THE FORD TRANSIT (1965) (JACK OF ALL TRADES)

The Ford Transit is a range of light commercial vehicle produced by Ford. The Transit is built as a passenger van, minibus, cutaway van chassis, and as a pickup truck although it was sold primarily as a cargo van. To date, over eight million Transit have been sold, making it the third bestselling van of all time.

The first generation Transit (known as the Transit Mark I in the United Kingdom) was introduced in October 1965, taking over directly from the prior Thames 400E, and has been in continuous production in three basic generations to the present day.

The van was produced initially at Ford's Langley facility in Berkshire, England (a former Second World War aircraft factory which had produced Hawker Hurricane fighters), but demand outstripped the capability of the plant, and production was moved to Southampton until its eventual closure in 2013.

The engines used in the UK were the Essex V4 for the petrolengined version in 1.7 L and 2.0 L capacities. By using relatively short V4 engines Ford were able to minimise the additional length necessitated to place the engine ahead of the driver. Another popular development under the bonnet was the equipping of the van with an alternator at time when the UK market competitors expected buyers to be content with a dynamo. A 43 bhp (32 kW) diesel engine sourced from Perkins was also offered. As this engine was too long to fit under the Transit's stubby nose, the diesel version featured a longer bonnet.

Watch as Chris Barrie escapes the police in a vintage fire support Transit!

WHAT MAKES IT GREAT… Innovations in comfort, engine power and versatility meant that the Transit could be driven much like a car, all contributing to the vehicle’s massive success.

TIME WARP… Within one month of its unveiling, Ford had £3.6m worth of orders the equivalent of £65m today!

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