San Francisco Street Sighting: Ford Granada coupe

Entering California, I expected to see loads of vehicles I've never seen in my area in good condition; but I was wrong. California was like Idaho was, only for domestic cars instead of offbeat Japanese tin. I was pretty much in awe nonstop from the airport to our hotel; I had to go back along the route and shoot! The amount of vintage (and quite rare) vintage American cars was staggering to say the least. I suppose that's what happens when rust doesn't rear its extremely ugly head. Out in Minnesota, this Ford Granada likely would've been crunched into a ball and made into something by now.
But not this example; it lives in California, and since I can't find any smog records on it, I'm gonna take a guess and say it's a 1975 model. That would make this one a first-year model, which is quite rare, since most first-year models are the first ones to go sour. When this car came out, it replaced the strong selling, but supposedly problem prone Maverick compact. Not to be left alone, clone-maker Mercury introduced a slightly more upscale version, the Monarch. Production for these first gen cars lasted until 1980, although by 1978, the Granada/Monarch twins overlapped with the arrival of the new Fairmont/Zephyr (no relation to the classic Lincoln which bears the name.)
To my Minnesota mind, this particular looked pretty clean, and it was indeed. No rust (obviously), no bondo (haha.. bondo on a car in Cali? Riiiiight), and no dents. Amazing! Even in Kansas, which doesn't get much snow, and certainly doesn't line the roads with enough salt for Bonneville, this thing would've probably been toast by now. I can pretty much guarantee that this is likely the third or fourth Granada coupe I've seen--ever.
The paint on this one was shine-free, but that was mostly due to age. The stock trim was all intact, including the oft-missing grille badge. The wheelcovers (aka hubcaps) were all intact, too. This example could pretty much pass for something from a newspaper used car ad circa 1985. I'd most certainly rock it in this condition. Even if it was in a little worse condition, I'd still rock it. I love this thing! And I don't even know why; probably for the retro factor.
Would I do anything differently if it was mine? Nope. I'd leave it as. The factory-correct everything just makes this Granada what it is. And that's why I love it!