Ford Taunus Mk III

Wednesday 1 December 2010
As from the 1976 model year the Taunus and Cortina were almost identical, apart from regional variations (in terms of specification changes and trim levels).
The Taunus TC along with the Cortina Mk III and their successors have been produced in slightly updated forms in Europe, Argentina and Asia (some Cortinas were built under license by Korean automaker Hyundai) with the last Turkish Otosan-Taunus leaving the factory in 1994. However the major components remained basically the same through the entire production run only receiving minor body changes with the biggest re-engineering in the 1979 model year, which involved a facelift (identical to the Ford Cortina Mk5 update).
The Taunus/Cortina was finally replaced by the Sierra in late 1982. The Sierra carried over the Cortina/Taunus OHC Pinto Engines and RWD configuration but was otherwise an all new car with independent suspension all round.
The Taunus and Cortina models are very easy to service and share a lot of mechanical components with the other European Ford cars of the period (excluding the Ford Fiesta), making them extremely easy to fix, although they are now a rare sight in even the markets where they were most popular. For example, the British Cortinas of this generation sold more than 1,000,000 units, but little more than 2,000 were in circulation by 2006. The Taunus, however, still can be seen in circulation, in nations like Spain, Germany and Scandinavia and there is an active owners club.
In 1982 production of the Taunus ceased in Europe; it was replaced by the Ford Sierra. Production continued in Argentina until 1984, where a coupé version (effectively a two-door saloon) remained in the line-up right until the end (while in Germany the coupé was dropped after the 1975 facelift), and at Otosan in Turkey, where a restyled version of the last model continued in production until 1994.

Technical data:
- engine: 4 cylinders
- capacity: 1249 cc
- horsepower: 56 HP
- gearbox: 4+1
- top speed: 145 km/h