82-739: The Ford Scorpio is an executive car that was produced by Ford Germany from 1985 to 1998. It was the replacement for the European Ford Granada line (although in the UK and Ireland the Scorpio was marketed under the Granada name until 1994). Like its predecessor, the Scorpio was targeted at the executive car market. A variant known as the Merkur Scorpio was sold briefly on the North American market during
164-686: A ' gopping hideous monstrosity', Jeremy Clarkson wrote in The Times at the time that this car had "village idiot features" and a "loopy face". He elaborated later on that the Scorpio ended any argument as to which car was the ugliest on the road, that the car "resemble[s] an extra from Finding Nemo ", and that it had 'a face of such unparalleled awfulness' and would 'make... children cry'. Richard Hammond and James May described it as ' gopping ', while May additionally described it as 'not Ford's finest styling', and in Richard Porter's 2004 book Crap Cars
246-456: A 'fish-mouth grille opening', 'fat flanks', a 'reptilian gurn', and that it looked 'mixed up', 'boxy yet curvy', 'gargoyle-ugly' and 'bug eyed', it 'resembled something that David Attenborough might reveal from a dank cave in Borneo ', and 'driving a milk float would score more cred points in a traffic jam'. The styling was so controversial that several months before the release of the vehicle to
328-513: A Ford V8 . From then on, the Ghia studios were an integral part of Ford of Europe 's styling operation – producing mostly concept cars although some production models were styled by the firm – the most notable being the Ford Fiesta Mk1 in 1976, which was penned by Ghia's Tom Tjaarda . Aside from this, the most publicly visible sign of Ford's ownership of Ghia has been its use of the name to denote
410-571: A close partner for 15 years, resulting in eighteen Chrysler Ghia Specials (1951–53), the K-310, the Chrysler Norseman , the Imperial Crown limousines (whose notable owners included Jackie Kennedy and Nelson Rockefeller ), and others. There are even a few Ghia-bodied Ferraris . Ghia also participated in the short-lived Dual-Ghia venture. Production by Ghia was always in very low numbers, giving
492-852: A company owned vehicle. Early executive cars typically offered engines with displacements of 2.0–3.5 L (122–214 cu in), compared with 1.6–2.4 L (98–146 cu in) for an equivalent sized—but less luxurious—"large family car". Prior to the 1990s, executive cars were typically sedans , however in recent years they have also been produced in other body styles, such as estates ( station wagons ), convertibles , coupés , and five-door hatch versions. They typically need to be "comfortable, refined and display some form of driving pleasure" on occasion. In general, executive cars are 4-door saloons , though may include estate , 5-door hatchback or 2-door coupé variants. Rover , Saab , Renault and Citroën formerly have been known to prefer hatchbacks, with Ford also offering alternatives through
574-440: A giant cushion'). Unusually, Ford never released the name of the designer and maintain to this day that the car outsold its expected figures (although they never released what those figures actually were), however it has been noted that the unknown designer was 'very proud' of their work. ...there's no way [Ford] could raise additional funds by flogging posters of the [Scorpio] to teenagers. Jeremy Clarkson , Clarkson on:
656-417: A manual or automatic transmission although, in practice, the vast majority of Scorpios were automatic. Some Ultima versions were fitted with a VM Motori 2.5 litre turbo diesel engine. The VM halves the fuel bills but suffered from turbo lag and a tendency to all-or-nothing acceleration. Unusually trim levels and engine sizes were not liveried on the backs of the cars. Rather the trim levels were liveried on
738-522: A mass market car. Improvements available included: heated windscreen, cruise control , electrically adjustable seats front and rear and later all-wheel drive . Initially the Chubb AVA lock barrel was fitted to models at launch, but by around 1987 these were replaced by the Tibbe lock. The most notable advance was the fitment of anti-lock braking system , the first time this feature had been made standard across
820-482: A silly face on the front', 'like something out of Walt Disney , someone has gone on acid and tripped to the Seventies for the front', and 'designed by a committee of people in sunglasses sitting in the dark'. Other reviewers were even more scathing, one saying that 'it doesn't have much of a personality... the front of the car is like a face with a huge beaming smile... it looks a bit ridiculous really', another describing
902-518: A stretched version of its floorpan , and using a similar styling philosophy set by both the Sierra and the third generation Escort . Under the bonnet were well proven engines, starting with the venerable Pinto engine unit in 1.8 L and 2.0 L capacities, as well as the V6 Cologne engine in 2.4 or 2.8-litre displacements. The larger engine was later replaced by a 2.9-litre derivative, and while
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#1732851299605984-537: Is " Obere Mittelklasse " (lit. upper-middle class) as defined by the German federal authorities. Luxury cars larger than this are referred to as Oberklasse ("upper class"). Mercedes-Benz has produced large luxury cars since the early 1900s. Following World War II, Mercedes Benz's first all-new models were the Mercedes-Benz W120 executive cars. This lineage continues through to the present and has been marketed as
1066-540: Is currently owned by Ford Motor Company and focused on the European market through Ford's subsidiary in the region . Through the years, Ghia has produced many bodies for several automobile manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo , Chrysler , Ferrari , Fiat , Ford, Jaguar , and Volkswagen . Ghia initially made lightweight aluminium-bodied cars, achieving fame with the Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 , winning Mille Miglia (1929). Between
1148-806: The A4LD four speed automatic transmission, and the rest received the T-9 five speed manual transmission. Only automatic versions of the Scorpio were available in Canada. The car was marketed as an upscale, mid-size luxury car , but never achieved the market impact that the Ford Motor Company hoped for. Ford dropped the Merkur nameplate altogether after 1989. The model was a facelifted Mark I with changed grille, headlights, rear lights, bonnet and dashboard. It went on sale in March 1992, at
1230-728: The Chrysler 300 was marketed in Europe as the Lancia Thema. Maserati's first executive is the Maserati Ghibli , which has been in production since 2013. Toyota has been producing large luxury cars since the 1955 Crown was released. The Crown remains in production today and is currently in its fifteenth generation. In 1991, the Crown-derived Aristo began production, and from 1993 until 2020 were marketed under Toyota's luxury sub-brand as
1312-519: The Ford Laser , Fairmont, Fairlane and Telstar ). One notable exception to this convention was the Scorpio model in the United Kingdom, which was essentially a rebadged Granada Mk3, slotting in above the Ghia in the model lineup. This lasted until the major facelift of 1994, when the Granada name was dropped and replaced by Scorpio for all variants, at which point the Ghia model resumed its position at
1394-772: The Ford Scorpio was released, being sold in the U.K. as a Ford Granada until 1994. Vauxhall entered the executive car market with the 1978 Vauxhall Carlton and related Vauxhall Royale/Senator , which were based on the Opel Rekord E. In 1986, the Vauxhall Carlton Mark II switched to the German-built Opel Omega A, which was replaced in 1994 by the Vauxhall Omega (a rebadged version of the Opel Omega B). In
1476-511: The Honda Legend and had a front-wheel drive layout. In 1999, the 800 series was replaced by the Rover 75 , which was produced until 2005. The 75 straddled the executive and compact executive categories due to its size, although a long wheelbase version was available. The first executive car to be badged a Triumph was the 1946–1954 Triumph 1800/2000/Renown versions. Triumph's next and final entry to
1558-758: The Lancia Lambda , Lancia Artena , and Lancia Aprilia . The Lancia Flavia was an executive car that began production in 1961 and was replaced by the Lancia 2000 in 1971. The 2000 was replaced by the Lancia Gamma , which was released in 1976. In 1984, the Gamma was replaced by the Lancia Thema , then the Lancia Kappa in 1994. The Lancia Thesis , produced from 2001-2009 is the last executive car produced by Lancia. From 2011–2015,
1640-568: The Lexus GS . Nissan's longest-running executive car began production in 1959 as the Prince Gloria , which was later renamed the Nissan Gloria, following the merger of Nissan and Prince. The Gloria was produced for 12 generations until 2004. Another Nissan executive car was the 1960 Cedric , which was produced until 2004 (although a taxi/fleet version remained in production until 2015). The Cedric
1722-614: The Mercedes-Benz E-Class since 1993. The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class four-door fastback was added to the company's model range in 2004, with a shooting brake body style also produced from 2012-2017. BMW's first large luxury car was the 1936–1941 BMW 326 . After a hiatus of 21 years, BMW's next executive car models were the 1962 New Class Sedans . In 1972, the New Class was replaced by the BMW 5 Series , which remains in production today. Over
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#17328512996051804-604: The Renault Floride . After Segre's death in 1963, Ghia was sold to Ramfis Trujillo in 1965, who in turn sold the company in 1967 to Alejandro de Tomaso , owner of a rival design house . De Tomaso never managed to run Ghia profitably and in 1970 he sold his shares to the Ford Motor Company . During this transition period, Ghia had partial involvement in the De Tomaso Pantera , a high-performance, mid-engined car using
1886-821: The Sentia , which was produced until 1999. The Millenia , also sold as the Xedos 9 and the Eunos 800, was produced from 1993 until 2002. Honda introduced their first executive car, the Legend (sold as the Acura Legend in the United States) in 1985. The Legend was produced until 2012, and then from 2014 until 2021. It is believed that the standard of Korean Executive Cars came from the 3rd generation Hyundai Grandeur model launched in 1998. Previous models, Kia Potentia and Hyundai Grandeur, belonged to
1968-526: The Volvo 760 in 1982 and then the Volvo 960 in 1994. The 960 was renamed the S90 (sedan models) and V90 (wagon models) in 1996. The Volvo S80 was released in 1998, and was replaced in 2016 by a new generation of Volvo S90 / V90 sedans and wagons that presently remain in production. Daimler Company produced luxury cars in various sizes starting in the late 1890s. The lineage that led to their executive cars began with
2050-505: The 1923–1929 Daimler 16 and Daimler 16/55 models, which were followed in 1932 by the Daimler Fifteen . The Fifteen was replaced by the 1937 Daimler New Fifteen and then the 1939 Daimler Consort (originally called the "Daimler 2½ Litre"). The Consort was replaced by the 1953–1958 Daimler Conquest . In 1962, the Daimler 2.5 V8 (later renamed the "Daimler V8-250") was released, based on
2132-501: The 1930s. Peugeot began producing large cars in the early 1900s. Following the Peugeot 601 being discontinued in 1935, Peugeot ceased production of large cars until the Peugeot 604 was introduced in 1975. The 604 was replaced by the Peugeot 605 in 1989, which in turn was replaced by the Peugeot 607 in 1999. Following the end of the 607's production run in 2010, Peugeot no longer produces any executive cars. Citroën's first large car
2214-580: The 1990s. Audi , BMW and later Mercedes-AMG have recently offered hatchbacks as separate models for their executive cars since 2010s. One of the first Chinese-built executive cars was the 2006 Roewe 750 , based on the Rover 75 . In 2012, the Roewe 950 was introduced, which is a re-bodied version of the 2010 Buick LaCrosse . In 2020, BYD Han officially goes on sale in China. Several overseas brands have produced long wheelbase versions of cars specifically for
2296-655: The British Isles are shown, overseas territories often have different offerings. Developed in collaboration with other manufacturers Manufactured in Ford factories in other continents Executive car Executive car is a British term for a large car, and is considered equivalent to the European E-segment and American full-size classifications. Executive cars are larger than compact executive cars (and
2378-701: The Chevrolet Impala was launched, but was discontinued. Renault Korea sold the SM7 based on the Nissan Teana from 2004 to 2020. In the Korean market, semi-large cars boast significant sales volume as a symbol of the middle class, and the Hyundai Grandeur ranks high in sales in the Korean automobile market. Currently, the semi-large business sedan models sold in the Korean market include Hyundai Grandeur and Kia K8 , and
2460-513: The Chinese market, due to the preference Chinese owners have for being driven by a chauffeur. Examples include the "XF L" version of the 2016 Jaguar XF (X260) , the "Li" version of the 2017 BMW 5 Series (G30) and other models from Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo. In France, executive cars are known as " Routière ", a class of comfortable long-distance cars that first emerged on the French market in
2542-505: The European executive car market with the newly developed Jaguar S-Type and Volvo S80 without directly replacing the Scorpio. The Dutch royal family used several Scorpios, some stretched ones, and all painted in Royal Blue. There is still a custom-built Scorpio landaulet in the royal stables. After Ford ended the production, the Volvo S80 replaced the Ford models. The new Scorpio was
Ford Scorpio - Misplaced Pages Continue
2624-635: The Exeo, which is basically a rebadged Audi A4 on the B7 platform, with some minor modifications to the front and rear fascias. Although it was not an E-segment vehicle but a segment D. It remained successful as a company car until 2013. Also, it was used as a police cruiser for the Guardia Civil highway corps. It was available in sedan and station wagon variants. It was the first vehicle from the brand equipped with diesel direct common raíl injection. Saab's first executive car
2706-458: The Ford Scorpio , 1998 The bulging headlights and wide grille were defended as 'bold', 'quirky', 'a design statement', 'dramatic', and provided 'refreshing lines', but the public and press reaction to the design was largely negative. Contemporary reviewers wrote that the car had a 'stupid grin', 'gormless mouth', 'droopy nose', 'daft' 'humped boot ', 'dopey eyes', 'revolting' 'stupid headlights',
2788-685: The Ghia name became Ford's top trim-level in its mainstream model range. The trend began in Europe and North America ( Mustang II , Granada , Capri , Cortina , Escort , and later Fiesta , Sierra , Sierra Sapphire, Orion , Scorpio , Mondeo , Focus all had Ghia trim levels), but soon spread worldwide, particularly to the South American (with the Argentinian Ford Falcon and Taunus, the Brazilian Ford Del Rey and versions of Escort, Focus and Mondeo) and Asia Pacific markets (with
2870-646: The Jaguar Mark 2. In 1966, the Daimler Sovereign was introduced, based on the Jaguar 420. The Sovereign and V8-250 were produced alongside each other until they both ended production in 1969. Jaguar began production of executive cars in 1935 with the first of the Jaguar Mark IV models. These were replaced by the 1948–1951 Jaguar Mark V . The Mark V's successor increased in size to the full-size luxury car segment, so
2952-503: The Scorpio Mark II was listed as number 49 (of 50) on looks alone. On the DVD special Clarkson: Heaven and Hell , Jeremy Clarkson set up a jousting contest between a Scorpio – which he described as "a wide mouthed frog" – and a Triumph TR7 , eventually destroying both cars via head-on collision. In Germany, the satirical magazine Titanic noted the Scorpio's front's similarity to
3034-486: The Scorpio effectively a Mk III Granada. The "Scorpio" name was instead used as a trim designation rather than the model name, being positioned higher than Ford's traditional Ghia top of the range model. These models were marketed as "Granada Scorpio", but were badged simply as "Scorpio", with an elongated "Granada" underneath. The Merkur Scorpio was a North American version of the European Scorpio Mk I. The car
3116-486: The Scorpio's main rivals, and that it was 'well made... extremely well equipped, and considering its size, it was good value for money'. In general however, this praise however was overshadowed by criticism concerning the styling. In addition, the "Granada" name, which had been retained in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the MkI Scorpio (AKA MkIII Granada) was finally dropped and the "Scorpio" name – already used elsewhere –
3198-820: The United States, executive cars are referred to as full-sized cars. The first executive car produced by a Vietnamese company is the VinFast LUX A2.0 , which debuted at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. Production started in 2019 and it achieved success in the Vietnamese domestic car market. Carrozzeria Ghia#The Ghia name Carrozzeria Ghia SpA (established 1916 in Turin ) is an Italian automobile design and coachbuilding firm, established by Giacinto Ghia and Gariglio as "Carrozzeria Ghia & Gariglio". The headquarters are located at Corso Guglielmo Marconi, 4, Turin . The company
3280-423: The brand was dissolved in 1967. Rover entered the executive car market in 1948 with the Rover P3 . The P3 was replaced by the Rover P4 in 1949, which was produced until 1964. The 1963 Rover P6 was the next executive car produced by Rover, which was replaced by the Rover SD1 in 1976 (marketed as the Standard 2000 in India). The SD1 was replaced by the 1986 Rover 800 series , which was a jointly developed with
3362-409: The car looked incomplete, Edward Stobart described the car as 'the ugliest car in Britain', particularly disliking the 'featureless' rear, saying that it did not look as good as the BMW 7-Series , while Ken Greenley of the Royal College of Art (designer of the SsangYong Musso and Rodius ) disliked the entire design philosophy. Described as 'just plain ugly', 'like one of those fairground cars with
Ford Scorpio - Misplaced Pages Continue
3444-410: The car's parts and systems came from the Plymouth Barracuda that the earliest cars came with a Barracuda manual with some pages crossed out. The 450 SS used the same design language as the smaller G230 S, but its hand beaten steel panels sat on a more traditional and sturdier ladder frame. Unlike the smaller car, the 450 SS was a 2+2 design, offering vestigial rear seat accommodation. It
3526-606: The company's Naples -born chief engineer and designer Luigi Segre, Boano left the company in 1953 and ownership passed to Segre in 1954. Under the ownership of Luigi Segre , between 1953 and 1957, Giovanni Savonuzzi became Direttore Tecnico Progettazione e Produzione Carrozzerie e Stile and established Ghia as the most influential proponent of that Italian styling that came to define automobile design trends worldwide. The decade between 1953 and 1963 saw many foreign firms ordering Ghia designs, such as Volkswagen (the Karmann Ghia ) and Volvo. Chrysler and its designer Virgil Exner became
3608-429: The company's products even greater exclusivity than those of the other Italian coachbuilders. In June 1953, Pierre Lefaucheux , Renault 's chairman, requested Carrozzeria Ghia assistance with the Renault Dauphine . In 1953, Boano left for Fiat, the factory moved to via Agostino da Montefeltro, and Luigi Segre took over. Ghia then brought in Pietro Frua , appointing Frua as head of Ghia Design (1957–60), designing
3690-525: The creation of this car, but after his sudden and untimely death the G230 S never entered production. However, in 1965 film and television producer Burt Sugarman saw a picture of the G230 S on the cover of Road & Track magazine and convinced Ghia to build another car using a similar design. The result was the Ghia 450 SS , continuing Ghia's collaboration with Chrysler by using that company's recently introduced 273-cubic-inch (4.5 L) "LA" V8 engine with 235 hp (175 kW). So many of
3772-465: The end of the 1990s meant that it was not directly replaced. This was not unusual at the time, with the market trending towards either high-specced large family cars for executives or towards multi-purpose vehicles for families, as mainstream brands gradually surrendered the "E" segment to "premium" brands such as BMW , Mercedes-Benz , and Audi . Reflecting this new reality, Ford's ownership of Jaguar and Volvo meant that it now had direct access to
3854-415: The estates). It was also radically restyled both inside and outside, with new design of headlights, grille and door handles, which were taken from the Ford Crown Victoria . Despite its controversial styling, the luxury interior, handling and performance were widely praised by reviewers. Edward Stobart praised the car, and Jeremy Clarkson declared it '[as] equally talented' as the Vauxhall Omega , one of
3936-403: The executive car market was the 1963–1977 Triumph 2000 , which was a sales success in Britain. Ford Europe's first executive car was the 1950 Ford Zephyr . The Zephyr— and related Consul, Zodiac, and Executive models— were produced over four generations until 1972. The 1972 Ford Granada was initially built in the United Kingdom before switching to being imported from Germany in 1976. In 1985,
4018-399: The executive car segment in 1975 with the Renault 20/30 models. They were replaced, in 1983, by the Renault 25 which featured a fastback rear end. In 1992, the 25 was replaced by the Renault Safrane . The Safrane was replaced by the Renault Vel Satis hatchback in 2002, which in turn was replaced by the Latitude in 2010 and later the Talisman . The equivalent class for cars in Germany
4100-492: The facial features of politician Günter Verheugen , who would go on to become EU Commissioner. The Scorpio Mark II was available in the following levels of trim (each one being available as a saloon or an estate and with any engine). Regardless of the trim level, any car with a 2.9 Cosworth engine was fitted with traction control , cruise control and an automatic gearbox as standard (a manual gearbox could not be specified at all). All other engines could be fitted with either
4182-426: The fact that 25 miles per gallon was about as much as you could get out of a car with this engine. Prop-shaft deterioration over time was also considered to be a problem on early Mark I and II Cosworths. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, following the initial market resistance towards the Sierra, something which had been attributed to its radical styling, Ford elected to keep the Granada name in those markets, making
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#17328512996054264-412: The first ever Ford design developed entirely using a CAD / CAM computer system, and inside the car were new armchair style seats and improved interior quality, but outside the new 'Americanised' look was controversial. The car sported bulbous 'globular' headlights and its tail lights were arranged in a thin line just above the bumper (described as a 'gratuitously narrow... ill-chosen necklace... resembling
4346-419: The focus group failed to placate the media regarding the car's appearance, who would later go on to viciously attack the styling on release. On release, the styling was immediately criticised in both the automotive press and the non-automotive mainstream media, with entire pages in the latter attacking the aesthetics. Tony Mason of Top Gear disliked the front, saying that the headlamps looked out of place and
4428-407: The front and the rear seats consist of separate buckets. At the 1963 Turin Show , Ghia showed the Fiat 2300 -based Ghia G230 S. Unlike the Fiat 2300 Coupé, also designed and bodied by Ghia, the two-seater G230S was built on a tubular spaceframe which was designed and built by specialists Gilco. Four examples were built, two coupés and two convertibles. Ghia's owner Luigi Segre had pushed for
4510-454: The front end as 'look[ing] like someone's just rammed a banana up its bottom', and another remarking 'I wouldn't feel proud of this... it's the ugliest car going'. After release, the criticism became even more intense, journalists describing it as 'much unloved', 'Britain's most unpopular car', a 'poor relation' to its rivals, 'styled like a guppy ', with 'the looks of a smiling frog', and 'the ugliest manmade vehicle of all time'. Described as
4592-404: The front end of the car. The '50s-throwback' 'low-slung wrap-around' rear lights were also revised to make the 'plump' rear-end of the car less bulbous. Despite plans to release a new model in 1998, this was to be the last development for the model, which finished production over the summer of 1998. Whether or not the car genuinely made Ford's sales expectations, the shifting European car market at
4674-413: The large car position and were shopper-driven, but were relegated to owner-driven from the XG model. Afterward, the launch of Kia Opirus and Daewoo Magnus formed the semi-large car market. In the 2000s, Daewoo Motors (now GM KOREA) sold the Holden Commodore under the name Daewoo Statesman from the Australian Holden company and sold the Holden Caprice as the follow-up model as the Daewoo Veritas. Afterwards,
4756-419: The late 1980s. While Ford's Taurus was of a similar size, Ford maintained the need for two parallel cars – while Scorpio buyers valued high-speed stability, a tight turning radius, and a sizable rear seat, American buyers had other requirements. Codenamed DE-1 during its development (since it was intended to straddle the European D and E segments), the Scorpio was heavily based on the Sierra , sitting on
4838-460: The luxury brand is the Genesis G80 . SEAT's first executive car was the 1963–1973 SEAT 1500 , then in 1973, it launched the 132 which was the same FIAT 131 of the era since all cars from the brand were produced under license from FIAT. It was produced until 1982 when it was replaced by the Málaga in 1984, which was the first to be produced in-house entirely, to be replaced afterward with the Toledo, in 1991. Many years later, in 2009, SEAT launched
4920-513: The luxury trim level of its European models for many years (below). After the Dual-Ghia project had ended, the more up-to-date Ghia L6.4 appeared in 1961. Fewer Mopar parts were used, but the car's bespoke nature meant an astronomically high price and when production ended in 1963 only 25 (or 26) cars had been built. The car's 6,277 cc (383 cu in) Chrysler V8 has 340 hp (254 kW) SAE, and suspension and transmission parts were also hand-picked from Chrysler's production line. Both
5002-409: The next executive car was the 1955 Jaguar Mark 1 . In 1959, the Mark 1 was replaced by the Jaguar Mark 2 . In 1963, the Jaguar S-Type was introduced and sold alongside the Mark 2. Both models were replaced by the 1966-1968. The Jaguar XJ series began in 1968 and received updates (with a redesign in 2010) until 2019. Following a 30-year hiatus from the executive car market, Jaguar returned in 1998 with
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#17328512996055084-450: The non-luxury equivalent mid-size cars ), but smaller than luxury saloons / full-size luxury sedans . The term has also been adopted by Euro NCAP , a European organization founded to test car safety. The term was coined in the 1960s to describe cars targeted at successful professionals and middle-to-senior managers. It was used by businesses as an incentive for employees in senior roles and to exploit Britain and Europe's tax schemes as
5166-444: The outside of cars fitted with such an engine (possibly in an attempt to reduce the likelihood of vehicle theft) although it is in evidence across the top of the engine. However, on the 1998 facelift, the Cosworth badge is clearly visible on the trunk lid. The output of the Cosworth V6 had also been increased from 195 hp (145 kW) to 207 hp (154 kW) for the second generation. Only models sold in Continental Europe and
5248-445: The public, Ford set up a focus group involving large sections of the automotive press at their engineering and design centre in Cologne , comparing the distinctive 'smiling mouth' grille to historic designs such as those from Jaguar , Alfa Romeo , and Austin-Healey . The acknowledgement by Ford of good design from other manufacturers was praised by the press; however, the design of the Scorpio itself received universal condemnation, and
5330-447: The retro-styled S-Type . The S-Type was replaced by the 2007 Jaguar XF (X250) and then the 2015 Jaguar XF (X260) , which currently remains in production. Humber's first executive car was the 1945 Humber Hawk . The Hawk was available with features such as two-tone and metallic paintwork, leather upholstery, wood trim, and a sunroof. Production of the Hawk, along with the similarly sized Humber Super Snipe and Imperial , ceased when
5412-411: The same time that an estate model (first shown in October 1991 at the London Motorfair ) was added to the range. The outdated Peugeot XD3 diesel engine was also replaced by a more powerful unit from Italian VM Motori . This facelift realigned the look of the Granada with the forthcoming Mondeo, and kept styling cues coherent across the model range. Launched at the Paris Motor Show in October 1994,
5494-447: The second generation Scorpio was made available in saloon or estate styles only, the hatchback bodystyle having been dropped. It was essentially a comprehensive risk of its predecessor, retaining the same floorpan, as well as all of the same engines that were in use at the end of the first generation's run. Many suspension and handling improvements were made between the first and second generations (including self levelling rear suspension on
5576-472: The seven generations of the 5 Series, it has been produced in sedan, wagon, and four-door hatchback body styles. The first large luxury car produced by Audi was the Audi 100 , which was released in 1968. The Audi 100 was replaced by the Audi A6 in 1994, which remains in production today. In 2010, the Audi A7 four-door fastback model range was added. The Ford Granada is an executive car produced by Ford Europe from 1972-1994. Fiat's first large luxury car
5658-411: The sides of the cars by the Scorpio badges on the rear window frames as such. The Executive had no badge, simply the word "Scorpio". Each other model had the model name under the badge, for example "Scorpio Ultima." Engine sizes were also on the sides of the cars towards the front just above the auxiliary indicator lights as such: Unlike the Mark I Scorpio, the word "Cosworth" did not appear anywhere on
5740-438: The slow selling 2.4 remained in production until 1994 it was effectively replaced by the 2.0 DOHC in most markets. By the summer of 1989, the Pinto engines had begun to be gradually replaced, with the eight-valve version of Ford's DOHC engine replacing the 2.0 L model. The Scorpio was intended to maintain Ford's position in Europe as the principal alternative to a Mercedes or BMW for those looking to own an executive car. It
5822-473: The top of the range. In the British market, however, the practice of using the Ghia name in such a capacity was finally phased out in 2010. The Titanium name has instead replaced Ghia as the flagship trim level, and is now used globally across all of Ford's markets to denote the top trim level. The British Ford Fiesta retained the Ghia trim designation for the longest period of any model: 31 years 8 months, uninterrupted, from February 1977 to November 2008. In
5904-471: The whole range on a mass-produced car. The car was widely praised as being very comfortable and spacious, particularly in respect of its rear legroom. Unlike the Granada, it was initially only available as a hatchback , and not as a saloon or estate . This proved to be a mistake for Ford, which later introduced a saloon version in December 1989. An estate version finally appeared in the beginning of 1992, when
5986-552: The whole range underwent a facelift, with new styling which hinted at the new Mondeo , which would replace the Sierra a year later. There were few engineering changes over the years, notably the introduction of the DOHC engines in 1989, and the Scorpio Cosworth with a 2.9 L 24 valve Cosworth V6 in December 1990. The Cosworth was both large and fast, which consequently gave it poor fuel consumption . Many owners often commented at
6068-570: The world wars, Ghia designed special bodies for Alfa Romeo , Fiat , and Lancia , one of the most famous was the Fiat 508 Balilla sports coupe (1933). The factory was rebuilt at Via Tomassi Grossi, after being demolished in an air raid during World War II (1943). After Ghia's death (1944), the company was sold to Mario Boano and Giorgio Alberti. The Ghia-Aigle subsidiary was established in Aigle , Switzerland (1948). Following differences between Boano and
6150-407: Was adopted. In April 1998, it was listed as the third worst N-registered car (August 1995 to July 1996) to own in the United Kingdom from a Top Gear survey of 120 cars, receiving a particularly low rating for its reliability. It fared slightly better in the 1999 and 2000 surveys. In September 1997, the Scorpio was facelifted, with darker headlight surrounds and a more subtle grille, to tone down
6232-419: Was also launched more than a year ahead of new competitors from Rover and Opel/Vauxhall. To this end Ford built on the already extensive specification available on the outgoing MkII Granada (which for the period, was very well equipped, with features such as leather seats, air conditioning , electric sunroof, and trip computer either standard or available as options) by adding some additional features unusual on
6314-517: Was offered at select Lincoln – Mercury dealerships from 1988 to 1989. The Merkur Scorpio was only offered with the Cologne 2.9L V6 engine with some detail differences from the contemporary Fords. Adapted to meet American emissions requirements, the Merkur version of the Scorpio produced 140 hp (104 kW) when introduced to the North American market in 1988. The vast majority were fitted with
6396-570: Was only built as a two-door roadster, with a standard hardtop included. Over the years, many have credited Giorgetto Giugiaro with this design, but he only left Bertone for Ghia in late 1965 – too late to have much impact on the 450 SS, which was actually designed by Sergio Sartorelli . Giugiaro did revise the grille, front bumper, and rear before the car was presented. Presented at Turin in 1966, 57 examples were built until late 1967 (with late examples registered as model year 1968), although various sources state numbers as low as 52. From 1973,
6478-651: Was replaced by the 2004 Fuga , also sold as the Infiniti M from 2003 until 2012, and the Q70 since 2012. Mitsubishi began producing executive cars in 1964 with the Debonair . The Debonair was replaced in 1999 by the Proudia , which was discontinued in 2001 and then returned from 2012 until 2016 as a rebadged Fuga. Mazda's first executive car was the 1969 Luce . In 1991, the Luce was replaced by
6560-479: Was the Fiat 24-32 HP , which was introduced in 1903. Other large luxury Fiats produced before World War II include the Fiat 510 , Fiat 520 , Fiat 527 , and Fiat 2800 . In 1959, the Fiat 1800 and 2100 executive sedans and station wagons were introduced. These models were replaced by the Fiat 2300 in 1961. Fiat's last executive car was the Fiat 130 , which was produced from 1969 until 1977. Lancia produced several large luxury cars prior to World War II, including
6642-508: Was the 1934 Citroën Traction Avant . In 1955, the Traction Avant was replaced by the iconic Citroën DS , which was replaced in 1974 by the Citroën CX and then the 1989 Citroën XM . The XM was discontinued in 2000 and for five years Citroën did not produce an executive car. The 2005 Citroën C6 was produced until 2012, and Citroën has not produced any executive cars since. Renault entered
6724-447: Was the 1984 Saab 9000 , which was produced in sedan and liftback body styles. The 9000 was replaced by the Saab 9-5 . In 2010 the second generation of the 9-5 switched to a platform shared with various General Motors models until Saab went bankrupt in 2012. Volvo began producing executive cars in 1968 with the Volvo 164 . In 1974, the 164 was replaced by the Volvo 260 , which was replaced by
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