It was 1965 when Ford launched a model that would revolutionize the market. Want to know what it was?
Yes, I confess, calling a 65′ Ford Transit “sporty” may seem excessive, and it is… But keep reading the text and you will understand where I am going.
It was 1965 when Ford – still in the middle of the «Europeanization» process, launched a model that would change the face of the automobile market in the old continent. It was called Ford Transit and it was the first van developed from scratch, and not, as before, developed from the rolling base of any passenger vehicle. With record-breaking carrying capacity and bulletproof reliability the Ford Transit was instantly a bestseller.
As Ford Transit was designed from scratch to be a commercial vehicle, the brand's engineers built a vehicle in which all components were designed and thought to withstand the most severe demands, and on the other hand, cancel the defects that resulted from the construction of a commercial vehicle from a base designed for a passenger vehicle. The result was what was expected: a vehicle that behaved as a whole, rather than as a convenient summation of components and steel sheets, added and subtracted in a parts warehouse.
Carrying capacity was also fantastic. The entire body design had been thought to maximize the available space and that's what happened. Ford Transit could literally swallow an elephant – Okay… a little one elephant.
Well, if the main objectives of the specifications had been largely achieved – carrying capacity and versatility – there were others that were not expected to be achieved and which were, shall we say… collateral damage! And these «collateral damage» was a dynamic behavior far above the average when compared to the cars of the time. Behavior that was aided by very self-willed gasoline power units at the time: a 74 hp 1.7 gasoline engine and a 2.0 86 hp gasoline engine. Values that these days do not excite anyone, but which at the time were much higher than the values presented by most cars in circulation.
Ford Transit quickly took over the sales charts and revolutionized the transport of goods all over Europe. Everyone recognized his qualities, from the small logistician, to the firefighters or the police who used them extensively in their fleets. And even robbers(!) who quickly find in Ford Transit the ideal partner for breaking the law.
Ford not only unwittingly launched the best commercial of its day, it launched a vehicle that was dynamically better than the overwhelming majority of automobiles on the market. A model that was so superior to its contemporary counterparts that when compared directly with them it almost looked like a sports car!
Fortunately times have changed. Today, no one considers the Ford Transit a vehicle with sporting ambitions, or does they? The aura of a vehicle that is proof of everything, even committed driving, remains and it has been the brand's strategy to keep this “flame” well lit. In particular through speed trophies, such as the Ford Transit Trophy, or very special versions of this iconic model, which will be the subject of more articles at Razão Automóvel in the coming weeks. So keep an eye out for our website and facebook.
For now, keep the video commemorating the model's 45 years:
UPDATE: Ford Transit “badass” Supervan (PART 2)