Ford Taunus is a family car that was produced from the distant 1939 to 1942, then there was a break for six years, after which the model re-entered the market and was present there from 1948 to 1982. last century. It got its name from the mountain range of the same name, which is located in the central part of Germany, near Cologne, where the Ford branch is actually located.
For a long time, the coat of arms of Cologne was used as a nameplate for a car. That was until 1964, but after this idea was abandoned. Ford Taunus of any generation had a number of similarities. All cars were quite large, status. The drive was always rear, with the exception of the P4 and P6 series (models of these lines had front-wheel drive).
Models produced after 1970 are already very similar to modern cars. In our article we will talk about the “Towns” until 1970, when they were different machines.
General information
For Ford Taunus there were special designations. So, from the distant 1952 to 1970, the series of these cars were marked with a number that corresponded to the working volume of the car's engine. For example, the 12M is a Ford Taunus with a 1.2 liter engine. 20M is a machine with a power unit of 2 liters exactly and so on.
But, there was one series of cars that was produced from 1957 to 1970 and labeled differently: P2 is the second generation, P5 is the fifth generation of that series and so on.
Since 1970, Ford has made the Taunus an analogue of the English Ford Cortina. This generation of “Taunus” was labeled as Ford Taunus TC. The model was restyled in 1976, and in 1982 it was discontinued.
Taunus G73A / G93A
The very first Taunus was developed in the image of the Ford Eifel. He had a 1.2-liter engine. The model looked very stylish for that time. For the first time, hydraulic brakes were installed on this machine for Ford. Before that, the brakes were exclusively mechanical.
Subcompact - 12M, 15M
In 1949, designers began working on a new generation of car. The design was developed in the likeness of cars of the American market of that time. It was originally planned to put a 1.5-liter engine, but in the end they installed a 1.2-liter. And the same 1.5-liter engine was installed on the next generation of the car.
Development went on for three years. The machines of this series left the assembly line in 1952. The 1.2-liter engine produced 38 “horses”. The front row of seats was made in the form of a sofa. The front suspension was independent, and the rear - spring. The gearbox had 3 speeds (mechanics). It is noteworthy that the previous generation had a four-speed gearbox. Engineers soon realized that they had made a mistake, and since 1953 it was possible to take the Taunus 12M or 15M with a “four-step” for an extra charge.
At the same time, they released a station wagon and convertible version for this generation. Machines of the 12M, 15M generation were about a third more expensive than their predecessor and were not selling very well. To make good profit, the manufacturer since 1952 released a special budget series Taunus 12. It came without a chrome package, had cheaper cab equipment and the usual separate front seats, which were devoid of all adjustments.
This model came out in only one version of the body - a sedan with two doors. Taunus 12 left production in 1955. And the price of version 12M was noticeably reduced at that time. In 1955 and 1958, there were two easy facelifts.
G4B: 15M
In 1954, the company decided to launch a series of cars with a 1.5-liter engine to match the competitors of that time. There was no time to develop a new car, because competitors had already begun to release their creations, so they decided to put a new engine on the old Taunus and that’s all. The new engine produced 55 horsepower.
The model was published in 1955 and had the designation - Taunus 15M. The car worked a little decorative grille and rear optics. By the end of the same year, a “luxury” version of the car was released. The body was painted in two colors, there was a chrome package, wipers, sun visors (with built-in mirror), turn signals, reverse lights and tubeless wheels. In general, it was "complete stuffing" of those years. The model lasted until 1959.
G13RL: 12M and 12M Super
In 1960, the 12M came under restyling. The car underestimated, changed the nameplate. The motor remained the same, but the marking of the car changed. Now it was not 15M, but Taunus 12M Super. A year later, the gearbox was finalized at the car. And a year later, the model was removed altogether. It was replaced by a front-wheel drive generation with a new V4 engine. The model was a success. About it below.
P4: 12M
The release began, as we already said, in 1962. The car had the so-called American design and did not look like previous versions. The engine was set to a 1.2-liter (V4), and on the go the car was weak. A little later, the engine capacity was increased to 1.5 and 1.7 liters. With these, the car became more playful.
P6: 12M and 15M
This generation was simply a modernization of the previous one with a slight refinement of the design. In this form, the model was released until 1970, after which all the "Taunus" were replaced by Taunus TC. It should be noted that this generation turned out to be very reliable. Repair Ford Taunus of those years almost did not require.
Large "Townhouses" - 17M, 20M, 26M
The new car was shown in 1957. It looked modern and sold well, as the buyer liked the large motors very much. The car was available both in a budget configuration, and in the "luxury" version.
P3: 17M had a modified modern design. P5: 17M and 20M were produced in 1964-1967. Taunus P7 was a failure in the commercial plan of the company, and we will not focus on it.
Taunus 20M was in the back of the P7b. Such a car won the rally in Kenya. By the way, today you can find cars of this generation on the road. Their owners very often make tuning Ford Taunus in the manner of the American "oil cars" of those years. I must say that there are some similarities in terms of design with these Taunus machines.