Ford Taunus P4
Encyclopedia
The Ford Taunus 12 M was a small family saloon/sedan produced by Ford of Germany
between 1962 and 1966.
The Taunus 12M name had been used for the car’s predecessor and it would apply also to subsequent Ford models which is why the 12M introduced in 1962 is usually identified, in retrospect, as the Ford Taunus P4. It was the fourth newly designed German Ford to be launched after the war and for this reason it was from inception known within the company as Ford Project 4 (P4) or the Ford Taunus P4.
More unusually, the car was originally designed not for production in Germany but to be produced in North America and sold as the Ford Cardinal, a home-grown competitor for the Volkswagen. A last minute change of strategy saw the US production plans cancelled, and in 1960 Ford of Germany received a fully developed modern new design which they adapted for German conditions in order to replace their own by now badly outdated Ford Taunus P1
.
had received a stylish new body, but its engine was little changed from the (originally British designed) unit fitted in 1935 to the Ford Eifel
and other underpinnings, including its rear axle and suspension, were little changed from those of the 1939 Ford Taunus G93A
. By contrast, the P4, originally designed for large scale manufacture in North America, was technically innovative, featuring a newly developed compact V4 engine
which would provide the basis for engines designed and produced by Ford of Germany for twenty years. The Taunus P4 was also a front-wheel drive design at a time when other German auto-makers were still avoiding what was then seen as an unnecessarily complicated lay-out.
The decision, taken only after the new model had been prepared for production, not to build the Ford Cardinal in North America was the result of a review of “marketing opportunities” in the US market. In 1960 a prototype was delivered to Ford in Cologne. The form of the model that emerged from the production line at Koeln-Niehl two years later would be unchanged. The single all-red rear light cluster was seen as a tell-tale sign of the car’s US provenance at a time when rear-mounted direction indicator lights on European cars still tended to be separate from the other light units or at least to use separate bulbs. The dished steering wheel was another feature not normally found in European designs of the time.
was mounted well to the front of the car, its centre ahead of the front wheels. It incorporated a balance shaft
in order to try to compensate for some of the imbalance resulting from the unconventional positioning of the four crank pins in relation to the three bearings for the crankshaft. At this stage commentators nevertheless found the V4 unit “rougher” and noisier than comparable in-line units. The water pump and thermostat were housed in a sealed unit permanently protected by anti-freeze. The fan was thermostatically controlled which was still an unusual feature at this time. An eye catching feature introduced under the bonnet/hood in 1964 was color coding on the rocker cover according to the engine type. 40 ps/hp engines were coded green, 50 ps/hp blue and 65 ps/hp red. (The 55 ps/hp version was replaced in the same year by the more powerful 65 ps/hp unit.)
The modern compact V4 engine placed Ford of Germany in the hitherto unfamiliar position of setting the pace, and the company were able to sell the unit to other smaller European manufacturers. This was the engine that Saab later used for their 96
model after they abandoned their commitment to two-stroke power. Ford’s compact V4 engine also found its way into the unusual Matra 530
sports car.
Power was transferred through a single dry plate clutch to the front wheels. The four-speed manual gear box featured synchromesh on all four ratios, and was controlled by means of a column-mounted lever. The universal joints necessary to combine power transmission with steering and suspension functions involved a combination of engineering and materials technologies which at the time was still regarded as “leading edge” although front-wheel drive applied to lighter cars with s lighter and less powerful engines had become mainstream in Germany over the three previous decades, following the pioneering application of the various technologies involved in Auto Union
’s DKW
badged small cars.
Along with the innovative front wheel drive, an idiosyncratic feature at the front of the Taunus P4 involved the front suspension arms which were connected to the engine/gearbox block, thereby fulfilling an unconventional supporting function. Above them, the transversely mounted leaf-springs were linked to a cross-member which was attached to the floor pan, and thereby part of the monocoque bodyshell. In Autumn 1964 the various elements were rearranged and it became possible significantly to soften the front suspension, and after this it was reported that the level of engine vibration reaching the drive was much reduced. However, these rearrangements also incorporated a weakening of the anti-roll control at the front of the car which now was in danger of leaning excessively when cornering. This effect was countered by the substitution of more firmly set up shock absorbers while two additional support connections were added at the front in order to make the steering and tracking more precisely controllable.
At the end of 1964 disc brakes replaced drums on the front axle. (Ford’s larger sister model, the Ford Taunus P3
, had received this same upgrade the previous year.)
The Taunus P4 used a 6 volt electrical system which was by now becoming unusual in Germany, although at this stage the Volkswagen Beetle, too, had not yet migrated to a 12 volt electrical system.
The rear light units each had an all-red cover and contained only two bulbs. One of the bulbs operated as a conventional brake light. The other rear light bulb contained two filaments, one of which came one with the light switch and the second of which flashed when the turn indicator switch was used, so following traffic saw just a single light becoming successively and rhythmically brighter and less bright when the car was about to turn. The effect will have been unremarkable to North American drivers, but triggered comment in Europe. Here, even where single piece rear light units are fitted, rear indicator lights were and are normally included in their own separate part of the overall light cluster units.
A significant change in the light of subsequent developments was the transfer of production from Ford's German plant to a newly opened modern plant at Genk
, in Belgian Limburg, a couple of hours to the west of the company's Cologne head office. The Genk plant subsequently became the lead plant and then the sole plant for production of the Ford Sierra
before being retooled for the launch of the front wheel drive Mondeo
.
which followed broadly the same architecture but was slightly larger, and therefore even more spacious than the Volkswagen, Germany’s top selling small car throughout this period.
By the time of its replacement the Taunus P4 had notched up sales of 672,695 during a four year production run. This was a significant improvement on the sales volumes achieved by its predecessor
, but the overall market size was also growing during the early 1960s, and within its class the Ford 12M was pushed into third place on the domestic market by the reappearance in the segment of Opel
, reviving with a new model the Opel Kadett
which, like the Ford, appeared in 1962. The Kadett was replaced by an improved model after only three years by when the Kadett’s three year production volume of 649,512 was less than 5% short of the total production achieved by the Ford over four years.
Ford Germany
-Ford Motor Co. AG:Until 27 January 1950 all Ford's European operations other than in the USSR were run from Dagenham and owned by Ford Motor Company Limited, Dearborn's 55% owned subsidiary...
between 1962 and 1966.
The Taunus 12M name had been used for the car’s predecessor and it would apply also to subsequent Ford models which is why the 12M introduced in 1962 is usually identified, in retrospect, as the Ford Taunus P4. It was the fourth newly designed German Ford to be launched after the war and for this reason it was from inception known within the company as Ford Project 4 (P4) or the Ford Taunus P4.
Ford Taunus P1
The Ford Taunus 12 M was a small family saloon/sedan produced by Ford of Germany from 1952. Between 1955 and 1959 it was joined by the larger-engined Ford Taunus 15M...
.
North American design
The 1952 Ford TaunusFord Taunus P1
The Ford Taunus 12 M was a small family saloon/sedan produced by Ford of Germany from 1952. Between 1955 and 1959 it was joined by the larger-engined Ford Taunus 15M...
had received a stylish new body, but its engine was little changed from the (originally British designed) unit fitted in 1935 to the Ford Eifel
Ford Eifel
Ford Eifel was a car manufactured by Ford Germany and Ford Hungary between 1935 and 1940. It was derived from the Ford Model C platform, and is related to the contemporary Ford Anglia and Ford Prefect....
and other underpinnings, including its rear axle and suspension, were little changed from those of the 1939 Ford Taunus G93A
Ford Taunus G93A
The Ford Taunus G93A was a small family car produced by Ford of Germany between 1939 and 1942 in succession to the Ford Eifel. In 1948 the car reappeared as the Ford Taunus G73A, and the G73A remained in production until 1952...
. By contrast, the P4, originally designed for large scale manufacture in North America, was technically innovative, featuring a newly developed compact V4 engine
Ford Taunus V4 engine
The Taunus V4 was a V4 piston engine with one balance shaft, introduced by Ford Motor Company in Germany in 1962. The German V4 was built in the Cologne plant and powered the Ford Taunus and German versions of the Granada, Capri and Transit...
which would provide the basis for engines designed and produced by Ford of Germany for twenty years. The Taunus P4 was also a front-wheel drive design at a time when other German auto-makers were still avoiding what was then seen as an unnecessarily complicated lay-out.
The decision, taken only after the new model had been prepared for production, not to build the Ford Cardinal in North America was the result of a review of “marketing opportunities” in the US market. In 1960 a prototype was delivered to Ford in Cologne. The form of the model that emerged from the production line at Koeln-Niehl two years later would be unchanged. The single all-red rear light cluster was seen as a tell-tale sign of the car’s US provenance at a time when rear-mounted direction indicator lights on European cars still tended to be separate from the other light units or at least to use separate bulbs. The dished steering wheel was another feature not normally found in European designs of the time.
Market launch
The Taunus P4 came to market in September 1964: it enjoyed a reasonably positive reception. It was obviously a modern car. Its North American designers had come up with a car that was far larger and more spacious than the standard set by the Volkswagen which by now dominated the small sedan class in Germany. Unfortunately P4s suffered from numerous different teething troubles, however, suggesting that adaptation of the car to German conditions may have been a somewhat rushed exercise. Over its four year model life the Taunus 12M was produced at an averaged rate of more than 150,000 per year which made a useful contribution to the sales figures, but did very little to trouble the market dominance in the small car sector of the Volkswagen Beetle which at this time was held back chiefly by shortage of production capacity.Engine and running gear
The new V4 engineFord Taunus V4 engine
The Taunus V4 was a V4 piston engine with one balance shaft, introduced by Ford Motor Company in Germany in 1962. The German V4 was built in the Cologne plant and powered the Ford Taunus and German versions of the Granada, Capri and Transit...
was mounted well to the front of the car, its centre ahead of the front wheels. It incorporated a balance shaft
Balance shaft
In piston engine engineering, a balance shaft is an eccentric weighted shaft which offsets vibrations in engine designs that are not inherently balanced...
in order to try to compensate for some of the imbalance resulting from the unconventional positioning of the four crank pins in relation to the three bearings for the crankshaft. At this stage commentators nevertheless found the V4 unit “rougher” and noisier than comparable in-line units. The water pump and thermostat were housed in a sealed unit permanently protected by anti-freeze. The fan was thermostatically controlled which was still an unusual feature at this time. An eye catching feature introduced under the bonnet/hood in 1964 was color coding on the rocker cover according to the engine type. 40 ps/hp engines were coded green, 50 ps/hp blue and 65 ps/hp red. (The 55 ps/hp version was replaced in the same year by the more powerful 65 ps/hp unit.)
The modern compact V4 engine placed Ford of Germany in the hitherto unfamiliar position of setting the pace, and the company were able to sell the unit to other smaller European manufacturers. This was the engine that Saab later used for their 96
Saab 96
For the modern car, see Saab 9-6The Saab 96 is an automobile made by Saab. It was introduced in 1960 and was produced until January 1980, a run of 20 years. Like the 93 it replaced, the 96 was a development from the old Saab 92 chassis and, on account of its improvements and modernisation, it...
model after they abandoned their commitment to two-stroke power. Ford’s compact V4 engine also found its way into the unusual Matra 530
Matra 530
The Matra 530 is a sports car created and built by the French engineering group Matra.-The first real Matra:In 1965 Matra's CEO Jean-Luc Lagardère decided to develop a sports car more accessible to the ordinary, non-racing public, a voiture des copains , as successor to the Matra Djet...
sports car.
Power was transferred through a single dry plate clutch to the front wheels. The four-speed manual gear box featured synchromesh on all four ratios, and was controlled by means of a column-mounted lever. The universal joints necessary to combine power transmission with steering and suspension functions involved a combination of engineering and materials technologies which at the time was still regarded as “leading edge” although front-wheel drive applied to lighter cars with s lighter and less powerful engines had become mainstream in Germany over the three previous decades, following the pioneering application of the various technologies involved in Auto Union
Auto Union
Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group....
’s DKW
DKW
DKW is a historic German car and motorcycle marque. The name derives from Dampf-Kraft-Wagen .In 1916, the Danish engineer Jørgen Skafte Rasmussen founded a factory in Zschopau, Saxony, Germany, to produce steam fittings. In the same year, he attempted to produce a steam-driven car, called the DKW...
badged small cars.
Along with the innovative front wheel drive, an idiosyncratic feature at the front of the Taunus P4 involved the front suspension arms which were connected to the engine/gearbox block, thereby fulfilling an unconventional supporting function. Above them, the transversely mounted leaf-springs were linked to a cross-member which was attached to the floor pan, and thereby part of the monocoque bodyshell. In Autumn 1964 the various elements were rearranged and it became possible significantly to soften the front suspension, and after this it was reported that the level of engine vibration reaching the drive was much reduced. However, these rearrangements also incorporated a weakening of the anti-roll control at the front of the car which now was in danger of leaning excessively when cornering. This effect was countered by the substitution of more firmly set up shock absorbers while two additional support connections were added at the front in order to make the steering and tracking more precisely controllable.
At the end of 1964 disc brakes replaced drums on the front axle. (Ford’s larger sister model, the Ford Taunus P3
Ford Taunus P3
The Ford Taunus 17 M was a middle sized family saloon/sedan produced by Ford of Germany between 1960 and 1964. The Taunus 17M name had been applied to the car’s predecessor and it would apply also to subsequent Ford models which is why the 17M introduced in 1960 is usually identified, in...
, had received this same upgrade the previous year.)
The Taunus P4 used a 6 volt electrical system which was by now becoming unusual in Germany, although at this stage the Volkswagen Beetle, too, had not yet migrated to a 12 volt electrical system.
Body
Taunus P4s came as two or four-door saloon/sedans. A three-door station wagon was also offered: this did not use the “Turnier” appellation from the larger 17M station wagon, although the “Turnier” name would later become used by Ford of Germany for all their station wagons. The station wagon also provided the basis for a panel van. In addition Ford offered a factory built two-door coupé which was in effect simply a two-door saloon/sedan with a shortened roof-line and a steeply raked rear window. The coupe provided exactly the same interior space as the two-door saloon/sedan up to the level of the car’s waistline, but head-room for those on the back-seat was severely restricted.The rear light units each had an all-red cover and contained only two bulbs. One of the bulbs operated as a conventional brake light. The other rear light bulb contained two filaments, one of which came one with the light switch and the second of which flashed when the turn indicator switch was used, so following traffic saw just a single light becoming successively and rhythmically brighter and less bright when the car was about to turn. The effect will have been unremarkable to North American drivers, but triggered comment in Europe. Here, even where single piece rear light units are fitted, rear indicator lights were and are normally included in their own separate part of the overall light cluster units.
Evolution
The principal changes during the car's four year production run took place under the skin, and received only muffled publicity since many involved suspension modifications which a slower and more careful development process might have made unnecessary.A significant change in the light of subsequent developments was the transfer of production from Ford's German plant to a newly opened modern plant at Genk
Genk
Genk is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the city of Genk itself...
, in Belgian Limburg, a couple of hours to the west of the company's Cologne head office. The Genk plant subsequently became the lead plant and then the sole plant for production of the Ford Sierra
Ford Sierra
The Ford Sierra is a large family car that was built by Ford Europe from 1982 until 1993. It was designed by Uwe Bahnsen, Robert Lutz and Patrick le Quément. The code used during development was "Project Toni"....
before being retooled for the launch of the front wheel drive Mondeo
Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo was launched on 8 January 1993, and sales began on 22 March 1993. Available as a four-door saloon, a five-door hatchback, and a five-door estate, all models for the European market were produced at Ford's plant in the Belgian city of Genk...
.
Record breaker
During 142 days in 1963 a standard specification Ford Taunus 12M travelled 356273 kilometres (221,378.3 mi) round a disused race track at Miramas at an average speed of 106.48 km/h (66.18 mph). The resulting publicity will have been intended to counter the adverse impression created by the P4’s early teething troubles.Replacement
The Taunus P4 was replaced in 1966 by the Ford Taunus P6Ford Taunus
The Ford Taunus is a family car sold by Ford in Germany and other countries. Models from 1970 onward were similar to the Ford Cortina in the United Kingdom...
which followed broadly the same architecture but was slightly larger, and therefore even more spacious than the Volkswagen, Germany’s top selling small car throughout this period.
By the time of its replacement the Taunus P4 had notched up sales of 672,695 during a four year production run. This was a significant improvement on the sales volumes achieved by its predecessor
Ford Taunus P1
The Ford Taunus 12 M was a small family saloon/sedan produced by Ford of Germany from 1952. Between 1955 and 1959 it was joined by the larger-engined Ford Taunus 15M...
, but the overall market size was also growing during the early 1960s, and within its class the Ford 12M was pushed into third place on the domestic market by the reappearance in the segment of Opel
Opel
Adam Opel AG, generally shortened to Opel, is a German automobile company founded by Adam Opel in 1862. Opel has been building automobiles since 1899, and became an Aktiengesellschaft in 1929...
, reviving with a new model the Opel Kadett
Opel Kadett
The Opel Kadett is a small family car produced by the German automobile manufacturer Opel between 1937 and 1940, and then again from 1962 until 1991 , when it was replaced by the Opel Astra.-Original model :...
which, like the Ford, appeared in 1962. The Kadett was replaced by an improved model after only three years by when the Kadett’s three year production volume of 649,512 was less than 5% short of the total production achieved by the Ford over four years.
Technical Data
| 12M (1962) | 12M 1.5 l (1962) | 12M TS (1962) | 12M TS (1964) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motor: | V4-Cylinder (four-stroke) | |||
| cubic capacity: | 1183 cm³ | 1498 cm³ | 1498 cm³ | 1498 cm³ |
| Bore Bore Bore may refer to:* Bore , the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine* Bore , the interior chamber of a wind instrument* Bore , a district of Ethiopia that includes the town of Bore* Boré, Mali... × Stroke: |
80 × 58.9 mm | 90 × 58.9 mm | 90 × 58.9 mm | 90 × 58.9 mm |
| Max power @ rpm: | 29.4 kW (40 PS) 4500 rpm |
36.8 kW (50 PS) 4500 rpm |
40.5 kW (55 PS) 4500 rpm |
47.8 kW (65 PS) 4500 rpm |
| Max Torque Torque Torque, moment or moment of force , is the tendency of a force to rotate an object about an axis, fulcrum, or pivot. Just as a force is a push or a pull, a torque can be thought of as a twist.... bei 1/min: |
78 Nm at 2400 rpm | 108 Nm at 2400 rpm | 108 Nm at 2300 rpm | 108 Nm at 2300 rpm |
| Compression ratio: | 7.8 : 1 | 8.0 : 1 | 8.5 : 1 | 9.0 : 1 |
| Valvegearg: | central ohc, (driven by a toothed belt) | |||
| Cooling: | Water cooling with pump and thermostatically controlled fan, permanently sealed unit with anti-freeze (6.5 Liter) |
|||
| Transmission: | all-synchromesh 4-speed manual, column-mounted control lever | |||
| Front wheel attachment: | Dreiecksquerlenker | |||
| Rear wheel attachment: | Live beam axle | |||
| Suspension: | front-mounted lateral leaf springs, rear-mounted semi-elliptical leaf springing; Telescopic dampers, Anti-roll bar(s) Sway bar A sway bar or anti-roll bar or stabilizer bar is a part of an automobile suspension that helps reduce the roll of a vehicle that is induced by cornering or road irregularities. It connects opposite wheels together through short lever arms linked by a torsion spring... front and (till 1964) back |
|||
| Steering: | recirculating ball Steering Steering is the term applied to the collection of components, linkages, etc. which will allow a vessel or vehicle to follow the desired course... |
|||
| Electrical system: | 6 Volt | |||
| Body: | All-steel with welded floor pan | |||
| Track front/back: | 1245/1245 mm | |||
| Wheelbase: | 2527 mm | |||
| Tyres/tire size: | 5.60–13 (Sedan/saloon und Coupé), 5.90–13 (Kombi/estate) | |||
| Exterior dimensions L × B × H: | 4248 × 1594 × 1458 | 4248 × 1594 × 1458 | 4322 × 1594 × 1458 | 4322 × 1594 × 1458 |
| Empty weight (saloon/sedan): |
860 kg | 860 kg | 870 kg | 870 kg |
| Top speed: | 123 km/h (76 mph) | 130 km/h (81 mph) | 139 km/h (86 mph) | 147 km/h (91 mph) |