Hot Van?! Sports commercial vans? Make no sense, right? They're already the fastest vehicles on the road — they could be driving a high-performance car and there's bound to be a Van giving you all to get out of the way…
Well, Ford seems to have a somewhat different opinion and it's not the first time they address this issue — remember the Transit Supervan , with Formula 1 engine? This time, we have to admit, they were more modest in taking as a starting point the Ford Transit Connect , the smallest of the Transit, to create a high performance commercial van.
As you can imagine, they are prototypes and you will never be able to go to a Ford stand and buy one, but it is curious that Ford itself created these two vitamin work vans.
The result is two very fast work trucks, intriguing and, it has to be admitted, they are not without strong appeal — a lot of performance in “weird packages” has something of an attraction to it.
Transit Connect RS
The marriage between a first generation Ford Transit Connect and the first Ford Focus RS resulted in this unsuspected Transit Connect RS. Focus RS gets the same engine, the 2.0 l turbo of 215 hp and 310 Nm ; the same five-speed manual gearbox; the brakes and the front suspension.
According to Alex Goy, from Carfection, who had the opportunity to drive this “creature”, the fact that he inherits so much from the Focus RS makes it behave in a very similar way to this one — torque steer to give and sell…
The Transit Connect RS is effectively a hot hatch with a giant boot. From the outside, we realize that it's not just any Transit Connect, as it comes equipped with the same wheels as the Focus RS and the bodywork is adorned with classic racing stripes — the blue stripes that run throughout the bodywork along its longitudinal axis.
It also has a roll cage, Recaro sports seats, two spare tires, placed on the trunk floor and… velvety interior coverings.
Transit Connect ST
The Transit Connect RS wasn't the only one built by Ford. Now in its second generation, the oval brand did not miss the opportunity to re-spice its smallest commercial van.
This time, it resorted to the latest Focus ST hardware (3rd generation), giving rise to … Transit Connect ST . This means that under the bonnet we find the same 2.0 l turbo with a generous 250 hp.
More power, of course, should be faster — at least that's the perception that Alex Goy got. Also according to Alex, the Transit Connect ST is characterized by being much more refined than the Transit Connect RS. Power delivery is much smoother and even more fun to drive.
On the outside, it's even more discreet than the Transit Connect RS, with only the Focus ST wheels denouncing that something is not “normal” in this Transit Connect.
Carfection's video record of these two Hot Vans remains, which will never become reality.