As the last UK-build Ford Transit rolls off the Southampton production line, we take a look back at Europe's most iconic van
At the end of last week Ford's Southampton plant closed, marking the end of the line for the UK-built Ford Transit.
The move was announced last October as part of a UK restructuring process. Production of the Transit chassis cabs is shifting to Kocaeli in Turkey, where the Transit and Transit Custom are built.
The move means that 175 of the 531 employees will be redeployed elsewhere within Ford. The majority of the remaining workers have taken voluntary redundancy.
It is a sad day for UK vehicle production, but the model that the Swaythling plant produced remains a proud icon, with a legacy that stretches back to 1965.
History books will tell you much about that year. Jim Clark won the Indy 500 and F1 world championship. Mary Quant invented the mini skirt. More significantly, a commercial vehicle launched that revolutionised the market and transformed the nation.
That van was the Ford Transit. Now, the van transports billions of pounds of goods around the UK, and contributes even more value to the British economy in mobilising countless trades. There’s barely a builder, plumber or electrician who hasn’t once counted a Transit as their most important tool.
No wonder Transit has become a byword for any kind of big van.
The Transit was originally co-developed by then-rivals Ford of Britain and Ford of Germany, a relationship which became the prototype for today’s Ford of Europe. It entered production at Ford’s Langley facility, which previously built the Spitfire. Later, it moved to the former Hawker Hurricane site in Southampton. With a heritage like that, the legend of the Transit started on a strong footing.
The Transit did for vans what the Mini did for cars. It replaced the narrow, slow and poorly packaged Thames and the German-market FK, which was coincidentally also called the Ford Taunus Transit. The new Transit was spacious, fast and good to drive. Like the smaller, aging Bedford CA, it shunned the front-mid engined layout to adopt a front-engined configuration to maximise space.
The latest Transit is offered with short- and long-wheelbases, and as a double cab, panel van and minibus – more than 5000 theoretical configurations are available. And that’s just for the Custom. The forthcoming full-fat Transit will offer even more choice. Ford delivers on the promise of building a Transit for every occasion.
The importance of the Transit cannot be understated. It is the third biggest-selling Ford in the UK, behind the Fiesta and Focus and holds a 34.6 per cent share of its market, selling over four times more than the next four rivals combined. Mark Ovenden, Ford of Britain boss said: “It defined the segment and, 47 years on, it continues to dominate. We will not launch anything more significant over the next few years”.
The Transit is the only van to be a household name. Up-and-coming bands toured the far reaches of the United Kingdom in them. In 1972, the Metropolitan police dubbed the Transit 'Britain’s most wanted van'. It said: “Ford Transits are used in 95 per cent of bank raids. With the performance of a car and space for 1.75 tonnes of loot, the Transit is proving the perfect getaway vehicle.”
It has been endlessly reinvented. A series of Supervans, which kicked off with a GT40-based Mk1, kept the tradesman in a hurry interested. And in 2007, he could get the look, if not the power, with the striped-up Sportvan complete with 18in alloys and a bodykit.
The Transit is an excellent tool, and very cool. Clever marketing and a self-effacing image have allowed it to warm in the nation’s consciousness.
A Ford advertising campaign in 1999 suggested the Transit was the backbone of Britain. Today its impact is felt more than ever. It is, by any measure, an icon.
And yes, it is available in white.