Ford ‘Taunus’ 17M (1972) – In the Wild

If you delve into the history of Ford’s mid-range cars, you will end up in a bit of a jumble of names: a lot of G’s, P’s and M’s. Later there were also TCs. However, there seems to be one common thread: Taunus. You see that name in almost every generation from the late 1930s to the early 1980s. Almost, because there is one exception: the last ‘Taunus’ before the all-new TC series came onto the market. That P7 generation was formally only called Ford 17M, Ford 20M or Ford 26M, although it is also often called Taunus. Here we have a 17M from 1972 thanks to AutoWeek forum member CitroenAZU. Or is it 1971?

It must almost be a copy from 1971, because in this year the curtain fell on the P7 and the TC1 was even already on the market. However, the car was registered in February 1972, so this must really be one of the last produced from the year before. A special example, moreover, because you usually see such a P7 as a sedan or coupe, sometimes as a station wagon (Turnier), but not in order form. Essentially it’s a three-door Turnier stripped of its rear side windows and rear seats. The Turnier badge is also still on the tailgate. In any case, a nice job has been done to dress it up as a service car from a Ford dealer. Also pay attention to the orange flashing light on the roof!

However, the most special thing about this Ford is not even what it looks like today. No, it only becomes really special when we look at the license plate details. Then we see that the current owner has been with the 17M for 42 years! We often see with classics that someone has owned a car for a long time, but this is exceptional. If this isn’t love… That’s what it shows. What a beautiful property. Hopefully they can continue together for much longer. If it’s up to the Ford, it will probably be fine.