Whatever country a Ford vehicle is sold, the Ford Transit ranks amongst its biggest sellers. The Transit recently had its 50th anniversary within which time it has cemented itself as one of the most popular commercial vehicles.
1. In 1972 London’s Metropolitan Police complemented Ford Transit by calling it “Britain’s most wanted van.”
2. Scotland Yard once described the Transit as the “perfect getaway vehicle” used in “95 per cent of bank raids”.
3. On October 1985, Sen’or Garcia, was caught by a freak snowstorm some 3000 metres up a mountain pass. He was forced to abandon his Ford Transit. The vehicle was subsequently buried under five metres of snow and could not be retrieved. More than six months later Garcia returned to that place and he was amazed to find that the Transit’s bodywork was only slightly damaged and the Transit started up at the first try and without further ado, he was able to drive it safely back home!
4. Steve Matthews used his Transit to leap over 15 old cars. The only modifications included removing of windows and gaffer taping the doors and bonnet.
5. While moving two baby elephants at London Zoo in 1965, handlers turned to their Transit to get the job done.
6. It travelled over 7,500 miles on the Sahara desert.
7. The first Ford Transit was built at Langley, Berks in 1965.
8. Ford took £33 million of Ford Transit orders before the production got started.
9. When the Ford Transit was under development, its name was given as Project Redcap.
10. Professor Reyner Banham once said, “If anthropologists and archaeologists continue to insist on evaluating civilisations by their artefacts, we deserve to be remembered by the Ford Transit.”
11. Clarkson drove a Transit hover van up the River Avon on Top Gear.
12. One out of every four vans sold in UK is a Ford Transit.
13. A Czech driver, driving a Ford Transit once complained because his odometer stopped at 999,999km.
14. The 1 ton Transit Custom was named “International Van of the Year” and was the first van in its class to receive a 5 star safety rating.
15. 48 students from Barking College near London set a record by squeezing themselves into a Transit minibus in 1965.
16. The 2006 Transit, is the first van ever to offer a front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive or intelligent all-wheel drive (AWD) system, the best for icy winter conditions.
17. The Ford Transit was used to carry out maintenance work on Swiss railways. It was identified that the distance between its front wheels would easily allow it to run on the rail tracks.
18. Wildlife wardens used 1970 Transits to tour the grounds at Woburn Abbey Safari Park in the UK.
19. Some Transits spent their entire life span working down in a salt mine in Cheshire, England. It used to transport people and explosives through miles of tunnels.
20. In 1985 some Ford apprentices from Dunton built a floating Transit to take part in the annual raft race at Southend, Essex.
