Photo of a 1960's Taunus.
The Ford Taunus wasn't a common sight in Britain during the 1960s, yet in Germany - its native country - it was as common a sight on the autobahns as the Cortina was on our own expanding motorway network. Shown in this photo is a two-door saloon version of the 20M P5 series. Both it and the car parked alongside have parking passes in their screens, while the 20M has a headrest fitted to the front passenger's seat only, the driver evidently doing without such luxuries. This incarnation of the Taunus 20M was produced from 1964 to 1967. The "V6" bonnet badge can just be made out, positioned on the leading edge, just above the grille badge.
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The similar 17M of this era had a V4 engine, while the 20M was powered by Ford's Cologne V6. In addition to two- and four-door sedans, there was also a choice of estate and hardtop coupe. Its performance was on-par for the era, with a quoted top speed in the region of 99mph, although the coupe was slightly pacier. Total production between 1964 and 1967 was 193,068. Despite not being a big seller here, they were listed on the UK market at 1,180 GBP (saloon), and 1,270 GBP (coupe). Conservative British buyers tended to stick with what they knew best though, hence the Cortina - by this time in Mk2 guise - becoming a top seller.
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In Germany the 20M was marketed as "Der grosse 6-Zylinder unter DM 8000", or the largest six-cylinder car under 8,000 Deutschmarks, which was true given that a similarly-specified Opel would have cost DM 9,310 while anyone opting for a Mercedes-Benz would need to have shelled out DM 12,000+. As was common practice with Fords, the options list and range of mechanical specifications for the Taunus was extensive. A higher-specification TS model was sold alongside the base version. Three- and four-speed gearboxes were offered, as was an automatic, with both floor- and column-gearchange alternatives available. Bench or individual front seats could be ordered at the local dealership, while those looking for real exclusivity, could head over to Karoserie Deutsch and put their name on Karl Deutsch's cabriolet conversion.
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Return to Page 16 in the gallery of classic vehicles. Also see this page, which features a photo from the same set, albeit of a smaller 15M saloon.
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