1968 Ford T5 – Ein Pony Mit Einem Anderen Namen

Wait a minute, you may be thinking to yourself, what’s up with the title? That’s a Ford Mustang, anyone can see that, for crying out loud! Well, you are half right. I almost walked right past this car at the AACA show back in June of 2013, but then I noticed something interesting, and stopped for a closer look.

Well, you could forgive me for walking on by. I mean it’s a Mustang. Hey, I like Mustangs. But you certainly see a lot at car shows and cruise nights, to the point where they start disappearing from your vision. Your brain, overloaded on red Mustangs, Corvettes and Camaros, tells you “Just another damn Mustang, move along pal!” But this one was different. And something I’d never known about.

Simply put, this is a German-market Mustang. As I am certain all readers to RG know, the Mustang was a smash hit when it first came onto the automotive scene, and everyone and their brother wanted one. Heck, even my grandmother, who gravitated towards large open-top luxocruisers like Pontiac Catalinas and Thunderbirds, briefly had a ’65 Mustang brand-new from Bob Neal Ford. Wimbledon White with black top and interior, she enjoyed it for a time, but ultimately traded it in on a new ’65 Thunderbird convertible once the novelty wore off.

But I don’t need to get any further into Mustang history, now do I? So, why were new Mustangs sold in Germany as the T5? Simply put, it was because a commercial vehicle manufacturer, Krupp, sold a truck marketed as the Mustang.

The Krupp Mustang. No rally pack or GT package available, sadly.

For some reason, rather than writing the company a check for permission to use the name, FoMoCo simply changed for all German-bound Mustangs into T5s, with appropriate replacement badging. The rather plain “T5” moniker did have some connection to the Mustang, however, as it was one of the project names for the Mustang while it was still under development.

This 1968 convertible didn’t look any different to me from domestically sold Sixties Mustangs, other than the emblems of course. It was rather nice to see one with the standard steel wheels and hubcaps, as most Mustangs these days appear in Resale Red with a myriad of aftermarket wheels in evidence-usually Cragar, American Racing or Keystone wheels.

As this was an AACA event, this car was strictly stock, and even had the original bill of sale with it. This particular example was very lightly optioned, with the 200 CID inline six, three speed manual transmission and an AM radio. More Falcon than Mustang equipment-wise, though probably pretty common then, as 1967-68 GT production didn’t really start growing until the late ’70s, ha ha.

And in one final bit of family Mustang trivia, my mother had a Diamond Blue 1968 Mustang in the early ’70s. That’s probably why I noticed this car in the first place, since 1965-66s are all over the place, but you don’t see too many ’68s, unless it’s a fake Bullitt clone. She finally sold it in the late ’70s when the floor started rusting away. But it was a pretty good car for her!

As for the T5 name, it lasted through the late ’70s, when the copyright Krupp had for the Mustang nameplate finally expired. More info can be found on the Ford T5 website. So now if you’re ever on Jeopardy! and the answer is “This common American car was given a different name when sold in Germany”, you can press that buzzer and say, “What is the Ford T5?” You’re welcome!

17 Replies to “1968 Ford T5 – Ein Pony Mit Einem Anderen Namen”

  1. stingray65

    I thought it might have been because of some German sensitivity to the Mustang name so soon after the 1939-45 hostilities involving P-51s and the Luftwaffe. If I remember correctly, the Ford Mustang was actually named after the plane, not the horse.

    Reply
      • stingray65

        This is where my memory came from:

        In his book “Mustang Genesis,” author Bob Fria quotes designer John Najjar:

        R.H. Bob Maguire, my boss, and I were looking through a list of names for the car. I had been reading about the P-51 Mustang airplane and suggested the name Mustang in remembrance of the P-51, but Bob thought the name as associated with the airplane was too ‘airplaney’ and rejected that idea. I again suggested the same name Mustang, but this time with a horse association because it seemed more romantic. He agreed and we together selected that name right on the spot, and that’s how it got its name.

        From “Mustang Genesis: The Creation of the Pony Car” by Robert A. Fria

        Reply
  2. Disinterested-Observer

    So Krups, of all companies, sold a Mustang. Did GM rebadge the Olds 98 as a 109? Did Volkswagen sell a Liberator?

    Reply
  3. John C.

    Gosh with the German title and strange connection, this reminds of the old site. All you are missing is your proof that the original Mustang was a ripoff of some 30s DKW. Instead showing it with the German ripoff of the Mustang, err… T5. Brilliant!

    Reply
    • Tom Klockau Post author

      I was trying to do a title without the usual cutesy “horsey” references. Similarities to der Kurbensiden GM Hatenfesten is entirely accidental. 🙂

      Reply
      • Shocktastic

        Maybe a Cortina. An Opel Ascona or in the US a Buick Opel 1900 had a different rear end. That’s a cool pic with the Mustang & the Capri side-by-side.

        Reply
        • Shocktastic

          Nope, changed my mind. That car in the background is a CC (1973-1975) Fiat 124 Sport Coupe. 4 wheel disc brakes, high revving twin cam engine, independent rear suspension, 5 speed manual transmission. A total unicorn these days.

          Reply
  4. Ronnie Schreiber

    At the NAIAS Volkswagen was promoting “The Peoples Warranty”. I wonder if they’ll use “Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Warranty”.

    Reply
  5. Thomas Kreutzer

    That is a bit of history that I did not know. Also, the Krupp Mustang looks like my kind of truck. Of course, being a fat guy, I’m attracted to anything “Fried.”

    Reply

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