While the Ford Consul and Cortina may have made a few tyre tracks, it was the Ford Granada that was the definitive car used by 'The Sweeney', the iconic Flying Squad drama with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. The bad guys almost always went for a bulky Jaguar S-Type.

The show helped boost the Granada's appeal in popular culture, much like the Ford Torino of 'Starsky & Hutch'. However, the Granada was limited to the screen - it was also adopted readily by real cops, who usually went for a 3litre model well into the 80s.