Ford Taunus 15M.
1966 saw the introduction of Ford Germany's Taunus 12M, and the larger-engined Taunus 15M, although from August 1967 onwards they were simply referred to as the 12M and 15M. Both titles had in fact been applied to earlier cars produced by Ford Germany, so in the name of simplicity many people refer to these cars, retrospectively, as Ford Taunus P6s. Visual differences between the two were minimal, the key variation being that the 12M had circular headlamps whilst the 15M, as shown below, featured rectangular lamps. The rear lamps also differed between the two main variants.
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Neither car was exactly a paragon of styling flair and innovation, instead just fairly typical for three-box saloon cars of the day that shunned the chrome-laden excesses of the 1950s, in preference to neat, square-cut, body designs with minimal unnecessary ornamentation (as also demonstrated by the Mk2 Cortina for example). All cars were powered by a V4 petrol engine coupled to a four-speed gearbox, driving the front wheels. Initially 12Ms and 15Ms featured a column-mounted gearlever, but from early 1968 the option of floor-shift (and split front seats) was offered, and was standard-fit in the range-topping Ford Taunus 15M Rallye Sport (15M RS) of late 1967 onwards.
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The car below is a two-door saloon, its buyer could have instead opted for a four-door version of same, a three-door estate car, or indeed a rakish two-door coupe.
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The registration plate tells that this dark-coloured example was first registered in Mullheim, Baden-Wurttemberg in South-West Germany, perhaps the location for this photograph? The car parked alongside the Taunus is a Mercedes-Benz "Ponton" (W120) saloon.
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Return to Page 21 in the motoring image archive, or visit the main index of vintage & classic photographs here. This section of the site features a large variety of classic Fords now, including a page for the related Ford Taunus 20M.
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