Barack Obama admits he enjoys driving and says that being driven around by the Secret Service is a drag. During an interview with Indianapolis radio station WFBQ, as reported in the Detroit News, he got to chatting about what, in his opinion, was the worst car ever to emerge from Motown. Obama's choice may have been influenced by experience, for he nominated the Ford Granada, the car in which he learned to drive. "This thing was a tin can. It was during the '70s when oil had just gone up, so they were trying to compete with the Japanese," Obama said. "They wanted to keep the cars big, so they made them out of tin foil. It would rattle and shake. You basically couldn't go over 80 (miles per hour) without the thing getting out of control." I'm rather hurt by this assertion because, indirectly, I was responsible for naming the car. It happened in the 1970's when, as creative director of the Ford of Europe ad account in London, I was asked to select a name for a new vehicle that would replace the aging Ford 20M. Granada was my recommendation, Ford agreed, and later transferred the badge to one of its upcoming Detroit sedans. Do I dare disagree with the man who may be president? Not on most subjects but on this one I might, for I've driven more than my share of Detroit turkeys. And the Granada was not the worst.
Ok then, let’s have Philip’s Worst Detroit Iron list. Would the Henry J make the list? How about the “other Ford pony”, the Pinto?
May 28, 2008 @ 6:52 am