Ford FK

The Ford FK, short for Ford Köln, was a series of medium duty trucks built by Ford of Germany at its Cologne plant in two generations from 1951 until 1961. The name replaced the earlier Rhein and Ruhr badges after the rival Krupp quietly registered them. The first generation came as the 2 tonne FK 2000, 3 tonne FK 3000 and 3.5 tonne FK 3500, with a 3.3 litre four cylinder petrol engine or a V8, and later diesels licensed from Hercules that earned a poor reputation. The second generation, nicknamed Haifisch or Shark for its toothy grille, arrived at the end of 1955 as the FK 2500, FK 3500 and FK 4500 with a 3.9 litre petrol V8 or new two stroke diesels designed by Hans List. Those diesels failed badly, warranty claims outnumbered deliveries in early 1956, and the episode is credited with ending Ford Germany's truck business after 1961.