Ford Taunus

Not to be confused with the Ford Taurus.

Ford Taunus was a car sold by Ford in Germany. From 1952 to 1968 all German Fords were called the Taunus using the model names 12M, 15M, 17M, 20M, and 26M. The "M" is said to stand for "Masterpiece". Taunus was also sometimes adopted as the brand-name in export markets, particularly where British and American Fords were also available.

The 12, 15 and 17M models had a V4 engine, later ones a straight-4 or V6 engine. The 12, 15, 17 etc. refer to the engine displacement; 1200, 1500, 1700 cc etc.

The model line is named after the Taunus mountain range in Germany.

In 1970 a new Taunus, the Taunus TC, was introduced, as a two- or four-door sedan, station wagon (or Turnier) and coupé. It was very similar to the British Ford Cortina Mk III, having been developed under the auspices of Ford of Europe, and many components were identical. The 1976 Taunus and Cortina models were identical in all but name, 'Taunus' being the name used in left hand drive (LHD) markets, and 'Cortina' in right hand drive ones, although the Cortina name was used in LHD South Korea and Taiwan. Australia even had 3.3L and 4.1L Cortinas.

In 1982 production of the Taunus ceased, and it was replaced by the Ford Sierra. Production continued in Argentina, which had a local coupe version until 1984, and in Turkey, where a restyled version of the last model continued in production until 1994.