Production began on 30 April 1939, with the first car exhibited to the public in June 1939, less than six months before the outbreak of war in Europe.

[2] Stylistically the new car followed the 1930s fashion for streamlining, but with a North American flavour inspired by the Lincoln-Zephyr of the time.

In the 1939 Ford Taunus the car's 1,172 cc unit delivered a claimed 34 PS (25 kW; 34 hp), married up to a three-speed transmission controlled with a centrally mounted lever.

The German auto industry did not undergo the same very rapid switch-over to war production as that experienced in Britain, but passenger car production in Germany was nevertheless restricted by government policy, and there was never more than a single prototype to represent the company's original intention to offer a cabriolet version of the Taunus G93A.

[3] After the war, with other German auto-plants destroyed by bombing or crated up and shipped to the Soviet Union, the priority for the occupying powers at Ford's plant was for the continued production of light trucks.

The tooling for the pressed-steel bodywork had during the war remained in Berlin with the US owned body builders Ambi Budd, and after lengthy negotiations with the Soviet military authorities was eventually released.

In May 1950 Ford introduced the Taunus Special, which featured a four-speed gear change controlled with a column-mounted lever.

Externally the "Special" made extensive use of chrome, notably on an enlarged front grill and on the bumpers.

With gasoline/petrol availability in Europe restricted to low-octane fuels, the 34 PS (25 kW) maximum power output was also unchanged, supporting a claimed top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph).

The drive shaft was enclosed in a steel tube and featured only a single universal joint, positioned just behind the gearbox.