**The Evolution of Ford Vans: From Humble Beginnings to Unparalleled Reliability**

In the realm of commercial vehicles, few names are as synonymous with quality and durability as Ford. The company's vans have consistently improved their functionality, handling, and comfort over the years, making them an indispensable choice for businesses and individuals alike.

From the smallest mom-and-pop shops to massive corporations with fleets of vehicles, Ford Transit vans have earned a reputation for being incredibly reliable. This is especially important for small business owners who rely on their vehicles to operate efficiently. In fact, at one point over 60% of the American van market since 1980 was dominated by the Ford Econoline.

In the United Kingdom, more than half of all vans sold are Transits, and these vehicles have been put through their paces in some of the harshest environments imaginable. From working underground in salt mines to traversing the scorching Sahara Desert, Ford Transit vans have proven themselves to be capable and reliable.

The versatility of Ford vans has also led to a thriving market for custom conversions. Independent companies have been modifying these vehicles into everything from campers with beds, ice boxes, and kitchenettes to full four-wheel-drive adventure van conversions. As people seek to explore the great outdoors, these customized vehicles are becoming increasingly popular.

One notable example is Sabine Schmitz's sub-10-minute lap in a stock Ford diesel Transit. This impressive feat showcases the potential of these vehicles when driven by an experienced hand.

The "van life" movement has also gained significant traction in recent years, with many people opting for Ford Transits and Econolines as their full-time living situation. This trend is reflected on YouTube, where videos showcasing these conversions are extremely popular.

The rise of the "van life" movement can be attributed to various factors, including high real estate prices and a desire for more freedom and adventure. Many people are turning to Ford Transits and Econolines as a means to live life on their own terms.

In response to this trend, Ford has continued to innovate and improve its van offerings. The latest Transit model features an all-wheel-drive system, making it possible to navigate even the most challenging terrain with ease.

During our research for this episode, we discovered that Ford's Econoline vans used to offer a V10 engine option, which is still not available today but is a testament to the company's commitment to providing powerful and efficient engines. The current twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 is a formidable choice, with forged wheels available as an optional feature.

The new crew cab model has also been designed with passengers in mind, featuring onboard 4G LTE Wi-Fi, USB ports, and ample space for both passengers and cargo. This makes it the perfect vehicle for family road trips or any other occasion where you need to transport a group of people.

In conclusion, Ford vans have come a long way since their humble beginnings, and their reputation for quality, durability, and reliability has been well earned. Whether you're in the market for a commercial vehicle or a customized adventure van, Ford has something to offer. Thank you to our friends at Ford for helping us create this episode.

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WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enall right so you're in London England in 1972 you and your droogies just robbed a bank and guess what you're the getaway driver but James you say it's 1972 what car do I even drive well you need something comfortable for multiple people big enough for large amounts of cargo that handles well enough to go on a track it's got to be efficient versatile and have lush shag carpets what you need is a Ford van this is everything you need to know I need us to speed on Ford van I know you see Ford bands running around everyday and you probably don't even notice them that doesn't seem like would be an interesting up to speed but there's a ton about vans that's totally sick I'm talking furry upholstery all frodan the hashtag van light work guys get hot girls a little bit of and somehow that's crazy what if I told you that my next car is gonna be a Ford van and I decided that before we even decided to make this video if you have a forward eseries with a 4x4 conversion hit you boy up most of Europe and especially the UK is obsessed with the Ford Transit it's practically a British national treasure they make up so many of the commercial vehicles sold over there that people will call any van a transit no matter what kind it is Ford has achieved kleenex status with a practical box on wheels you know because no matter who makes the tissue you call it a Kleenex the idea for a modern do-it-all van started in the 1950s there wasn't much on the market that could haul a lot of people or stuff that wasn't also excessively big hard to park and just generally crappy to drive the Volkswagen bus was pretty much it so in 1961 Ford launched a new compact van competitor in the u.s. called Ford Econoline it was based on the front-engine rear-wheel-drive falcon one of Ford's small passenger cars the fact that the engine was up front gave it a huge advantage over its rear engine competitors that had a hump in the back the Econoline had a totally flat floor all the way from the front to back small van buyers didn't want more Powell baby they wanted more cargo baby well cargo baby well Carlow baby and the Econoline can be ordered in a huge number of different configurations to handle any job so it was an instant American success just like me Ford of Germany and Ford of Britain were making their own competing vans in the 50s the toners transit and the tames 400 be then Henry Ford the second Hank goose himself came along and figured things could be streamlined a little bit so we brought engineers from both companies together come up with one perfect ban all of you and by 1965 they had their own instant success trenches now Superman big Boston efficient the cream cheese on the tea sandwich was that the transit handled like a car not a van it was wider than its competitors and it looked kind of like its distant the cool American cotton it was actually faster than a lot of new cars at the time short wheelbase long wheelbase low roof tall roof panel van passenger bus there was a transit for every conceivable job by 1970 there were a thousand different combinations that you could order best of all it was very affordable so small businesses bought them up and then they got stuff done if you've got a job to do then I've got one call for you it is bagel square and blue it's a van and get it done yeah vans will get it done with vans flying off the Lots on both sides of the Atlantic Ford didn't just sit back and watch no they made constant improvements to both transits an Econoline like move into truck based frames and upping Mac's payload but they also built some pretty badass one-off race versions on the heels of their four consecutive 24 Hours of LeMans in 1971 Ford joined forces with a local race shop to drop a transit van body under the drivetrain of a little about a 435 horsepower 5 liter v8 was mounted in the middle of a space frame chassis with independent race suspension gt40 disc brakes in a five-speed manual the thing went over a hundred and fifty miles per and they called it the transit super van whining horses oh wow look at them they're majestic they demoed the super van at racetracks all over Britain and loaned it out to the press to drive I'm technically part of the automotive press you still got it for took a pretty ho hum practical work vehicle and made it exciting for the public when they had new diesel engines to offer they sent two transits with the new motors to do seven days of non-stop flogging around Monza racetrack in Italy that pair of vans set free world endurance records including averaging more than 73 miles per hour over 10,000 miles meanwhile the seventies really got swinging in the US and the freewheelin attitude of the decade turn people on to Econoline for leisure the popularity of conversion vans exploded as families picked them up through a mattress in the back and hauled their dirty ugly little kids across the country meanwhile younger single people saw them as a means to more freedom they got custom paint jobs with groovy stripes and glittery flames some painted vessel names like frito Bandito and ripped Van Winkle outside the most enthusiastic owners went with airbrushed murals of Wild West waterfowl or naked Viking ladies riding unicorns the insides were fully decked out with swiveling velour captains chairs shag carpet fake fireplaces and even water bed people took him surfing they took him on road trips they took him to concerts if you wanted somewhere to escape from reality you just hopped into your bedroom on wheels close the curtains and the rest ask your parents about it they became so popular that there were huge van shows and meetups and the movement got its own name banning the original hashtag van life banning culture slowed down with rising gas prices and a general shift in mood in the 1980s it didn't slow down cells to regular folks who needed a practical van though didn't slow down ford's race van dreams either baby because the Motorsports team in the UK put together a new and improved transit super van and they called it transit super van - yes whining whoa horses oh wow look at them they're majestic with a lowered fiberglass body over 590 horsepower Cosworth v8 it did 0 to 60 in three seconds is zero a hundred and six point five they're almost as fast as modern supercars to show that it was still practical they hooked a camper to the back and set a world towing record at a hundred and seventy miles per hour now apparently the super vans were good for business because in the mid-90s super van 3 topped them all with a 650 horsepower Cosworth engine out of a Bennington f1 car hell yeah did waiting Oh horses oh wow look at them they're majestic the grandson is Superman it son of Superman to could supposedly hit 200 miles per hour and went through a few different motors over the years to you know chill it down because it was too fast production vans were never quite as quick as the Superman's but Ford continually improved their functionality along with better handling more comfy cockpits and more power baby in Europe everything from the smallest moment Pope mumming book business to huge corporations with massive fleets bought ford transit vans and by the turn of the millennium ford vans had more than proven their reputation for quality durability and reliability which is the most important thing if you're running a small business all right guys at one point over 60% of the american van market since 1980 was ford econoline more than half of the vans sold in Britain are transits and they didn't just do mundane jobs and family vacations no boy transits worked underground in harsh salt mines crossed the scalding Sahara Desert hauled service crews and equipment at rally events and starred in TV shows and movies sabine schmitz almost did a sub 10-minute lap in a stock Ford diesel Transit independent companies have been doing custom conversions on Ford vans ever since they came out but started with campers that featured beds ice boxes and kitchenettes turned into full four-wheel-drive adventure van conversions as people started wanting to take their rigs further off the grid I want one of these shoulder baby if you think it's rad that jeeps can climb over all kinds of crazy rocks and stuff just imagine a freaking cabin doing it oh hey you guys should come over we're gonna fire up the hot tub and maybe do some folding if there's one thing I always say is that everything that goes around comes back around some time or another because the vanity movement is back baby in full force only now it's called a hashtag van life real estate prices are higher than ever and live in a stationary mud and corporate life just isn't for everyone including me baby lots of people are turning to for transits and use econo lines as full-time living situation it's huge on YouTube I should have done that seems so much easier than what I decided to do which requires tons and tons of research and writing and then they take you know it takes four days to do an edit what were we thinking guys and now that the transit has replaced the Econo line in the US with available all-wheel drive I might add there aren't many places that you can't come I want to give a huge huge huge thank you to our friends at Ford for helping us make this episode during our research we found out that econo lines used to have v10 options which is sick they might not still have v10 options but their engine options now are still plenty powerful and honestly way more efficient there's a twin-turbo 3.5 liter EcoBoost v6 I love this engine so much I want to put it in something and you can even get forged wheels from the factory if you go for full cargo capacity you can fill the back up with dirt bikes and quads we need to haul both passengers and stuff the new crew cab model has got you covered today's modern family road trips will be peaceful with the kids all hooked up to the onboard 4G LTE Wi-Fi plus they've got a USB port in every row these kids can watch Netflix and charge their iPads while on a road trip you know what I got I got watching the sweat fall down my dad's fat neck if you want to know more about the new transit hit the link in the description below and again thank you to our literal friends at Ford for helping us make this awesome awesome episode I'm not allowed to go to the office so this is the new me now now no one else is new this frickin shirt we started a game over filming high-load it's called the booze creeps you want in swipe up to get yours right now so people go right off the bat that you like speed boys woosh and thank you guys for watching this episode of up to speed and supporting what we've been doing AB donut over the last few years we got a lot more new stuff coming make sure you hit that subscribe button and hit the little bell so you don't miss any of it follow donut on all social media at donut media follow me at James pumping on both Twitter and Instagram we also have a secondary YouTube channel dedicated entirely to podcast go give that a subscribe and click the bell thanks again for watching I love youall right so you're in London England in 1972 you and your droogies just robbed a bank and guess what you're the getaway driver but James you say it's 1972 what car do I even drive well you need something comfortable for multiple people big enough for large amounts of cargo that handles well enough to go on a track it's got to be efficient versatile and have lush shag carpets what you need is a Ford van this is everything you need to know I need us to speed on Ford van I know you see Ford bands running around everyday and you probably don't even notice them that doesn't seem like would be an interesting up to speed but there's a ton about vans that's totally sick I'm talking furry upholstery all frodan the hashtag van light work guys get hot girls a little bit of and somehow that's crazy what if I told you that my next car is gonna be a Ford van and I decided that before we even decided to make this video if you have a forward eseries with a 4x4 conversion hit you boy up most of Europe and especially the UK is obsessed with the Ford Transit it's practically a British national treasure they make up so many of the commercial vehicles sold over there that people will call any van a transit no matter what kind it is Ford has achieved kleenex status with a practical box on wheels you know because no matter who makes the tissue you call it a Kleenex the idea for a modern do-it-all van started in the 1950s there wasn't much on the market that could haul a lot of people or stuff that wasn't also excessively big hard to park and just generally crappy to drive the Volkswagen bus was pretty much it so in 1961 Ford launched a new compact van competitor in the u.s. called Ford Econoline it was based on the front-engine rear-wheel-drive falcon one of Ford's small passenger cars the fact that the engine was up front gave it a huge advantage over its rear engine competitors that had a hump in the back the Econoline had a totally flat floor all the way from the front to back small van buyers didn't want more Powell baby they wanted more cargo baby well cargo baby well Carlow baby and the Econoline can be ordered in a huge number of different configurations to handle any job so it was an instant American success just like me Ford of Germany and Ford of Britain were making their own competing vans in the 50s the toners transit and the tames 400 be then Henry Ford the second Hank goose himself came along and figured things could be streamlined a little bit so we brought engineers from both companies together come up with one perfect ban all of you and by 1965 they had their own instant success trenches now Superman big Boston efficient the cream cheese on the tea sandwich was that the transit handled like a car not a van it was wider than its competitors and it looked kind of like its distant the cool American cotton it was actually faster than a lot of new cars at the time short wheelbase long wheelbase low roof tall roof panel van passenger bus there was a transit for every conceivable job by 1970 there were a thousand different combinations that you could order best of all it was very affordable so small businesses bought them up and then they got stuff done if you've got a job to do then I've got one call for you it is bagel square and blue it's a van and get it done yeah vans will get it done with vans flying off the Lots on both sides of the Atlantic Ford didn't just sit back and watch no they made constant improvements to both transits an Econoline like move into truck based frames and upping Mac's payload but they also built some pretty badass one-off race versions on the heels of their four consecutive 24 Hours of LeMans in 1971 Ford joined forces with a local race shop to drop a transit van body under the drivetrain of a little about a 435 horsepower 5 liter v8 was mounted in the middle of a space frame chassis with independent race suspension gt40 disc brakes in a five-speed manual the thing went over a hundred and fifty miles per and they called it the transit super van whining horses oh wow look at them they're majestic they demoed the super van at racetracks all over Britain and loaned it out to the press to drive I'm technically part of the automotive press you still got it for took a pretty ho hum practical work vehicle and made it exciting for the public when they had new diesel engines to offer they sent two transits with the new motors to do seven days of non-stop flogging around Monza racetrack in Italy that pair of vans set free world endurance records including averaging more than 73 miles per hour over 10,000 miles meanwhile the seventies really got swinging in the US and the freewheelin attitude of the decade turn people on to Econoline for leisure the popularity of conversion vans exploded as families picked them up through a mattress in the back and hauled their dirty ugly little kids across the country meanwhile younger single people saw them as a means to more freedom they got custom paint jobs with groovy stripes and glittery flames some painted vessel names like frito Bandito and ripped Van Winkle outside the most enthusiastic owners went with airbrushed murals of Wild West waterfowl or naked Viking ladies riding unicorns the insides were fully decked out with swiveling velour captains chairs shag carpet fake fireplaces and even water bed people took him surfing they took him on road trips they took him to concerts if you wanted somewhere to escape from reality you just hopped into your bedroom on wheels close the curtains and the rest ask your parents about it they became so popular that there were huge van shows and meetups and the movement got its own name banning the original hashtag van life banning culture slowed down with rising gas prices and a general shift in mood in the 1980s it didn't slow down cells to regular folks who needed a practical van though didn't slow down ford's race van dreams either baby because the Motorsports team in the UK put together a new and improved transit super van and they called it transit super van - yes whining whoa horses oh wow look at them they're majestic with a lowered fiberglass body over 590 horsepower Cosworth v8 it did 0 to 60 in three seconds is zero a hundred and six point five they're almost as fast as modern supercars to show that it was still practical they hooked a camper to the back and set a world towing record at a hundred and seventy miles per hour now apparently the super vans were good for business because in the mid-90s super van 3 topped them all with a 650 horsepower Cosworth engine out of a Bennington f1 car hell yeah did waiting Oh horses oh wow look at them they're majestic the grandson is Superman it son of Superman to could supposedly hit 200 miles per hour and went through a few different motors over the years to you know chill it down because it was too fast production vans were never quite as quick as the Superman's but Ford continually improved their functionality along with better handling more comfy cockpits and more power baby in Europe everything from the smallest moment Pope mumming book business to huge corporations with massive fleets bought ford transit vans and by the turn of the millennium ford vans had more than proven their reputation for quality durability and reliability which is the most important thing if you're running a small business all right guys at one point over 60% of the american van market since 1980 was ford econoline more than half of the vans sold in Britain are transits and they didn't just do mundane jobs and family vacations no boy transits worked underground in harsh salt mines crossed the scalding Sahara Desert hauled service crews and equipment at rally events and starred in TV shows and movies sabine schmitz almost did a sub 10-minute lap in a stock Ford diesel Transit independent companies have been doing custom conversions on Ford vans ever since they came out but started with campers that featured beds ice boxes and kitchenettes turned into full four-wheel-drive adventure van conversions as people started wanting to take their rigs further off the grid I want one of these shoulder baby if you think it's rad that jeeps can climb over all kinds of crazy rocks and stuff just imagine a freaking cabin doing it oh hey you guys should come over we're gonna fire up the hot tub and maybe do some folding if there's one thing I always say is that everything that goes around comes back around some time or another because the vanity movement is back baby in full force only now it's called a hashtag van life real estate prices are higher than ever and live in a stationary mud and corporate life just isn't for everyone including me baby lots of people are turning to for transits and use econo lines as full-time living situation it's huge on YouTube I should have done that seems so much easier than what I decided to do which requires tons and tons of research and writing and then they take you know it takes four days to do an edit what were we thinking guys and now that the transit has replaced the Econo line in the US with available all-wheel drive I might add there aren't many places that you can't come I want to give a huge huge huge thank you to our friends at Ford for helping us make this episode during our research we found out that econo lines used to have v10 options which is sick they might not still have v10 options but their engine options now are still plenty powerful and honestly way more efficient there's a twin-turbo 3.5 liter EcoBoost v6 I love this engine so much I want to put it in something and you can even get forged wheels from the factory if you go for full cargo capacity you can fill the back up with dirt bikes and quads we need to haul both passengers and stuff the new crew cab model has got you covered today's modern family road trips will be peaceful with the kids all hooked up to the onboard 4G LTE Wi-Fi plus they've got a USB port in every row these kids can watch Netflix and charge their iPads while on a road trip you know what I got I got watching the sweat fall down my dad's fat neck if you want to know more about the new transit hit the link in the description below and again thank you to our literal friends at Ford for helping us make this awesome awesome episode I'm not allowed to go to the office so this is the new me now now no one else is new this frickin shirt we started a game over filming high-load it's called the booze creeps you want in swipe up to get yours right now so people go right off the bat that you like speed boys woosh and thank you guys for watching this episode of up to speed and supporting what we've been doing AB donut over the last few years we got a lot more new stuff coming make sure you hit that subscribe button and hit the little bell so you don't miss any of it follow donut on all social media at donut media follow me at James pumping on both Twitter and Instagram we also have a secondary YouTube channel dedicated entirely to podcast go give that a subscribe and click the bell thanks again for watching I love you