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Ford 12 M (historical test) - Pack mule with charm

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Created on February 1, 1960

Text:

Olaf von Fersen

Photos:

Bruno von Rotz

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Bruno von Rotz

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Ford Taunus 12 M (1959) - with beautifully crafted radiator grille

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Ford Taunus 12 M (1959) - International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt 1959 - Side view

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Ford Taunus 12 M (1959) - the American influence is clearly visible

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Ford 12 M (1959) - A look under the hood

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Ford 12 M (1959) - proven engine with new cylinder head

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Ford 12 M (1959) - new front suspension with more spring travel and torsion bar stabilizer bar

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Ford Taunus 12M (1959) - classic pontoon body, globe on the nose

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Ford 12 M (1962) - with the successor 12 M from 1963 and the 17 M

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Ford Taunus 12 M (1959) - Steering wheel and dashboard

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Ford Taunus 12 M (1959) - large glove compartment

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Ford 12 M (1961) - particularly versatile as a station wagon

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Ford Taunus 12 M (1961) - further development of the globe Taunus, around 430,000 units were built - Classic-Gala Schwetzingen 2020

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Summary

It was not a sports car, but a real workhorse. This was the verdict of the test drivers in 1960 after their trials with Ford 12M models with the head-controlled 1.5-liter engine in combination with a three- and four-speed gearbox. Fast enough, economical and well equipped for a manageable amount of money - that was definitely a statement at the beginning of the sixties. This article reproduces the original wording of the test report from back then and shows the Ford 12 M in many pictures.

This article contains the following chapters

"Traveling space"
Mature and proven
Plenty on board and well ventilated
It swings
The driving characteristics
Three-speed or four-speed?
Fuel consumption
Technical data and test results

Estimated reading time: 15min

Preview (beginning of the article)

When someone is accidentally pronounced dead, they tend to live particularly long, according to the saying. This hits the nail on the head with the Ford 12 M, as it has often been said that it will now finally make way for a new model. The engine, Europe's last side-valve automobile powerplant, is actually already fit for a museum, but the performance and reliability that the Cologne engineers - and those in Dagenham no less - get out of this Methuselah never ceases to amaze. The basic design dates back to the 1920s, when the Ford small car of the time first saw the light of day and began its triumphal march of popularity. Over the years, its displacement grew from 800 to 1172 cc, and its power output increased from just under 20 to almost double that figure. The fact that there were still considerable reserves built in here was demonstrated by the attempts of less well-off sportsmen and sportswomen to make astonishingly powerful little sports cars from small, scrap-ready Fords that had once started their careers as staid family carriages.

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