1. History of the Ford Transit
The Ford Transit is an extremely popular range of light commercial vehicles produced by Ford, since the year 1965. Sold primarily as a cargo van, the Transit is also built as a minibus, passenger van, some with cutaway chassis, and as a pickup truck. Approximately over 8,000,000 Transit vans have been sold, making it the third best-selling van of all time. It has been produced across four basic platform generations, the first being in 1965, then 1986, 2000, and 2013. The Transit has been the best-selling light commercial vehicle in Europe for 40 odd years, and in some countries, even the term “Transit” has passed into common usage as a generic trademark applying to any light commercial van in the Transit’s size bracket. While it was initially designed for the European market, the Ford Transit is now produced in Asia, North America, and Europe for worldwide buyers. Upon production in North America, the Transit won second place in Motor Trend’s 2015 ‘Truck of the Year’ award, behind the newly introduced mid-size Chevrolet Colorado pickup and ahead of the new Ford F-150. As of 2016, the Transit is the best-selling van of any type in the United States, minivan sales included. The Transit drives Ford’s 57 percent share of the full-size van market in the USA. In honour of this ever-present and popular van, here are some pictures of the history of the Ford Transit van.