything about the technical condition. In any case, the MOT has just been updated, so it all seems to be reasonably acceptable in terms of safety.
The blue Granada only got its Dutch registration in 2005 and has seen no less than nine private owners since then. The latter has owned it for seven years, although it seems that the sponge has never been taken up in all that time. It is a fairly luxurious copy. The GL was not the top – it was of course called Ghia – but already had a lot of chrome, a vinyl roof, a sliding roof (with spoiler!) And the characteristic light metal. A 2.3-liter V6 buzzes under the hood, which with 114 hp should still be powerful enough in 2020.
The Granada is a typical car that many people still know from their youth. The large, comfortable Ford sedan is one of a kind that no longer exists today, especially in Europe. This second generation appeared in 1977 and lasted until 1985, after which the Scorpio took over.