Automotive History: A Brief Guide To Early German Fords, Part 2 – The Last Decade Of German Independence

 

In Part 1, I talked about the unique German Ford cars offered between the late 1920s and 1960. In this second installment, we’ll take a look at the German Ford Taunus models of the 1960s and early 1970s, the last decade of independent Ford-Werke products before the emergence of Ford’s unified European lineup.

The Taunus Name

As shown in Part 1, before World War 2, German Ford cars had offered a variety of models with model names, including Köln, Rheinland, Eifel, and eventually Taunus. The other passenger car models had been dropped by the start of World War 2, and only the Taunus returned after the war.

When preparing the launch of its all-new G13 model in 1952, Ford-Werke considered giving the car a new name, but even an internal contest generated no suitable suggestions, so they finally decided to stick with “Taunus,” adding a “12” for its nominal displacement and an “M” for “Meisterstück” (“Masterpiece”), so it became the 1952 Ford Taunus 12M.

 

In the 1950s, Ford-Werke wanted to build its export business, which posed a problem: The home office back in Dearborn did not want its overseas subsidiaries to use the familiar Ford trademarks (particularly the blue oval badge). Ford-Werke used “F-K” badges (for “Ford-Köln”) during this period, but had difficulty establishing them as trademarks outside West Germany — a British court shot down their UK application in 1955. The Taunus name was easier: It was more distinctive, and it immediately distinguished a German Ford from one made in the UK or elsewhere.

So, “Taunus” became a kind of sub-brand. It never actually replaced the Ford name or the “F-K” badges, but by 1957, there were three distinct models, in different sizes and price classes, each bearing the “Taunus” name: the 12M, 15M, and 17M.

 

For a while, the alphanumerical suffixes indicated engine displacement — the Taunus 12M had a 1.2-liter engine, the larger Taunus 17M a 1.7-liter one — but by 1960, that wasn’t consistently true: After 1958, ordering a 1.5-liter engine in the smaller Taunus 12M didn’t make it a “15M,” nor did ordering the bigger Taunus 17M with the 1.5-liter four rather than the bigger 1.7-liter unit. This quickly became confusing, which is why it’s now common to refer to these postwar German Ford cars by their project numbers, which indicate the order of their development.

1960s German Ford Cars

Ford Taunus 17M P3 (1960–1964)

The radically styled second-generation Ford Taunus 17M, nicknamed “Badewannetaunus” (“Bathtub Taunus”), was the first postwar German Ford to actually be designed at Ford-Werke in Cologne, the work of design manager Wesley P. Dahlberg, modeller Fred Hoadley, and studio chief Uwe Bahnsen. The factory built two- and four-door sedans, a two-door Kombi (wagon), and a panel van. The coachbuilder Karl Deutsch also made a limited number of attractive but pricey coupes and cabriolets.

 

Since it was lighter and more aerodynamic than the outgoing car (with a drag coefficient of 0.40, 20 percent better than the P2), the P3 now came standard with the smaller 1,498 cc OHV inline-four from the 12M Super, giving 55 PS and a top speed of about 83 mph. The 1,698 cc four was now optional, giving 60 PS (later 65 PS) and a top speed of 86 mph. There was a choice of three- or four-speed manual transmission, with an optional Saxomat automatic clutch.

 

A year after launch, there was also a 17M TS (Touring Sport) with a higher-compression 1,758 cc engine and 70 PS (later 75 PS), capable of 0 to 60 mph in less than 15 seconds and a top speed of 94–95 mph. From April 1962, this became the first German Ford offered with front disc brakes. The discs became standard on the TS and optional on other models in August 1963.

 

The Bathtub Taunus was never officially exported to the U.S., but it was a big hit in Europe. Ford-Werke built 669,731 of these cars between September 1960 and August 1964.

 

Ford Taunus 12M P4 (1962–1966)

The controversial successor to the long-serving 1952 Taunus 12M, the P4 was Ford’s first front-wheel-drive production car, originally intended to be sold both in the U.S. and Germany. Its mechanical package and all-new 60-degree V-4 engine were developed in Dearborn as Project Cardinal, but the exterior styling was adapted from a canceled Ford-Werke design for a smaller RWD model. The P4 was bigger than its predecessor (and not much smaller than the more expensive RWD Taunus P3), but Ford-Werke was able to make its size a selling point for German buyers. Initially, it was only offered as a two-door sedan, but a two-door Kombi, four-door sedan, and a coupe were added during 1963, and there were later a rare panel van and an even rarer Deutsch cabriolet.

 

Standard engine on the FWD 12M was an 1,183 cc V-4 with 40 PS, giving a top speed of 78 mph, but very sleepy acceleration despite the excellent four-speed gearbox. A 1,498 cc engine became optional a few months after launch, giving much better performance. The 1.5-liter engine was initially offered only in the better-appointed 12M TS (with 55 or later 65 PS), but a 50 PS regular-fuel version later became an option for the regular 12M. (The high-compression 65 PS version was the engine Ford-Werke later supplied to Saab)

 

Poor handling and inadequate engine isolation led to several suspension revisions during the P4 run. Front disc brakes became standard in late 1964.

 

Although Ford-Werke was originally quite unhappy about being saddled with the Cardinal project at the expense of the smaller Opel Kadett-size car they wanted to build, the P4 sold well in Germany and Europe. Production totaled 680,206 units from September 1962 through July 1966. In 1964, the P4 became the first model built in the new Ford-Werke assembly plant in Genk, Belgium, which eventually took over most 12M production.

Ford Taunus 17M and 20M P5 (1964–1967)

Again designed in Cologne, the P5 was the successor to the popular “Bathtub Taunus.” The P5 was 1.8 inches wider and 5.2 inches longer than the P3, but a huge increase in track width (by 5.3 inches in front and 4.1 inches in back) made it look even bigger. Although it was actually 1.2 inches taller than the P3, the P5 was even more aerodynamic, with a drag coefficient of 0.374, outstanding for a mid-’60s sedan. Front disc brakes and flow-through ventilation were standard.

 

The initial lineup included two- and four-door sedans, but a hardtop coupe and two- and four-door wagons (which Ford-Werke called Turnier) followed during 1965.

 

With the arrival of the P5, Ford-Werke abandoned its OHV inline fours in favor of the 60-degree V-4 from the P4. (The existing OHV inline fours were still quite modern, dating back to the mid-’50s, but Ford-Werke needed to use the extra capacity of its new engine plant, which had been designed with the assumption that it would be supplying 150,000+ engines a year for the aborted U.S. version of the Cardinal.) The standard engine in the Taunus 17M was the 1,498 cc V-4 that was optional on the 12M, giving 60 PS and a top speed of about 84 mph. A new 1,699 cc V-4 was optional, offering 70 PS.

 

The really big news of the P5 line was the new Taunus 20M, the first six-cylinder German Ford. Its 1,998 cc 60-degree V-6 was a close relative of the Taunus V-4 (although it didn’t need the V-4’s balance shaft), the first of a long line of “Cologne” V-6 engines. In the P5, the 2-liter V-6 made 80 PS in the standard 20M or 90 PS in the 20M TS, which were Ford-Werke’s first 100 mph cars.

 

Most P5s had manual transmission (a three-speed was standard, with a four-speed optional for an extra 95 marks), but in 1966, they became the first German Ford cars offered with fully automatic transmission: the three-speed C4, dubbed “Taunomatic.”

 

The P5 sold well at first, but a European recession in 1966–1967 left German Ford dealers with large stockpiles of unsold cars. Ford-Werke shut down production temporarily in February 1967 and terminated the P5 line in July, after only three years rather than the usual four. Total P5 production totaled 710,059 units from August 1964 to July 1967, of which 516,955 were the four-cylinder 17M.

Ford Taunus 12M and 15M P6 (1966–1970)

The successor to the P4, developed under the codename Prelate (another Catholic clerical title), the P6 still used FWD and V-4 engines, but had an all-new MacPherson strut front suspension with rack-and-pinion steering. Exterior styling was developed in Dearborn, making the P6 look like a miniature 1966 Fairlane, but some minor adjustments in a rented German wind tunnel made it surprisingly aerodynamic for its time, with drag coefficients as low as 0.364. As with the P4, there were two- and four-door sedans, a coupe, and a two-door Kombi.

 

Ford-Werke offered the P6 in both 12M and better-equipped 15M versions, with the 15M distinguished by rectangular headlights and taillights. All P6 models used V-4 engines, but they were offered in four sizes: 1,183 cc, 1,305 cc, 1,498 cc, or 1,699 cc, some available in both regular-fuel and premium-fuel versions.

 

The 12M could be ordered with any of the available engines except the premium-fuel 1.5-liter. The regular-fuel 1.5-liter engine (with 55 PS) was standard on the 15M, which wasn’t available with the 1.2- or 1.3-liter engines. All engines were offered only with four-speed manual gearboxes. Top speed ranged from 78 to 98 mph.

 

In 1967, with Ford finally beginning to unify its European operations, Dearborn relaxed its stance on the overseas subsidiaries using Ford trademarks. The “Taunus” name and identification disappeared from the 12M and 15M in September 1967, replaced by “FORD” badges.

 

From March 1968, 15M sedans and coupes were also available in sporty 15M RS form, powered by the premium-fuel 1.7-liter engine, although the RS wasn’t any faster than a regular 12M or 15M with the same engine.

 

P6 production totaled 668,187 cars from September 1966 through July 1970. Most were assembled at the Ford-Werke plant in Genk.

Ford OSI 20M TS (1967–1968)

This curious-looking coupe was based on the six-cylinder Taunus 20M TS, with a new body designed in 1965 by Sergio Sartorelli of the Turinese coachbuilder Officine Stampaggi Industriali (OSI), a Ghia subsidiary that also assembled the cars using components shipped from Cologne. The OSI coupe was first shown at the 1966 Geneva auto show and went on sale in early 1967. A shortened spider (cabriolet) version was shown at the 1967 Turin show, but only the one prototype was ever built.

 

Early OSI 20M cars all had the 1,998 cc V-6, with 90 PS and a top speed of about 106 mph. Late cars were also offered with the 2,293 cc V-6 as an extra-cost option, giving 108 PS and a top speed of 112 mph. Mechanically, they weren’t much different from a 20M sedan, with MacPherson struts, a live rear axle on leaf springs, and front disc brakes, although the coupe had bigger H-rated radial tires. The OSI 20M was offered in various European markets as well as in West Germany.

 

OSI shut down in 1968, with its design department absorbed into Fiat Centro Stile, so production of the OSI 20M TS ended that summer. It’s not clear exactly how many coupes were built: Hanns-Peter Rosellen says total production was 3,413, which seems high to me. Werner Oswald estimated only about 2,000 cars were built from January 1967 through July 1968, of which 1,279 were originally registered in Germany.

Ford 17M and 20M “P7a” (1967–1968)

Ford-Werke had wanted to continue the aerodynamic trend of the P3, P5, and P6, which had gone over well with the European public and had real benefits in performance and economy. However, those plans were abandoned at the insistence of new development chief John L. Hooven (who had overseen the original Falcon program in Dearborn). Hooven was not interested in aerodynamics, and was stubbornly resistant to technological developments like independent rear suspension or a trailing-link/coil-spring live axle rather than semi-elliptical leaf springs. He even vetoed a collapsible steering column, which Opel and Volkswagen already offered, deeming it too expensive.

 

The new P7, which replaced the existing 17M and 20M in August 1967, was longer, wider, taller, and about 110 lb heavier than the P5. It had squared-off styling with a lot of American flavor, which even some of the design team in Cologne felt would be a tough sell in Germany. I don’t think Ford-Werke ever reported its drag coefficient, but it was certainly worse than the P5. Model lineup was the same as before, with two-and four-door sedans and Turnier wagons, plus the two-door hardtop coupe.

 

As on the P6, the Taunus name was dropped, so the P7 was now called simply “Ford 17M” or “Ford 20M.” The two models were distinguished by different grille and taillight treatments, different interior trim, and different levels of standard equipment; the 20M also had a fake hood scoop.

 

At first, the 17M was offered only with four-cylinder engines, whose performance suffered compared to the P5 version thanks to the extra weight and poorer aerodynamics. The V-6 engines became optional on the 17M in January 1968, in an effort to boost sales.

 

In addition to the existing 1.5- and 1.7-liter V-4 engines and the 2-liter V-6, there was also now an optional 2,293 cc V-6 with 108 PS, giving a top speed of 106 mph with manual transmission.

 

Sporty RS models were added in March 1968, both with six-cylinder engines: The 17M RS had the premium-fuel 2-liter V-6 from the 20M TS, with 90 PS and a top speed of about 100 mph, while the 20M RS had the 2.3-liter V-6 with 108 PS. As with the small P6, the RS package could be ordered on any body style other than the Turnier.

 

The initial P7 (often retroactively described as “P7a,” although I don’t think that was an official designation) proved a sales disappointment, but production totaled 155,780 units from August 1967 to July 1968.

Ford Escort Mk1 (1968–1974)

Although the Mk1 Escort was mostly an English Ford design, developed to succeed the popular Anglia 105E, it became the first postwar passenger car design to be offered by both Ford of Britain and Ford of Germany. (Their first collaborative program during this period was the Mk1 Transit van, although that was considered a commercial vehicle.) Ford-Werke began building the Escort in fall 1968 in Belgium and later a new German plant in Saarlouis.

 

The German Mk1 Escort was offered in two- and four-door sedan form or as a two-door Turnier (wagon), using the OHV Kent inline-four engine in 1,098 cc or 1,298 cc sizes, offering between 40 and 72 PS. Until 1973, there were no German equivalents of the really hot English Ford Escort models like the Twin-Cam and Mexico, although the RS2000 became available in May 1973, powered by the 1,993 cc OHC “Pinto” engine with 100 PS.

 

While the Escort was a big hit in the UK, German buyers reacted coolly to it until the arrival of the Mk2 in 1975. Ford-Werke built 848,388 Escorts from September 1968 to November 1974, but nearly three-fourths of those went to European export markets.

Ford 17M and 20M “P7b” (1968–1972)

After it became clear that the P7 was a commercial dud, Ford-Werke rushed out a hasty facelift. According to Hanns-Peter Rosellen, this was actually inspired by a customized car created by a Ford dealer from a crashed 17M, but it went over well with Henry Ford II and Ford president Semon E. (“Bunkie”) Knudsen. It featured new grilles for both the 17M and 20M and cleaner side sculpting with no rear fender “hop-up.”

 

Knudsen insisted on also extending the center section of the grille and hood forward for a bit of the “Bunkie Beak” (or “Knudsen Nose”) he’d decided should be a global Ford styling signature.

 

The facelifted car didn’t get a new project code (although it’s sometimes informally called “P7b,” with the earlier version dubbed “P7a”), but it now looked like a more organic progression from the P5, and not quite so objectionably American. Most of the chassis and running gear was carried over from the initial P7, but the rear leaf springs were now supplemented by trailing arms. Ford-Werke engineers sarcastically described these as “Journalisten-Lenker” (“journalist control arms”), since they were added more to assuage press criticism of Ford’s unsophisticated rear suspension than for better axle location. Power steering became available for V-6 cars in September 1970.

 

Model lineup was largely the same as before, with 17M and better-trimmed 20M models, distinguished externally by different grilles. The 17M still came with a 1.5-liter V-4, but 1.7-liter V-4 and 2- and 2.3-liter V-6 engines were optional, and there was also a new 1,812 cc V-4 with 82 PS. The 20M was offered only with V-6 engines. Both the 17M and 20M sedans and hardtops were again offered in sporty RS trim.

 

From December 1969, a bigger 2,550 cc V-6 became available on both the 17M and 20M, offering 125 PS and fairly racy performance for middle-class German cars of this time.

While the facelifted 17M and 20M sold better than the initial P7, they weren’t quite successful as the earlier P5 or P3. Production totaled 558,851 units from August 1968 through December 1971, although the cars remained on sale into the spring of 1972.

Ford Capri Mk1 (1969–1973)

Ford-Werke began production of the sporty Capri in January 1969. The German Mk1 Capri (also assembled for a time at the Ford-Werke plant in Belgium) initially had various minor differences from the British versions, including a completely different engine lineup.

 

Until 1972, German Capris used the Taunus V-4 and V-6 in various forms: V-4s in 1,305 cc, 1,498 cc, and 1,699 cc versions, with 50 to 75 PS, or V-6s in 1,998 cc, 2,293 cc, or 2,550 cc sizes, making 85 to 125 PS. There was also the rare RS2600, a racing homologation special nicknamed “Plastikbombe” (Plastic Bomb) for its various lightweight components. Its 2.6-liter V-6 was stroked to 2,637 cc and fitted with Kugelfischer mechanical fuel injection, giving 150 PS.

 

From 1972, the four-cylinder cars dropped the V-4s in favor of the OHC Pinto engine, in 1,294 cc and 1,593 cc versions. Ford-Werke also built some Capri 3000 cars with the 2,994 cc Essex V-6, an English design unrelated to the more familiar Cologne V-6. (Incidentally, since some people have expressed confusion about this point, the English Ford Essex engines have no relationship with the 3.8-liter V-6 later used in some North American Ford vehicles.) I think these 3-liter Capris were intended primarily for export — Ford-Werke would eventually take over most Capri production, even after German sales had ceased — but the Mk1 3000GXL was catalogued in West Germany for a while.

 

Ford-Werke built about 784,000 Mk1 Capris between January 1969 and December 1973. As with the Mk1 Escort, most went for export, with less than one-third of those cars sold in West Germany.

Ford 26M P7 (1969–1972)

From September 1969, there was a new flagship P7 called the 26M, aimed at the Opel Commodore 2500 and 2800. The Ford 26M was offered only as a four-door sedan or two-door hardtop, distinguished from the 20M by its dual round halogen headlights, chrome wheel arches, vinyl roof covering, and extra standard equipment. It used the new 2,550 cc V-6, giving 125 PS and a top speed of up to 112 mph. Unusually for a German car of this time, automatic transmission was standard equipment, although four-speed manual was available as a credit option. In September 1970, power steering became standard as well.

 

Although a large car by European standards, the 26M’s blocky styling made it look bigger than it was: 185.9 inches long and 69.1 inches wide on a 106.5-inch wheelbase, making it a little bit smaller than a 1970 AMC Javelin!

 

Production of the 26M totaled only 8,991 units between September 1969 and December 1971.

Ford-Werke After 1970

After 1970, the unique German Ford models rapidly faded out in favor of new European models shared with Ford of England. The last gasp of German independence was arguably the new Taunus TC, which arrived in September 1970 to replace the FWD 12M and 15M.

 

The Taunus TC (later retroactively called TC1) was similar enough to the Mk3 Ford Cortina that Ford-Werke could just as easily have called it Cortina. However, that would have probably meant sacrificing the well-established Taunus trademark, which Ford was loath to do. The TC was jointly developed with the Mk3 Cortina (“TC” stood for “Taunus-Cortina”) and was very similar mechanically, sharing a new rear-wheel-drive platform with coil springs all around and double wishbones instead of struts up front. The Taunus had slightly different styling, a mostly different engine lineup, and a fastback coupe body style with no British equivalent. The Taunus TC coupe was lower and a bit wider than the two-door sedan, giving it a more muscular stance. Next to the Capri, it was probably the sportiest model Ford-Werke offered in the early ’70s.

 

In March 1972, the bigger 17M, 20M, and 26M were replaced by the new Consul and Granada, which differed little from their British counterparts except in engine choices — they continued to offer the Taunus V-4 and Cologne V-6 rather than the British Essex V-4 and V-6.

By the late ’70s, there was no longer much difference between the British and German Ford lineups, although Ford-Werke continued to use the “Taunus” name for its D-segment line until the arrival of the Ford Sierra in 1982. (The last TC3 Taunus remained in production in Argentina until November 1984.)

 

The last remnant of the era of unique German Ford products was not a vehicle, but an engine: The 60-degree Cologne V-6 survived for decades, built in staggering numbers for American trucks and SUVs through 2011.

Strictly from a product development standpoint, there was never much reason for Ford to have different British and German products: Buyer tastes in the UK, Germany, and other European markets weren’t so different that satisfactory compromises couldn’t be achieved if all the players had a voice in the development process. The separate lineups emerged not for any technical or marketing reason, but as a response to protectionist trade barriers. Once those barriers were relaxed across much of Europe, Ford moved to integrate its operations and offerings as quickly as the complexities of its large-scale capital investments would allow.

 

On balance, Ford’s European products were better after the integration than they were before, and their subsidiaries were no longer senselessly competing with each other in export markets. Still, for enthusiasts, it’s hard not to lament any loss of automotive novelty or diversity, whether or not it brought anything really substantive to the party.

Related Reading

Automotive History: A Brief Guide To Early German Fords, Part 1 (by me)
Automotive History: 1961 Ford Taunus 17M P3 – The Birth Of Ford Of Germany’s “Bathtub Taunus” (With Vintage SCI Photos) (by me)
Automotive History: The Real Story of How the American Ford FWD Cardinal Became the German Ford Taunus 12M – From Dearborn With Love (by Paul N)
CC Global: 1964-67 Ford Taunus – Der Deutsche Falcon (by Robert Kim)
Car Show Outtakes: 1972 And 1974 Ford Taunus GXL Coupe – Both With A Cologne V6 (by Johannes Dutch)