Ford Transit: Is this the most important vehicle in Britain’s history?

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Ford Transit: Is this the most important vehicle in Britain’s history? | Top Gear RETROspective

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Күн бұрын

The trusty old Ford Transit van is the UK’s best-selling commercial vehicle. Beloved of brickies, posties, chippies, roadies and everything in between. It’s a proper van’s van. Could it be the most important vehicle in the history of Britain? In the latest episode of our retro mini-series, Top Gear Magazine's Jack Rix finds out...
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Пікірлер: 441

@luisgerard6874 3 жыл бұрын

Sabine 👑

@Mike.C. 3 жыл бұрын

rip

@jacobhanley7839 3 жыл бұрын

RIP

@mry82 3 жыл бұрын

That was one of my favorite Top Gear bits ever.

@sanaaaboulhosn 3 жыл бұрын

Who?

@mry82 3 жыл бұрын

@@sanaaaboulhosn Is that a joke?

@Carsaddiction 3 жыл бұрын

The XJ220 Transit for me is the most epic conversion ever!

@josephcostello9620 3 жыл бұрын

Only the real ones know

@bicyclist2 3 жыл бұрын

And don't forget it was driven by Richard Hammond.

@EpicThe112 3 жыл бұрын

That's Remembered in the show as the winner against an ute

@petelattimer6808 3 жыл бұрын

it was more of a test bed than a conversion. when developing the XJ220, TWR (who helped or did most of the development for Jaguar) didnt want people seeing the new flagship supercar being seen, broken down, during development so TWR transplanted the running gear into a Transit, which nobody would think twice about seeing broken down. so whilst technically its a conversion, its a conversion that allowed the car it was converted from, to actually exist.

@drone_tours 3 жыл бұрын

ill proove to you that it is an van IT IS SLIGHTLY TURBO CHARGED

@workingguy6666 3 жыл бұрын

I appreciate that you showed Sabine. I'm hit, yet again, that the world has lost her, and that's tough to deal with. But it made for a highlight in this history of the van and the show.

@hasaanshaikh4063 3 жыл бұрын

Sabine Schmitz will be missed

@Lionsraws66 3 жыл бұрын

I'm sure she's Smiling right now 🙂

@kenbee1957 3 жыл бұрын

@@Lionsraws66 As she always was

@sanaaaboulhosn 3 жыл бұрын

@@Lionsraws66 she died

@TheAbhishekTayal 3 жыл бұрын

@@Lionsraws66 euurrrr

@johnmiller9024 3 жыл бұрын

Amen to that

@pearce9853 3 жыл бұрын

I have a 2019 transit custom m sport. I absolutely love the thing, surprisingly I get people coming up to me saying ncie things about my van. It’s kind of a honour to be driving such a thing

@user-zg9nl8gl2g 3 жыл бұрын

They do their job well my dad has a MK7 2012 Transit Crew Cab Tipper and it’s been through a lot of crap and is still going somehow. Mind you he’s on his second engine already lol

@nervousnerys4215 3 жыл бұрын

Keep it safe.

@youwot2430 3 жыл бұрын

i've got a '97 smiley LOL

@aneeshkashyap3553 3 жыл бұрын

They skillfully cut out any "Jeremy" or "Hammond" from that clip. Wow.

@lawdbanterbury 3 жыл бұрын

I thought the same thing

@JoshuaTootell 3 жыл бұрын

Meh, that episode was all about Sabine anyway.

@MondySpartan 3 жыл бұрын

You still can hear a brief voice of Jeremy at 5:44

@joempoem478 3 жыл бұрын

I was just about to say... Bastards

@mixeddrinks8100 3 жыл бұрын

Ford really has some iconic popular cars. The F150 in the US, the Focus worldwide, the Transit in UK. Etc. The man eating Mustang worldwide but my favorite is still the glove wearing man's favorite car, the Bronco.

@obelic71 3 жыл бұрын

the Transit is all over Europe its one of the most used vans. The VW crafter, Mercedes Sprinter and Ford Transit all use the same shell and are build in several factories in Europe to keep up the huge demand.

@EpicThe112 3 жыл бұрын

@@obelic71 I can tell you how it's done in the United States Mercedes-Benz Sprinter South Carolina Ford Transit Missouri or Michigan

@tjallaballa 3 жыл бұрын

Focus is a Ford of europe product as well

@Ihateironyanddumbusernames Жыл бұрын

yeah plus its easy to forget they made the model T for god's sake, model A with it's flathead V8, and about half the jeeps in WW2. Its almost impossible to scoff at their pedigree.

@chrism3562 3 жыл бұрын

Let's please have more like this!

@TomBroughtonPhotography 3 жыл бұрын

Really enjoying the influx of extra video content recently, all really good quality stuff as well. Keep it up!

@BR14Nx 3 жыл бұрын

This format is quite nice. It's always good to learn something from the past. Especially these days, when many people forget about it 🤷‍♂️

@Robbert_nl 3 жыл бұрын

Because back in the day nobody forgot anything?

@bmstylee 3 жыл бұрын

@@Robbert_nl no because snowflakes don't like history because it offends them because a lot of the times it's not nice.

@cliffardgerald6269 3 жыл бұрын

This film can never beat Sabine and Hammonds tribute to the transit

@sanaaaboulhosn 3 жыл бұрын

@Alle Warten Auf Das Licht shut

@roscoe9507 3 жыл бұрын

I’m pleased that you said traffic moved more gently, because you can not compare a 65 transit to modern vehicles, at the time, it was cutting edge, so what’s basic by today’s standard, was just the ticket and what was needed in 65, worlds best selling van, enough said

@pauliewalnuts240 3 жыл бұрын

Wow i didnt realize sabine schmitz died. I remember first seeing her in the nurburgring episode. her energy was something special i imagine she was a huge inspiration to aspiring female racers. Rip sabine.

@kenbee1957 3 жыл бұрын

I've only just learned of this right now too I'm gutted

@MoJo-2977 3 жыл бұрын

Is it me or is this better than the actual Top Gear Show ? Except Chris Harris of course...

@rishabhramesh668 3 жыл бұрын

And well done adding the oldest episode of transit in top gear

@LouisSubearth 3 жыл бұрын

All those iterations of Supervans to make an actual production model of it, but only in North America. The Transit there can be optioned with the 3.5 liter Ecoboost V6 making 310 horsepower. It may not have the driving characteristics of a race car, but it's no slouch on the road

@petelattimer6808 3 жыл бұрын

problem is, with UK fuel prices, its too expensive to run a V6 van. theyre pretty much all Diesel here.

@AKSHAY-bu4ox 3 жыл бұрын

Hammond did it

@Badbhoys 3 жыл бұрын

Yup

@kammara.sharath 3 жыл бұрын

Man with a van challenge.

@Badbhoys 3 жыл бұрын

@@kammara.sharath yep

@kammara.sharath 3 жыл бұрын

@@Badbhoys one of the most entertaining challenges from old top gear.

@SteveStringerSites 3 жыл бұрын

I had no idea Sabine passed. Dang. What a loss. TG needs to do a tribute in the next series.

@davidpeters6536 3 жыл бұрын

Drove a few in the 70's for thousands of miles in all weathers. A fantastic machine to drive and work with. RIP Sabine.

@venom5809 3 жыл бұрын

R.I.P. Sabine. 🙏

@Ahmed4th 3 жыл бұрын

When he said "the LATE great Sabine Schmitz" I was like, "Hold up, What?!" I had to google that to know that she had passed away in mid-March 2021. R.I.P. Sabine.

@CharlieyT95 3 жыл бұрын

Shame

@fpupesh 3 жыл бұрын

called it the backbone of britain, closed the southampton factory and moved all production to turkey. that's how ford says thank you to britain on spending billions on their vans.

@stevejewiss532 3 жыл бұрын

That's like all Ford cars now ,people blindly still buy them thinking they're british. All this Ford fanboy crap , Ford have crapped over this country for the past 20 years . And yet the uninformed still bang on about them including Top Gear and Clarkson on the Grand Tour .

@Flying_GC 3 жыл бұрын

@@stevejewiss532 perhaps have a think why Ford has left the UK, along with everyone else. After working for a British company based in New Zealand, our output was 50% higher than the UK staff. Maybe stop taking tea breaks and do some work, and just then it might be viable to keep stuff there. Until then fella you made your bed unfortunately.

@stevejewiss532 3 жыл бұрын

@@Flying_GC to be honest mate , we produce a lot lot more of anything than you do . What has your country contributed to the world ?? Errrrm , dunno . Ford exited Britain because they didn't want to build cars here because it was cheaper in eastern Europe and Germany gave them incentives to build them there . I think you need to actually do some research . Nissan , BMW , and Toyota do pretty well here , and are often praised for their workforce . It's not our fault Ford of Europe shat allover the UK . So stick that in your pipe and smoke it .

@Pmjs 3 жыл бұрын

BMWs X3,X4,X5,X6&X7 are all manufactured in the 🇺🇸.

@fpupesh 3 жыл бұрын

@@Pmjs he referred to mini, which is still made in oxford.

@infinityplus1489 3 жыл бұрын

I've grown up in the middle seat of a MK5 transit. I remember playing with the clock on the dash with my toes because I was so small. Some really great memories of going to car shows and work in the same van.

@TheJohn4231 3 жыл бұрын

Wow i did not know about Sabine Schmitzs passing, so sad.

@ianhamer4494 3 жыл бұрын

What a brilliant tribute to the Transit and Sabine 👍🏻❤️

@Digitall3 3 жыл бұрын

Video quality is incredible.

@kev_pe3848 3 жыл бұрын

Good to see Supervan 3 is still alive!

@purwantiallan5089 3 жыл бұрын

Everyone never forget u SABINE.

@02brufolo 3 жыл бұрын

I have a very used ford transit mark 1 ....should I restore it?

@thepeaceuniverse5000 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah man!!!

@kammara.sharath 3 жыл бұрын

Depends what you want to do with it.

@mr.carguy654 3 жыл бұрын

Yes!

@Hondeer 3 жыл бұрын

Greetings from West Coast USA where the Transit Van and VanLife have been crusing hwy 101 for the last 8 years. Love my '15 130MR! Got a lift kit under it, some big knobby tires for the sand, board racks for windsurf and surfing.

@eddymoon4138 3 жыл бұрын

After the clarkson this is the first video i am watching of top gear

@Tuberuser187 Жыл бұрын

I love the Sabine tributes, remembering her but its bitter sweet to see too.

@The_Foulmouthed_Cypriot 3 жыл бұрын

RIP 👸 Queen Sabine.

@mcmiloy3322 3 жыл бұрын

I loved the video, great narrrating!

@effervescence5664 3 жыл бұрын

The old ones were brilliant, it's just a shame since they moved production to Turkey that within a month of launching a new model or update all the security flaws are across the net. Almost as if they don't have an anti virus suite or pay the staff over there enough.

@kiamasharu 3 жыл бұрын

I miss old top gear

@NapalmBond 11 ай бұрын

Loved this. Drove a Mk2 when I lived in London. Took a thrashing, wound it off the clock! Found out 2 days later that the steering rack was about to collapse!

@jonathantang6414 3 жыл бұрын

9:10 Funny they thought 300hp was enough for a van. Here in Canada, the Transit has a 3.5l ecoboost v6 that makes 310hp and 400lb-ft. You could never have enough power, eh?

@wharris302 3 жыл бұрын

I think they got that power figure wrong, I read it was 600hp. And it was powered Guernsly V8 or whatever that was

@hantusmostert 3 жыл бұрын

@ Top Gear Production Manager: How to properly convert your van in a living space.

@sydclark5581 3 жыл бұрын

I think so, Top Gear paid homage to it and it's history 😉

@Mashmarriner69 3 жыл бұрын

You could buy a brand new van for an equivalent £10k back then. And you have my Grandma telling me I have it easy.

@thefishbiscuit14 3 жыл бұрын

You can buy a used van for 5k today that will be more reliable, faster, more comfortable and have a higher payload than that brand new transit. Not sure we really have an argument against grandma there 😂

@Mashmarriner69 3 жыл бұрын

@@thefishbiscuit14 that wasn't my argument. 🤣

@petelattimer6808 3 жыл бұрын

@@thefishbiscuit14 i doubt that very much. very little with a higher payload that doesnt require a tachograph. Sprinters arent as reliable as people think.

@joshacollins84 3 жыл бұрын

Coolest commercial that I have seen in a while, 😁. Seriously though, great video!

@Pmjs 3 жыл бұрын

I always liked the Facelifted mk1 LWB& Quad Wheels.

@sharingstoke 3 жыл бұрын

Just got a 2019 Ford Transit xlt 150 - stoked! It's got a 130" wheel base and is a passenger model. Thanks so much for this history as it stokes me out as a recent owner! Thank you!

@joebi-dome1839 3 жыл бұрын

how much would one of those ford transits cost guvnah

@sahirdiesh6386 3 жыл бұрын

Great episode this one

@pnep 3 жыл бұрын

Pakistan is still using 1965 model FORD TRANSIT in rural areas their power is so good

@richards4456 3 жыл бұрын

They mustn't rot out there!

@robsayer8028 3 жыл бұрын

If the Supervan didn't work, you could have asked Guy Martin if you could borrow his... Full sized Transit Custom with a 3.5L EcoBoost Radical engine that has puts out approx 700 bhp....

@99gentsia 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video, loved the narration…. Love this new format…. I hope more such videos would be produced and released in KZfaq.

@JoshuaTootell 3 жыл бұрын

So weird that on this side of the pond we had the Econoline. Probably the same level of icon. Matter in fact, I drive a 1995 E350 based former ambulance converted for rv use.

@markorollo. 3 жыл бұрын

Sliding doors are the best vehicle invention, I don't know why every van, car, everything doesn't have them, great for those situations when someone doesn't know what the lines on a parking spot are for, and good for people like me, a wheelchair user. Easier than opening doors.

@petelattimer6808 3 жыл бұрын

and the fact that the lines now are too narrow to park a car in and be able to get out of the car!

@FFM0594 3 жыл бұрын

I will always love Mk1 Transits (With sliding doors).

@dr.leftfield9566 3 жыл бұрын

Many fond memories of the mk1 spent many years doing antique furniture removals in one in the late seventies it was light blue with sliding doors. reliable and easy to fix.

@hi-hs9px 3 жыл бұрын

The transit can almost every job

@CricketEngland 3 жыл бұрын

The Ford Transit ran Britain during the 80’s

@russellbluewolf6427 3 жыл бұрын

being in the states we didnt get the transit, but i remember ford vans being EVERYWHERE as a kid..i even had one for a brief time in high school..

@charlesshreeve319 3 жыл бұрын

Ford and Dodge vans, with side pipes and Cragars, Radial TA's, and rainbow tape everywhere! Headed to the motocross races on weekends!

@PenzancePete 3 жыл бұрын

That bare dash. All you need is a Speedo, a fuel gauge and an oil pressure warning light. Any and everything else is superfluous.

@jonnyfennessy9812 3 жыл бұрын

Cortina,the Transit and the mini...I think of England of the 60's &70's

@zilspeed 3 жыл бұрын

'86 brought the MK3, surely ? Yes, I know a MK2 was just a facelifted MK1, but still...

@petelattimer6808 3 жыл бұрын

i think its like the mk5 Cortina, mk3 Capri, mk4 escort etc, all are classed as new models, but ford claim they never existed, that theyre just facelifted models of the older one. even the mk2 mondeo (the one with the big oval grille from about1996/7-2000) is, strictly speaking, a mk1 facelift

@oni1ecram123 3 жыл бұрын

I hope this series has much more to come. WONDERFUL Story!!!

@5thgen418 2 жыл бұрын

Yess we still have few old ones here. And I love them And I love the shape of 1982-85 model

@vladimirkrysenko 3 жыл бұрын

Сто лет это в интернете искал! Top Gear - You're the best!!!

@michaelcarney6280 3 жыл бұрын

Iearned to drive in a1993 flat bed Transit. So now I have a weird obssesion with liking vans more than cars!

@eliudmaina865 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic film

@hoomanAdnan 3 жыл бұрын

Beautiful car 😍🔥

@roshansrinivas8729 3 жыл бұрын

More of this please!

@Digitalstar3 3 жыл бұрын

Really cool series, can't wait for the next episode

@felixmarsh6026 2 жыл бұрын

Got a 2008 model. Bloody love it 😍!

@buildindian8169 3 жыл бұрын

I remember driving to boarding school on the first day in a transit with windows, it could hardly make it up the hill to the town where the school was located, we broke down several times and the poor driver kept poking his head about as if begging the van to go faster...I was late for my first day but it was fun and my mother had a lot of explaining to do...

@richrobinson7797 3 жыл бұрын

That nice of him to stop and talk to us while making deliverys

@NomaddUK 2 жыл бұрын

Was loving the video until I was shocked to hear Sabine had died. Why was it not huge news? She a proper crazy, gorgeous and VERY talented driver. I absolutely adored her and her Schumacher style grin. Thank you Sabine for your time with us. xx

@lorddarlo6194 Жыл бұрын

Top Gear did a tribute to her and got the old Trio back of course they worked with her Jeremy with the Jag and often Joked he wanted her to host to replace Hammond or May and she of course drove the Transit and featured in the German Special Episode not sure if she lost to 'James' driving the Porsche vs the Aston Martin DB9RR

@AaronCable-tf9tt 4 ай бұрын

I have a soft spot for vans been with my dad in a few when he was at centrebus using them as ferry vans and when his mondeo got written off had a berlingo van which i felt more appropriate in then a 2012 bmw 3 series touring at school that week. But an even bigger soft spot for the mk6 transit i was in some alot when my dad was a minibus and coach driver taking people to work in leamington and it even got parked on the driveway at home it was great. Went in one recently on work experience i loved that it felt alot more crammped now eleven years later but still great. And decently quick that was a mk6 transit too.

@Levenstone132 3 жыл бұрын

Mk2 came out in 78. Mk3 was the wedge plus the later 'smiley' version. Had a V4 mk1 on a firm,shot back axle,you needed cotton wool in your ears on a London trip!

@twallace541 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video. Well done.

@Re-InCarNation 3 жыл бұрын

Somebody should make a super van 4 with the current Ford GT engine.

@Sheridantank 3 жыл бұрын

Ken Block

@petelattimer6808 3 жыл бұрын

its not that easy. certainly with supervan 3, it wasnt ACTUALLY a transit. the body is scaled down (they havent lowered it by enugh to see over the roof, its impossible) to about 3/4 size. it might be the case for supervan1 and 2 also, but its certainly the case with 3. we got newsletters in the dealerships back in the day when supervan 3 was launched, giving us inside information

@stabb 3 жыл бұрын

No matter how much this channel tries, it will never be as good as og top gear

@_0_restart_0_ 3 жыл бұрын

It certainly won't if they continue reviewing vans

@gsw8734 2 жыл бұрын

@@_0_restart_0_ Nothing wrong with reviewing vans, they are a great form of transport.

@KDSmith77 5 күн бұрын

I think you totally missed it. The greatest British engine was and is a Ford tractor. Then Ferguson then land-rover. They built your nation and colonies. The van took the produce to market. Ford and Ferguson made the producer.

@ashkay780 3 жыл бұрын

I did not even know u Sabine had passed away 😔 she was just amazing

@jryalls 3 жыл бұрын

Any chance you could replace Paddy with this guy?

@abrisamutomo8129 3 жыл бұрын

still mis the old top gear

@abdulmuqsit3858 3 жыл бұрын

These old transits are still used as public transport vehicles in Peshawar, Pakistan.

@shazash1 2 жыл бұрын

so are donkeys, which are more reliable than mk1 transits.

@lorddarlo6194 Жыл бұрын

Let's not forget Jermery Clarkson made an unofficial Transit Supervan for the race vs the Australian's it looked like a normal Transit MKII apart from having Alloy Wheels but had the Supercharged V6 out of a Jaguar XJ220 in the back that powered it I don't know if the actual Engine was in the Van. I think it was based on Hammond's reaction to starting it before he pressed the accelerator and the V6 powered it past the Aussies

@drakefallentine8351 3 жыл бұрын

In the title vs. opening statement, there is a big difference between "the most" and "one of the most" important vehicles in British motoring history. I'd say the Mini had a greater impact.

@daansteenbeek5252 3 жыл бұрын

Nice video! Nice car

@indiebekonn 3 жыл бұрын

Ford Transit? Never heard of it. Fowd Traaaansit though...

@AN2Felllla 3 жыл бұрын

You need to make this guy a host!

@galexi045 3 жыл бұрын

3:43 He really looked like a Picasso painting

@DrIHateYT 3 жыл бұрын

I like the old ford transit

@GuigasPvP 3 жыл бұрын

GREAT VÍDEO GUYS!!!!

@colinkrefting9501 3 жыл бұрын

This is the only good type of new TG

@MichaelOKeefe2009 3 жыл бұрын

It's the van that helped shape the backbone of the Galar Region.

@kenbee1957 3 жыл бұрын

The late Sabine Schmitz? Sabine is dead.....?

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