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74-652: The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van , but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in some markets since 1995), cutaway van chassis , and a pickup truck . The vehicle is also known as the Ford T-Series (T-150, T-250, T-350), a nomenclature shared with Ford's other light commercial vehicles,

148-657: A campervan conversion produced by Auto-Sleepers converted in Willersey , Gloucestershire , known as the Auto-Sleepers Duetto was available. It was available with the high-top roof. The naturally aspirated diesel engines came in 70 PS (51 kW), 76 PS (56 kW) The turbo diesel version came in 85 PS (63 kW), 100 PS (74 kW) and in 1998 a 115 PS (85 kW) Intercooled version became available, All turbodiesels had an electronic fuel injection pump made by Lucas For

222-521: A Ford dealer in Stuttgart . "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. The 4x4 Transit was later offered in other markets as well. Codenamed VE6 ,

296-555: A big "Taunus" emblem as well as a small Taunus lettering which was also mounted on the back of the vehicle. New, however, was a small Ford logo underneath the right B-pillar. From 1957 onwards, with the launch of the Ford Thames 400E by Ford of Britain, the situation arose that Ford, together with the FK1000/FK1250 by Ford Werke AG, was now present on the continental European markets with two competing products. For example,

370-456: A claimed 34 PS (25 kW; 34 hp), married up to a three-speed transmission controlled with a centrally mounted lever. Drive was transmitted to the rear wheels. The German auto industry did not undergo the same very rapid switch-over to war production as that experienced in Britain, but passenger car production in Germany was nevertheless restricted by government policy, and there

444-445: A dedicated commercial vehicle network for heavy and light commercial vehicles, Volkswagen, whose franchised dealers usually have standalone van centres, Iveco, and Isuzu Truck. Isuzu Truck market commercial vehicles up to 18 tonnes GVW and Iveco market their heavy truck range with their Daily van to complement this. Many franchised dealers also retail used LCVs, with the poorer quality examples sent to specialist auctions for sale. There

518-779: A fully imported model was introduced. In August 1977, a facelifted version—codenamed within Ford as the "Transit 1978 + 1 ⁄ 2 "—but usually referred to as the Transit Mark II , 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 Pinto engine from the Cortina became the Transit's dominant power unit. The new frontal styling brought

592-584: 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 mm) and long-wheelbase (3000 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

666-423: A new nose and dashboard , along with the 2.0 L DOHC 8-valve engine as found in the 1994 to 1998 Ford Scorpio. It is similar to the earlier Sierra DOHC unit but without the distributor and uses the updated OBD II -compliant EEC-V level engine control unit . At the same time air conditioning , electric windows, central locking, electric mirrors and airbags were all made available as optional extras. In 1994,

740-615: A second unified platform ( Ford Escort ) was launched in 1967. With the discontinuation of the Ford Zephyr (British) and Ford P7 (German) in 1972 all Ford platforms for the European market are unified. Since 1994 (discontinuation of the Ford Granada name ) even the Ford model-names are the same for the European market. The German vehicle was not widely exported, and the "Mark 1" tag has commonly been applied, retrospectively, to

814-652: A single standardised engine in the class of cars covered by engine sizes between 1.2 and 2.0 litres, and so the Taunus used the smaller 1,172 cc engine (a k a known as English Sidevalve) carried over from the Eifel model. This was essentially the same unit that Ford would fit in the Ford Taunus P1 (and, at their Dagenham plant the Ford Anglia ) until 1959. In the 1939 Ford Taunus the car's 1,172 cc unit delivered

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888-438: A single universal joint, positioned just behind the gearbox. The rear wheel bearings were positioned directly on the rear axle. The overall rear axle assembly seems to have been unusually simple, but the resulting stresses gave rise to a shortened axle life. The hydraulically operated simplex brakes were operated via a single circuit, which was usual at the time. The handbrake cable was prone to rust. The 6-volt electrical system

962-546: A turbodiesel Jaguar S-Type ; after weight reduction and aerodynamic modifications, she was only just unsuccessful, marking her fastest lap at 10m 8s. This version won the International Van of the Year 2001. The Durashift EST automatic transmission (optional on all rear-wheel-drive models) features controls mounted on the dashboard, a specially adapted manual mode, tow-haul mode, economy mode and winter mode. This

1036-455: Is a large network of independent used commercial vehicle retailers who retail thousands of used commercial vehicles every month. LCV dealers are increasingly using the Internet to help sell their vehicles in addition to the traditional print media. Ford Taunus G93A The Ford Taunus G93A is a small family car that was produced by Ford Germany between 1939 and 1942 in succession to

1110-728: Is known as the ASM (automatically shifting manual) system in the Australian market. 2002 saw the introduction of the first High Pressure Common Rail diesel engine in the Transit, with the launch of the 125 PS (92 kW) HPCR 2.0-litre in the FWD. Production of the van started at the new Ford-Otosan plant in Kocaeli, Turkey which saw the end of all production at the Genk, Belgium plant which had been producing Transits since 1965. This coincided with

1184-490: 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

1258-688: The DKW Type F89L Schnellaster or the Tempo Matador . As usual in the Anglo-Saxon countries in those days, Ford's marketing experts attached more importance to the model/series designation than to the "Ford" label as a brand. Most British Ford products carried no Ford emblem. The commercial vehicles produced at Ford-Werke AG were marketed with the FK logo, while the passenger cars produced from 1948 onwards were offered under

1332-596: The Focus and Ka . Developed by Ford in the United States, the main innovation is that it is available in either front- or rear-wheel drive. Ford nomenclature makes this the V184 ( rear-wheel-drive ) or V185 ( front-wheel-drive ) model. This model features the "Puma"-type Duratorq turbo diesel engine also used in the 2000 Mondeo and Jaguar X-Type , with the petrol versions moving up to the 2.3 L 16-Valve edition of

1406-740: The Ford Eifel . It was the first car developed at Cologne by Ford Germany which previously had built cars originated by Ford businesses in the US or the UK. Production began on 30 April 1939, with the first car exhibited to the public in June 1939, less than six months before the outbreak of war in Europe. In 1948 the car reappeared as the Ford Taunus G73A , and remained in production until 1952. This

1480-630: The Ford F-Series trucks, and the Ford E-Series chassis. As of 2015, 8 million Transit vans have been sold, making it the third best-selling van of all time and has been produced across four basic platform generations (debuting in 1965, 1986, 2000, and 2013 respectively), with various "facelift" versions of each. The first product of the merged Ford of Europe , the Transit was originally marketed in Western Europe and Australia. By

1554-462: The straight-4 engine. A demonstration of this model's speed with the smallest panel van body, rear wheel drive, highest output 136PS 2.4 Duratorq turbo-diesel engine and optional 6-speed manual gearbox was shown in series 6 of Top Gear in 2005, where German race driver Sabine Schmitz attempted to drive it around the Nürburgring in under ten minutes, matching Jeremy Clarkson 's time in

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1628-605: The "pig snout". The underpowered Perkins proved unpopular, and was replaced by Ford's own 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

1702-510: The 1965 to 1978 pan-European model (see below). Whilst there have only been four basic platforms since 1965, the various facelifts and upgrades over the years have been referred to using a conflicting range of "Mark" numbers, with some sources counting a facelift as a new "Mark", some not. Ford's own historical look back at Transit production, published for the launch of the 1994 model, avoids the issue by referring to generations of Transit by years produced. This article attempts to make mention of all

1776-472: The 3.5 T gross vehicle weight) does not require a tachograph and can also be driven by people with a regular car license without the need for an Operator's License . The speed restriction is higher than heavy goods vehicles: 60 MPH on dual carriageways and up to 70 MPH on motorways. Qualifying light commercial vehicles include pickup trucks , vans and three-wheelers – all commercially based goods or passenger carrier vehicles. The LCV concept

1850-712: The 30th anniversary of the Transit in 1995 Ford released a limited edition model called the Transit Hallmark. Six hundred were made and were available in three colours with 200 being made in each. In Europe the VE83 Transit was available up to 2000, but in Vietnam it was built up to 2003 when it was exchanged in June for the new generation. The Transit, introduced in July 2000, was the third all-new design, and borrowed styling cues from Ford's "New Edge" designs, like

1924-476: The 6-speed MT-82 RWD manual gearbox . The five millionth Transit rolled off the Southampton line on Monday, July 18, 2005, and was donated to an English charity. The third-generation Transit received a facelift to the body, introduced in July 2006, including new front and rear lights, a new front end and a new interior featuring the gearstick on the dashboard and Ford's new corporate radio design. Besides

1998-734: The British Ford Thames 400E was also assembled and improved as a left-hand drive version in the Ford assembly plants in Copenhagen , Denmark, as well as the German FK1000 was assembled in Azambuja , Portugal, too. In the French, Spanish, Italian, Swiss, Benelux and Scandinavian markets, both products were found. This turned out to be disadvantageous and cost-intensive especially after the fall of various trade barriers within

2072-602: The Cortina and for two years the Transit 75 was available with the 1.6 L Ford Kent cross-flow engine. High-performance versions intended for police or ambulance service used the 3.0 L V6 version of the Essex engine ; the 100 hp (75 kW; 101 PS) 3.0 was also available in some heavier duty models like the 3.5-tonne Transit 190. From September 1978, Australian variants could be had with locally built 4.1 L (250 cu in) inline 6-cylinder engines. In 1984,

2146-517: The Ford Transit was launched in 1965, based on a new unified platform . Two years later in 1967, Ford of Britain and Ford-Werke AG merged to Ford of Europe with the headquarters in Cologne , Germany. The brand Taunus was taken off the market. Ford forced the standardization of platforms and even model-names overall European market under the Ford brand and logo. After the Ford Transit in 1965,

2220-571: The Ford plant. Only 42 of the cars were assembled at the Cologne plant in 1942, but production had held up well through much of 1940 and by the time passenger car production ended 7,100 Taunus G93As had been produced. After the war, with other German auto-plants destroyed by bombing or crated up and shipped to the Soviet Union , the priority for the occupying powers at Ford's plant was for the continued production of light trucks. However, even in 1946 various detailed improvements had been built into

2294-658: The Second World War each company had its own more or less protected market. After the war, several economical boundaries were abolished and local markets did not exist anymore in the same way that they existed before. With this, Ford of Britain and Ford-Werke AG suddenly became more competitive on the whole European Continent than local market subsidiaries of their parent company in Detroit. Production of light commercial vehicles began in late 1948, when 148 half-ton delivery vehicles were built. In 1951 Ford Werke AG launched

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2368-545: The Taunus G73A was little changed from the 1939 G93A, retaining the familiar 1,172 cc side-valve engine first seen in the 1935 Ford Eifel . With gasoline/petrol availability in Europe restricted to low-octane fuels, the 34 PS (25 kW) maximum power output was also unchanged, supporting a claimed top speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). It was not possible to adjust valve clearances and engines typically only lasted for 80,000 km (50,000 mi). Until 1950 all

2442-493: The Taunus Special, which featured a four-speed gear change controlled with a column-mounted lever. Externally the "Special" made extensive use of chrome, notably on an enlarged front grill and on the bumpers. The rear window was enlarged and flashing-light direction indicators replaced semaphore-style flippers . January 1951 saw the introduced of a Taunus de Luxe, with a one-piece windscreen and many extras. Technically

2516-598: 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

2590-407: The Transit is proving to be the perfect getaway vehicle", describing it as "Britain's most wanted van". The adoption of a front beam axle in place of a system incorporating independent front suspension that had featured on its 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

2664-592: 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 BMC J4 and J2 vans and Rootes Group 's Commer PB ranges. In a UK market segment then dominated by

2738-445: The UK, light haulage is a restricted-weight delivery service where the maximum permitted gross vehicle weight rating without the need of an operator's license is also up to 3.5 tonnes. Usually light haulage excludes a distribution center as the majority of deliveries are direct. A delivery may consist of a single, multiple or priority urgent load and can be either same day or next day delivery. The vehicle (as long as it doesn't exceed

2812-572: 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 facility in Berkshire, England (a former Second World War aircraft factory which had produced Hawker Hurricane fighters), but demand outstripped

2886-459: The York diesel engine was redesigned into the 2.5 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

2960-580: The aftermath of war. In 1949 Ford added a Taunus version with body panels fitted only as far back as the A-pillars, and several alternative body shapes became available, added by traditional coach-builders such as Karmann of Osnabrück, Drauz of Heilbronn and Plasswilm in Cologne. Coach-built Ford Taunus versions include two- and four-seater cabriolets with two doors, a special four-door cabriolet for use by police forces, small three-door station wagons and even four-door taxis. In May 1950 Ford introduced

3034-565: The apparent step backwards represented by Ford's suspension choices. 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. The Transit was also assembled in South Africa between 1967 and 1974, the last Transit to be sold in that country until 2013, when

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3108-649: The capability of the plant, and production was moved to Southampton until closure in 2013 in favour of the factory at İzmit , Turkey. Transits were also produced in Ford's 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

3182-411: The cars came with a three-speed transmission incorporating synchromesh on the top two ratios. The gear boxes were prone to problems, especially regarding the second gear, and in order to rebuild the gearbox it was necessary first to remove the engine or, better still, the back axle. Rigid axles front and back were suspended using leaf springs. The drive shaft was enclosed in a steel tube and featured only

3256-468: The commercial vehicle series FK , standing for Ford Köln, with different-sized vehicles (FK2000 with 2 tons payload, FK3000 with 3 tons payload, FK3500 with 3.5 tons payload, etc.). The FK series was successor of the "Rhein" and "Ruhr" trucks. In 1953, the FK series were rounded off with the light delivery van FK1000/FK1250 (1ton/1.25tons payload), in competition to the Volkswagen Type 2 VW Bus ,

3330-649: The common naming systems. The first generation Transit, or the Transit Mark I in the United Kingdom, was introduced in October 1965, taking over directly from the 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

3404-676: The contemporary Taunus. In 1955 the engine capacity was enlarged to 1.5 litres. From 1961, this vehicle was called the Ford Taunus Transit . Production of this model ceased in 1965. On May 9, 1945, the day after the unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht in the Second World War , production at Ford Germany in Cologne resumed. Because the production of civilian cars in the British occupied zone

3478-525: The end of the twentieth century, it was marketed nearly globally with the exception of North America until 2015 when it replaced the Ford E-Series van. Upon its introduction in North America, the Transit quickly became the best-selling van of any type in the United States, minivan sales included. That mirrors the success the Transit has achieved in Europe, where it has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle for forty years, and in some countries

3552-436: The engine ahead of the driver. Another popular development under the bonnet was the equipping of the van with an alternator at time when the UK market competitors expected buyers to be content with a dynamo . A 43 bhp (32 kW) diesel engine sourced from 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

3626-710: The first 1948 cars was subcontracted to Volkswagen in Wolfsburg and Karmann in Osnabrück, but in November 1948 the entire production process was taken in house by Ford. 182 Taunus sedans and 144 light deliveries were built during 1948. At this stage, as in 1942, only a single body style was available. The 1948 Ford Taunus was a small fast-back saloon with two rear hinged doors, and available only in Night Shadow Grey, presumably reflecting paint availability in

3700-511: The first time. The new version (Ford nomenclature V347 for front-wheel drive and V348 for rear-wheel drive) won International Van of the Year for 2007 despite tough competition from several all-new rivals. This Transit arrived in Mexico to replace the Freestar after the 2007 model year. This was the first Transit with a five-cylinder engine available (in the 3.2L 200PS version). Mid-2006 saw

3774-458: The introduction of the Transit Connect (also produced in Kocaeli), a smaller panel van based on the C170 (Focus) platform and aimed at replacing the older Escort and Fiesta based models. Despite the name, the Connect has no engineering commonality with the full-size Transit. 2003 saw a new instrument cluster with a digital odometer. 2004 saw the launch of the first RWD HPCR, the 135 PS (99 kW) 2.4-litre variant that also introduced

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3848-430: The last of the 1978–1985 Mk.1 facelift model, although in 1989 the high-performance 3.0 Essex V6 petrol was replaced by the Cologne 2.9 EFI V6, mainly because of emissions regulations as the Essex V6 design was nearly 25 years old by then and still used a carburettor. The third generation Transit was developed under the "Triton" code name. A subtle facelift in 1992 saw the fully independent front suspension adopted across

3922-401: The launch of the "Sport Van", a production van featuring the 130 PS (96 kW) engine with additional styling parts, "Le Mans" stripes and 18-inch alloy wheels. Late-2007 saw the launch of the 140 PS (103 kW) engine for front-wheel-drives (replacing the 130 PS) complete with the VMT6 6-speed manual transaxle to cope with the extra power. Light commercial vehicle In

3996-407: The name Taunus referring to the re-produced pre-war model Ford Taunus G93A . Due to continental European habits, the original series and model designations "FK" and Taunus mutated into real brands, each with its own emblem and different models, comparable with Daimler Benz Mercedes models or General Motors Opel models. The FK emblem consists of two slightly overlapping ovals with the "F" from

4070-437: The newly founded EEC . For this reason, such a situation with internal competition and parallel developments was very unsatisfactory for the Ford headquarters in Detroit. The aim was to not only standardize the vehicle production ( world car ), but also merge the company structures in Europe. Under parent's dictate, Ford of Britain and Ford-Werke AG started the "Redcap-Project" in the commercial vehicle sector in 1963, from which

4144-415: The prewar Taunus design. Two years later, in May 1948, the new Ford Taunus G73A was exhibited at the Hanover Export Fair . The tooling for the pressed-steel bodywork had during the war remained in Berlin with the US owned body builders Ambi Budd, and after lengthy negotiations with the Soviet military authorities was eventually released. Due to lack of available space at Ford's Cologne plant, production of

4218-488: The range between the little Ford Eifel and the company's big V8 models. The car was presented to the public in June 1939. Although the structure of the car did not follow the revolutionary monocoque structure heralded by the Opel Olympia , the Taunus did have its body welded to the chassis rather than having the two elements simply bolted together. Essentially, the platform was a stretched floorpan and frame inherited from its predecessor Eifel. The advertised price at launch

4292-407: The range, whilst a redesigned floor plan allowed the use of single, rather than paired, rear wheels on the LWB derivative, further increasing payload—these models are identifiable by the slightly more rounded front headlamps. In Australia, the third generation Transit did not go on sale until March 1994, after a 13-year absence from that market. A major facelift to the Transit in 1994 gave the Transit

4366-427: The second generation Transit platform appeared in January 1986 and was notable for its all-new bodyshell which was of "one-box" design ( i.e. the windscreen and bonnet are at close to the same angle), and the front suspension was changed to a fully independent configuration on SWB versions. Initially fitted with Chubb AVA locks, Tibbe barrels were fitted soon after. The engine range was carried over largely unchanged from

4440-493: The son of Henry Ford. The bodyshell was supplied from the Berlin plant of pressed steel experts, Ambi Budd . Like the Eifel, the Ford Taunus came with rigid axles, but with the innovation of hydraulic brakes. The Taunus was designed to take a 45 PS (33 kW; 44 hp) 1.5-litre side-valve engine developed from the 1.2-litre unit used in the Eifel. However, in March 1939 the government, anticipating war , introduced restrictions whereby Ford were permitted to produce only

4514-402: The styling changes, the powertrains were revised. The old petrol engine was replaced with one from the Ford Ranger , the front-wheel-drive diesel went from 2.0 to 2.2 litres capacity, and all diesel engines gained high-pressure common rail ( TDCi ) systems. The powertrains were changed to meet new emissions legislation. Additionally, the facelift introduced CAN bus electronics to the Transit for

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4588-415: The term "Transit" has passed into common usage as a generic trademark applying to any light commercial van in the Transit's size bracket. Predecessor of the British and German-built Transit, the first production Ford to wear the "Transit" badge was a van built in Ford's Cologne plant in Germany. It was introduced in 1953 as FK 1000 (carrying 1,000 kg) with the 1.2-litre Ford sidevalve engine from

4662-690: The time this gave the business sector an unprecedented amount of flexibility, which was a major factor in the vehicles' ultimate success. 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,

4736-426: 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 Essex V4 for the petrol -engined version in 1.7 L and 2.0 L capacities. By using relatively short V-4 engines Ford were able to minimise the additional length necessitated to place

4810-403: The two Essex V4 engines that were available the Transit was released with the long-nose diesel front used to accommodate an inline 6-cylinder engine derived from the 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 raids . With the performance of a car, and space for 1.75 tonnes of loot,

4884-430: 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

4958-399: 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. 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,

5032-500: The well-known Ford emblem in the first and a "K" in the same font in the second oval. The Taunus emblem first depicted the Cologne Cathedral ; from 1953 on until its discontinuation in 1967, Cologne's city flag inspired the Taunus emblem. In 1961, Ford discontinued the entire truck production in Germany and took the FK brand off the market, due to serious defects and therefore strongly decreasing demand. The unrelated FK1000/FK1250 van, unaffected by these defects, continued to sell well and

5106-451: Was 2870 Marks , but customers had the option of paying an extra 22 Marks for a shatterproof windscreen. Stylistically the new car followed the 1930s fashion for streamlining, but with a North American flavour inspired by the Lincoln-Zephyr of the time. Design work was carried out at the Ford headquarters in Detroit mainly between the then recently appointed chief of design E.T. "Bob" Gregorie and Lincoln-Mercury division manager Edsel Ford,

5180-445: Was created as a compact truck and is usually optimised to be tough-built, have low operating costs and powerful yet fuel efficient engines, and to be used in intra-city operations. All of the above light commercial vehicles are sold through dealer networks. Usually, a car dealer will have a franchise for the sale of a manufacturer's cars and the LCVs will be sold as an addition. The exceptions to these are Mercedes-Benz, which has

5254-399: Was never more than a single prototype to represent the company's original intention to offer a cabriolet version of the Taunus G93A. The pre-war car was produced only as a two-door saloon/sedan with rear-hinged doors. As the war continued, Ford became increasingly important as a producer of light trucks to support the war effort, and in February 1942 passenger car production came to an end at

5328-464: Was now offered under the successful Taunus brand with the model name Transit in addition to the cars Taunus 12M/15M and the Taunus 17M . A comparable program to Volkswagen, that offered its vehicles VW Beetle , VW 1500 and VW Bus the same way on the continental European market. The "new" Transit Taunus van was now labelled with the Transit model name (instead of the FK logo) in big chrome letters and

5402-609: Was restricted, Ford-Werke AG was limited to the production of trucks until 1948. Those trucks based on the slightly modified war models V 3000 S, B 3000 S and V 3000 A as they were already produced before and during the Second World War in the Ford production facilities in the Third Reich . Those trucks were now called "Rhein" (V8-engined) and "Ruhr" (four-cylinder). At that time neither Ford of Britain nor Ford Werke AG were 100% subsidiaries of Ford Motor Company in Detroit ; before

5476-422: Was the first (and until the 1970s the last) Ford Taunus to feature a fastback shape: in this application the rather severe slopes enforced by squeezing North-American style fast-back styling onto a relatively short wheelbase was not universally admired: the car became known as the "Buckeltaunus" (Hunchback Taunus). On 30 April 1939 Ford Cologne began to manufacture the Taunus, a mid-size car intended to slot into

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