The MK1 quickly became the van to have for all small businesses, and demand was so high that Ford had to relocate production from the small Langley plant, to Southampton in order to be able to keep up with demand.

It was not only small business owners who appreciated the great load capacity and handling of the transit van, bank robbers quickly cottoned on to the fact that they could cram over one and a half tons of pilfered valuables into the transit and still make a speedy getaway.

In 1972 a Scotland Yard spokesperson identified the Transit van as the most likely vehicle in Britain to be stopped and searched, over 95% of all bank robberies in this period involved a ford transit.

Early in 1978, the MK2 Transit van appeared in showrooms across the country, the MK2 featured a modernised front end, and new interior, but its main selling point was the fact that Ford offered so many customisable options. Ford had very wisely focussed on the fact that the Transit was a commercial vehicle, and it knew that different businesses had different needs.

Ford offered the transit van in six different body styles, each of these body styles could then be further customised to suit the precise needs of the end user. Four different petrol engines were available, ranging from an economy minded 1.6 litre engine, to the faster and harder working 2.0 litre, in addition, there was also a 2.4 litre diesel engine which gave the best of both worlds. You could customize just about anything you wanted to, including the number of seats and the door configuration.

The MK3 Transit van was released in 1986, and featured cutting edge aerodynamics that produced less drag than many cars of the same era. the MK3 transit was so aerodynamic that it was up to 8% more economical than previous transit vans. Load area was also increased by over 10%, and the larger side and rear doors meant that the transit van could now handle 1m pallets. The wider bonnet also provided a much needed improvement to engine accessibility.

In 1991 the Transit underwent extensive chassis modifications to improve safety. After sailing through  30mph crash barrier testing, the Transit in its new MK4 iteration was made available with a 2.5 Litre turbo diesel engine, it remained in production until 1994, when it was superseded by the MK5 Transit.

The MK5 Transit featured minor modifications to the front end, and a revamped dashboard. Many of the modifications made were orientated towards making the MK5 a nicer van to live with, for the first time the Transit van had luxuries such as air conditioning, electric windows, and central locking, air bags were also added. Vast improvements in noise reduction were also made with the MK5, with cabin noise being reduced by a massive 70%, three point seat belts were also fitted in place of the previously used lap type belts.

The year 2000 brought the release of the Ford Transit MK6, featuring a totally new design and chassis. The Transit was now available in either front or rear wheel drive, the addition of a 2.3 litre 16 valve engine also meant that the transit was getting back to its roots, and was once again comparable to cars in terms of performance. The 2.3L 16v MK6 had a top speed of 93mph.

The MK7 Transit was released around autumn in 2006, featuring updated body styling and a redesigned interior. Many of the changes made to the MK7 were related to the vehicles powertrain, ensuring the MK7 complied with stringent new legislation regarding emissions.

It is expected that Ford will unveil the launch of the highly anticipated MK8 Transit van later this month at the Birmingham NEC Commercial Vehicle Show, watch this space!

Images By Sven Storbeck