In the Beginning

club-card-180x100
1st FTC-GB Membership Card.
Image © Helaena M.
The Ford Taunus Owner’s Club of G.B. was launched onto an unsuspecting public in 1991.

Here, one of the original Founding Members, Helaena M. tells us the story.

 

Neil-D-150x150
Neil D.
Image © Helaena M.
It was back in 1991 that Neil Dashper took a 1968 German Ford Taunus in part exchange for a daily car he was selling.

He had at this point already owned various classic British cars, mainly Fords, a couple of American cars and still owned a 1960 Ford MKII Consul. He wasn’t planning on owning another old car but had never owned a Taunus before so was intrigued and decided to have it.

It was an early P7B model, 1968 20m TS 2.3L V6 4 Door Saloon. It was a LHD that had been imported from Italy in 1975.

P7b-20m-XS-Show-300x300
Ford Taunus P7b 20m TS.
Image © Helaena M.
Although knowledgeable on Ford and cars in general, ownership of the P7 led to a desire to find out more about the history and detail of these often overlooked and misunderstood models.

On investigation, it was found that there was not a club or register for these models of the famous marque in the U.K.; despite Taunus’s being previously available to order and purchase through Ford Dealers here.

Higher numbers of the later (and probably more familiar) Taunus Cortina models were also sold as RHD versions in the 1970s, especially during the production issues and strikes at Ford UK factories / Dagenham.

Realising there must be more owners and information out there, Neil decided to start a Taunus Club, with the aim of getting owners and those interested in Taunus cars together and to help with parts and information sourcing.

 

The Ford Taunus Owner’s Club of G.B. was started in October 1991 and notices were put in magazines such as Classic Car Weekly and Popular Classics etc.

People from all parts of the U.K. with various models and stories on their Taunus acquisitions started to slowly get it touch. This was followed by people linked in other ways, such as other Ford clubs, museums with information sources and Ford Dealerships who still had literature, manuals and surplus stock.

It wasn’t long before we had contact and a visit from an owner and enthusiast in Cologne, Germany, along with enquiries from even further afield like Australia and the United States! Exciting times before the advent of the world wide web, mobile phones and other media platforms.

 

P5-20m-TS-300x300
Ford Taunus P5 20m TS Coupe.
Image © Helaena M.
Over the next couple of years, we connected owners together, made friends and helped a lot of people source parts for their cars. We had a few club-stands and meet ups at Ford shows and events and spent memorable times with other owners.

The Taunus contagion had taken hold, and in early 1993 we purchased an earlier model Taunus together. This was a 1966 P5 20m TS Coupe, which was RHD having been purchased in the U.K.

 

Tragically, Neil passed away suddenly in late 1993 so the full potential of the club was never realised. Although there were offers of help, it wasn’t apparent that anyone was really in a position or location to help as much as was practically needed or take on direction or running the club.

I would have loved to have kept the club going but it just proved too difficult at the time. My Dad and myself continued to help people with enquiries and parts as much as we could over the next few years before other commitments took over.

We continued to get steady enquiries for quite some time as there just wasn’t really another U.K. / English point of contact for information.

 

I was so happy to see, that all these years later, someone had the same passion and drive to establish a U.K. club once again, alongside a will to promote the profile of these models. It is also very pleasing to see that some original cars and owners that I knew are still involved.

With the internet and social media now available and being used to enable accessible and quicker connections, it is great to witness owners and supporters coming together from all around the world and helping each other to continue to keep the Taunus name and cars alive. Which was very much the original aim when the first Taunus Owner’s Club was created.

 

Helaena M.

 

With Thanks

Both Roy T. and Stu D. would like to extend their thanks to Helaena for sharing with us the history of the Club.

The origination of the club, along with the passion and drive that both Helaena and Neil had to set up and run it in the early days is a testament to them both and the reason we are all here today.