Editing Ford Transit (section)

== First generation (1965)<span class="anchor" id="1"></span><span class="anchor" id="1965"></span> ==
{{Infobox automobile
| name = First generation
| image = 1966 Ford Transit Camper 1.7 Front.jpg
| caption = 1966 Ford Transit Custom camper
| production = 1965–1977
| assembly = {{unbulleted list | [[Genk]], [[Belgium]] ([[Genk Body & Assembly]]) | [[Langley, Slough]], [[England]], [[UK]] | [[Ulsan]], [[South Korea]] ([[Hyundai Motor Company|Hyundai]] [[Hyundai Porter|HD1000]], 1977-1981) | [[Southampton]], [[UK]] ([[Ford Southampton plant]], 1972–1978) | [[Amsterdam]], [[Netherlands]] |[[Acıbadem, Üsküdar]], [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]] ([[Ford Otosan|Otosan]]<!-- previous name of the company-->, from 1967)<ref name="fordotosan">{{Cite web|url=https://www.fordotosan.com.tr/en/corporate/about-ford-otosan/history|title=History &#124; Ford Otosan|website=fordotosan.com.tr}}</ref><ref name="FOMCC2">{{cite web |url=http://www.fomcc.de/otosan.htm |title=Ford-Otosan |publisher=Ford Oldtimer und Motorsport Club Cologne e.V. |access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref><ref name="FOMCC3">{{cite web |url=http://www.fomcc.de/transit1.htm |title=Ford Transit |publisher=Ford Oldtimer und Motorsport Club Cologne e.V. |access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref> | [[Seaview, Lower Hutt|Seaview]], [[Lower Hutt]], [[New Zealand]] | [[Homebush West, New South Wales|Homebush]], [[Australia]] (1966–1972)| [[Broadmeadows Assembly Plant|Broadmeadows]], [[Australia]] (from 1973)|[[Port Elizabeth]], [[South Africa]]
}}
| body_style = 3/4-door [[van]]
| layout = [[FR layout]]
| engine = '''petrol'''<br />{{unbulleted list| 1.3 L 1288&nbsp;cc [[Ford Taunus V4 engine#1.3|''Taunus'']] [[V4 engine|V4]]<ref name="AU71">{{citation |ref=AU71 |journal=Auto-Universum 1971 |title=Fiat 128 |last=Becker |first=Clauspeter | editor-first = Arthur | editor-last = Logoz |year=1971 |publisher=Verlag Internationale Automobil-Parade AG |location=Zürich, Switzerland |volume=XIV |page=109 |language=de}}</ref> | 1.5 L 1498&nbsp;cc [[Ford Taunus V4 engine#1.5|''Taunus'']] V4<ref name="AU71"/> | 1.7 L 1699&nbsp;cc [[Ford Taunus V4 engine#1.7|''Taunus'']] V4 | 1.7 L 1663&nbsp;cc [[Ford Essex V4 engine|''Essex'']] V4 | 2.0 L 1996&nbsp;cc ''Essex'' V4 | 3.0 L 2994&nbsp;cc [[Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)|''Essex'']] V6 | 3.3 L 3277&nbsp;cc [[Ford straight-six engine|''I6'']] (Australia from 1973)<br />'''[[Diesel engine|diesel]] '''| 1.8 L 1760&nbsp;cc ''Perkins'' I4 | 2.4&nbsp;L 2359&nbsp;cc ''York'' I4 }}
}}
[[File:1966 Ford Transit Camper 1.7 Rear.jpg|thumb|left|Ford Transit Custom]]
[[File:Ford Transit Van.jpg|thumb|left|Ford Transit with revised nose and longer bonnet for Diesel and later V6 engines.]]
[[File:Ford Transit as minibus 1972.jpg|thumb|left|1971 facelift with rounded rectangular grille.]]
The first generation Transit, or the '''Transit Mark I''' in the United Kingdom,<ref name="mk_1">{{cite web |title=Ford Transit van club signs 1,000th member |url=http://www.ford.co.uk/experience-ford/AboutFord/News/VehicleNews/2012/Transit-Club-1000th-Member |publisher=Ford UK |access-date=August 14, 2013 |date=April 23, 2012 |quote=Darren, whose 1986 Mk II long wheelbase Transit is in daily use [...] was delighted to find himself a milestone member: [...] "The Transit has been part of my life since I first started driving one in 1996, and now I have bought a second classic model, a 1969 Mk I camper van, as a restoration project."|archive-date=May 29, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529162933/http://www.ford.co.uk/experience-ford/AboutFord/News/VehicleNews/2012/Transit-Club-1000th-Member}}</ref> was introduced in October 1965, taking over directly from the [[Ford Thames 400E|Thames 400E]].  This generation had the longest production run of any Transit to date, staying largely unaltered for 12 years until the major update of 1977, with only one minor facelift for the 1971 model year, which saw updated front end styling on the V4 engined models (the 'pig snout' diesel/V6 models remained unchanged), and the introduction of a safety padded dashboard.

Overall production of this platform therefore lasted for over 20 years before finally being replaced by the all-new VE6 platform in 1986.

The van was produced initially at Ford's [[Langley, Slough|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 [[Ford Southampton plant|Southampton]] until closure in 2013 in favour of the factory at [[İzmit]], Turkey.<ref name=BBC23432322>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-23432322 |title=Last shift at Ford's Transit van factory in Swaythling |publisher=BBC |date=July 26, 2013 |access-date=July 26, 2013}}</ref>

Transits were also produced in Ford's [[Genk Body & Assembly|Genk]] factory in Belgium and also Turkey. Transits were produced in Amsterdam for the local market from the mid-1970s until the end of 1981. This factory had ample capacity, since the [[Ford Transcontinental]] produced there had little success (total production 8000 in 6 years). Although the Transit sold well in the Netherlands, it was not enough to save the factory, which closed in December 1981.

The Transit was introduced to replace the [[Ford Thames 400E]], a small mid-engined [[forward control]] van noted for its narrow track which was in competition with similar-looking but larger vehicles from the [[Morris Commercial J4|BMC J4]] and [[Morris Commercial J2|J2]] vans and [[Rootes Group]]'s [[Commer]] PB ranges. In a UK market segment then dominated by the [[Bedford CA]], Ford's Thames competitor, because of its restricted load area, failed to attract fleet users in sufficient numbers. Ford switched to a front-engined configuration, as did Bedford with their well-regarded CA series vans in the 1950s. [[Henry Ford II]]'s revolutionary step was to combine the engineering efforts of [[Ford of Britain]] and Ford of Germany to create a prototype for the Ford of Europe of today—previously the two subsidiaries had avoided competing in one another's domestic markets but had been direct competitors in other European markets.

The Transit was a departure from the European commercial vehicles of the day with its American-inspired styling—its broad track gave it a huge advantage in carrying capacity over comparable vehicles of the day. Most of the Transit's mechanical components were adapted from Ford's car range of the time. Another key to the Transit's success was the sheer number of different body styles: panel vans in long and short wheelbase forms, pick-up truck, minibuses, crew-cabs to name but a few.

The engines used in the UK were the [[Ford Essex V4 engine|Essex V4]] for the [[petrol]]-engined version in 1.7&nbsp;L and 2.0&nbsp;L capacities. By using relatively short V-4 engines Ford were able to minimise the additional length necessitated to place the engine ahead of the driver.<ref name=Autocar196804>{{Cite journal |journal=Autocar |volume=128 |issue=3766) |editor=Maurice A Smith  |title=The Ford Light Commercials |page=105 |date=April 18, 1968}}</ref> Another popular development under the bonnet was the equipping of the van with an [[Alternator (auto)|alternator]] at time when the UK market competitors expected buyers to be content with a [[dynamo]].<ref name=Autocar196804/> A {{convert|43|bhp|kW|0|abbr=on}} [[diesel engine]] sourced from [[Perkins Engines|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 - which became nicknamed as the "pig snout". The underpowered Perkins proved unpopular, and was replaced by Ford's own [[Ford York engine|York]] unit in 1972. For mainland Europe the Transit had the German [[Ford Taunus V4 engine]] in Cologne 1.3, 1.5, and 1.7- or Essex 2.0-litre versions. The diesel version's long nose front was also used to accommodate the Ford 3.0 L [[Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)]] for high performance applications such as vans supplied to police and ambulance services. In Australia, in 1973, to supplement the two Essex V4 engines that were available the Transit was released with the long-nose diesel front used to accommodate an [[Straight-six engine|inline 6-cylinder]] engine derived from the [[Ford Falcon (Australia)|Ford Falcon]].

The [[Metropolitan Police]] reported on this vehicle in 1972 via a [[Scotland Yard]] spokesman that "Ford Transits are used in 95 per cent of [[Bank robbery|bank raids]]. With the performance of a car, and space for 1.75 tonnes of loot, the Transit is proving to be the perfect getaway vehicle", describing it as "Britain's most wanted van".<ref name="topgear">{{cite episode |title=Series 06, Episode 07 |series=Top Gear |series-link=Top Gear (2002 TV series) |network=BBC |airdate=July 10, 2005 |series-no=6 |number=7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://media.ford.com/content/dam/fordmedia/Europe/gb/2015/07/Transit%2050%20Wonderful%20Facts%204.pdf|title=Ford Transit: 50 Wonderful Facts|date=July 2015|website=Ford Motor Company|access-date=August 19, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.topgear.com/car-news/british/ford-transit-50-today-so-we-drove-oldest-surviving-example|title=The Ford Transit is 50 today, so we drove the oldest surviving example|date=October 9, 2015|website=Top Gear|language=en|access-date=August 19, 2017}}</ref>

The adoption of a front beam axle in place of a system incorporating independent front suspension that had featured on its [[Ford Thames 400E|UK predecessor]] might have been seen as a backward step by some, but on the road commentators felt that the Transit's wider track and longer wheelbase more than compensated for the apparent step backwards represented by Ford's suspension choices.<ref name=Autocar196804/> Drivers appreciated the elimination of the excessive noise, smell and cabin heat that resulted from placing the driver above or adjacent to the engine compartment in the Thames 400E and other forward control light vans of the 1950s and early 1960s.<ref name=Autocar196804/>

The Transit was also assembled in South Africa between 1967 and 1974, the last Transit to be sold in that country until 2013, when a fully imported model was introduced.<ref name="Wheels24">[http://www.wheels24.co.za/News/Ford-Transit-Long-wait-worth-it-20130424 Ford Transit: Long wait worth it], [[News24 (website)|Wheels24]], April 25, 2013</ref>

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=== Facelift (1977)<span class="anchor" id="1977"></span> ===
{{Infobox automobile
| name = First generation facelift "Mk.2"
| image = 1979 Ford Transit (12082886753).jpg
| production = 1977–1986
| assembly = [[Genk Body & Assembly|Genk]], Belgium<ref name="Ford: Facilities2">{{cite web|url=http://media.ford.com/plant_display.cfm?plant_id=48 |title=Facilities |publisher=Ford Motor Company Newsroom |access-date=July 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902044554/http://media.ford.com/plant_display.cfm?plant_id=48 |archive-date=September 2, 2010 }}</ref><ref name="FOMCC1">{{cite web |url=http://www.fomcc.de/belgien.htm |title=Ford Belgien |publisher=Ford Oldtimer und Motorsport Club Cologne e.V. |access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref><br />[[Ford Southampton plant|Southampton]], UK (1977–1986) reaching 2 million Transits on July 25, 1985<br />[[Amsterdam]], Netherlands (1975–1981){{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}<br />[[Acıbadem, Üsküdar]], [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]] ([[Otosan|Ford Otosan]], from 1976)<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.fordotosan.com.tr/tr/kurumsal/ford-otosan-hakkinda/tarihce|title=Tarihçe|publisher=Ford Otosan|language=tr}}</ref><br/>Seaview, Lower Hutt (Ford New Zealand)<br />[[Broadmeadows Assembly Plant|Broadmeadows]], Australia
| body_style = 3/4-door [[van]]<br />2-door [[Pickup truck|pickup]]<br />4-door [[minibus]]<br />4-door [[crew cab]]<br />2-door [[chassis cab]]<br />2-door [[Luton van|Luton]]/[[box van]]
| layout = {{ubl
 | [[FR layout]]
 | [[Front-engine, four-wheel-drive layout|4WD]]
 }}
| engine = {{ubl
  | '''[[Petrol engines|petrol]]'''
  | 1.6&nbsp;L ''[[Ford Kent engine|Kent/Crossflow]]'' [[Straight-four engine|I4]]
  | 1.6&nbsp;L ''[[Ford Pinto engine|Pinto]]'' I4
  | 2.0&nbsp;L ''Pinto'' I4
  | 2.8&nbsp;L ''[[Ford Cologne V6 engine|Cologne]]'' [[V6 engine|V6]]
  | 3.0&nbsp;L ''[[Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)|Essex]]'' V6
  | 4.1&nbsp;L [[Straight-six engine|''I6'']] (Australia)
  | '''[[Diesel engine|diesel]] '''
  | 2.4&nbsp;L ''[[Ford York engine|York]]'' I4
  | 2.5&nbsp;L [[Diesel engine#Direct injection|DI]] I4
  }}
| wheelbase = SWB: {{convert|2690|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}<br />LWB: {{convert|3000|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}
}}

[[File:Ford transit 4 h sst.jpg|thumb|left|Ford Transit MKII]]
[[File:1978 Ford Transit van, ice cream van conversion (22381174286).jpg|thumb|left| Ford Transit [[Ice cream van]] with the restyled longer bonnet]]

In August 1977, a facelifted version—codenamed within Ford as the "Transit {{frac|1978|1|2}}"—but usually referred to as the '''Transit Mark II''',<ref name="mk_1"/> debuted with a restyled, longer nose section which could now properly accommodate an in-line engine in place of the Essex and Cologne V4s - therefore the [[Ford Pinto engine|Pinto]] engine from the [[Ford Cortina|Cortina]] became the Transit's dominant power unit. The new frontal styling brought the Transit back into line with the rest of Ford of Europe's passenger car range of the period with square headlamps and the black louvred grille, although the rear styling remained unaltered. The austere dashboard of the Mk1 with its single instrument binnacle was replaced with a full width plastic fascia with a more comprehensive instrument cluster and switchgear taken from the Taunus/Cortina Mk4. Many fleet owners experienced premature camshaft wear in early Pinto units in the Cortina and for two years the Transit 75 was available with the 1.6&nbsp;L Ford Kent cross-flow engine. High-performance versions intended for police or ambulance service used the 3.0&nbsp;L [[V6]] version of the [[Ford Essex V6 engine (UK)|Essex engine]]; the {{cvt|100|hp|kW PS|0|adj=on}} 3.0 was also available in some heavier duty models like the 3.5-tonne Transit 190.<ref name="inufa82">{{citation | ref = INK82 | title = Internationaler Nutzfahrzeug-Katalog (Inufa) 1982 | trans-title = International Commercial Vehicle Catalog | language = de | volume = 24 | location = Solothurn, Switzerland | publisher = Vogt-Schild AG |year = 1982 | page = 77 | editor-first = Hans U. | editor-last = Rohrbach }}</ref> From September 1978, Australian variants could be had with locally built 4.1&nbsp;L (250&nbsp;cu in) [[Straight-six engine|inline 6-cylinder]] engines.

In 1984, the York diesel engine was redesigned into the 2.5&nbsp;L "DI" (direct injection) unit. At this time this generation received a minor facelift including a grey plastic front grille with integrated headlamp surrounds, wraparound indicators, longer bumper end caps and multifunction rear lights incorporating fog, indicator, reversing and side lights for the panel van. This facelift did not commonly result in a new "Mark" number.

The Mark II was available in 6 body styles: Van, Kombi, Chassis Cab, Parcel Van, Bus, and Crewbus all available in short-wheelbase (2690&nbsp;mm) and long-wheelbase (3000&nbsp;mm) versions. A selection of 5 engines was available: 1.6-litre OHC Petrol, 1.6-litre OHV Petrol (Kent), 2.0-litre OHC Petrol, 2.0-litre OHC Petrol (Economy) and 2.4-litre Diesel. On top of this were 32 door combinations, 6 axle ratios and options for 12 – 17 interior seats. All of these were available in any combination when purchased with Ford's highly customizable custom plan. At the time this gave the business sector an unprecedented amount of flexibility, which was a major factor in the vehicles' ultimate success.<ref>"The New Ford Transit – Confidential for Ford Salesmen Only (Mark II)."{{Clarify|reason=Clarify reference using Citation Style 1 templates|date=September 2012}}</ref>

In 1981, for mainland European market only, the Transit Clubmobil was introduced by the Hymer company. This was fitted with a 1.6 / 2.0 OHC engine, and featured a custom interior – captain style swivel seats in velour, pile carpet, motorsport steering wheel, unique Ronal 14" alloy wheels, unique side windows, folding back seat, luggage box, unique front spoiler, tinted glass, power assisted steering, spare wheel carrier and rear door ladder. In 3 years of production 150 were produced and less than 20 are thought to still exist.

In late 1982, the well-equipped Transit Ghia was introduced to some markets, only as a nine-seater bus. This offered a velour interior, full carpeting, tinted windows, and sunroof. Externally it can be identified by chrome dog-dish hubcaps and extra lamps in the grille.<ref name=TV218255>{{cite magazine | title = Lyxbuss | trans-title = Luxury bus | ref = TVn21 | language = sv | magazine = [[Teknikens Värld]] | publisher = Specialtidningsförlaget AB | location = Stockholm, Sweden | page = 55 | date = October 6, 1982 | issue = 21 | volume = 34 | editor-first = Börje | editor-last = Isakson }}</ref>

In 1982, a four-wheel drive version was added to the German market, called the SIRA-Ford Transit. This was developed together with Rau GmbH, a Ford dealer in [[Stuttgart]].<ref name="Truck9.82">{{ cite journal | journal = TRUCK | date = September 1982 | ref = truck982 | page = 25 | editor-last = Kennett | editor-first = Pat | title = Intertruck: Germany | last = Kacher | first = Georg | location = London, UK | publisher = FF Publishing Ltd }}</ref> "SIRA" combines "[[Sinpar]]" and "Rau" because Rau was the agent for French four-wheel-drive specialist Sinpar in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The SIRA Transit used a Sinpar transfer case and other parts, and was available with the 2-liter petrol four or the 2.4-liter Diesel, on either wheelbase.<ref name="inufa82262">[[#INK82|''Inufa 1982'']], pp. 262-265</ref> The 4x4 Transit was later offered in other markets as well.
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