Which type/year of Transit is this?

[Baardmijt]

Dear Transit lovers,

I came here for help, and if anyone could provide this, this person might very well be hanging around here.

Yesterday, there was an article on 60 years of the Ford Transit on a dutch site I often visit.
There was only one photo with the article, with a detail of a van on it. Just a headlamp and blinker, a bit of front wing.
I could not recognize this detail on any Transit van I know, so I started searching for pictures. But if I would have found a similar layout I would not have come here to bother you.
I'm really puzzled and the writer of the article doesn't give any info, he just posted a lot more random pictures of different Transits.
Another reader is also searching now, but he also didn't find a matching Transit yet.

Could you people shine a light on this mysterious picture? Thanks!

[Baardmijt]

I see I did not succeed in including a picture. That makes this a mission impossible. Excuse me for that.

This might work better.



The article is to be found here: https://www.autoblog.nl/nieuws/jij-raad ... nt-5877960

[Altransit]

That's a Mk2, replaced by the Mk3 in 1985/6. I'm not sure when it replaced the Mk1, but someone else will know.

[dumper]

We had some r reg ones must have been 1977 / 78

[Altransit]

We had some r reg ones must have been 1977 / 78

Ah, about the same time as they replaced the Mk3 Cortina, with the Mk4

[Baardmijt]

Thanks! I found the Mk2, which followed the Mk1 round '78 indeed.
That was my closest call.
Thing is, the Mk2's I know and the ones I found on the web have more square headlights. These headlights almost look like Mercedes-Benz ones, although the blinkers definitely don't.
The blinkers on the picture are shaped slightly differently from the Mk2's as well. Also, the lines in the front fender don't seem to match, nor does the line going down in the corner of the headlight, under the grille.
I doubt it is a Transit at all, but the provider of the picture doesn't help me any further, so I came here to see if someone could ease my mind. I haven't slept since this picture came to me.

[dumper]

On the mk 2 they had both round and square ones and the last of them had a larger plastic grill and different headlights again

[Baardmijt]

But the ones on the Mk2 all look more or less square, not rectangular like on the picture.
And the lines in the fender don't match either, as well as other details. I've been looking for Turkish, Australian, South African Transits of the early eighties, for dormobile and autosleeper conversions.
Used google lens. But I haven't been able to find any car that matches the picture yet. I wish I wasn't such an autistic creature.

[Altransit]

Screenshot 2025-06-19 190630.png

You're right, that moulding line on the wing isn't there, and the headlights are more square.


I wonder if that's an AI generated picture

[Baardmijt]

It might be an AI Transit. Or a Transit from Los Santos....

That would be very disappointing, because it was posted as: 'Guess what car model has it's 60th anniversary this year?', along with this picture. So as a car enthusiast on a site for car enthusiasts I started guessing, and could not make anything of it and read the rest of the article to find out it was a Transit.
The writer doesn't give any info on the photo so I kept searching and ended up here, thinking it might be a rare version. But I guess they were pulling my leg...

Thanks for the input here, very much appreciated!
I have a soft spot for Transits, mainly for the Mk1, my love had a DIY camper based on a 'Feuerwehr' Transit, a German firefighters vehicle. Really enjoyed driving that car and camping with it.

I wish you all the luck with your Transits and thanks again for helping me! Cheers!

[bortaf]

That's a Mk2, replaced by the Mk3 in 1985/6. I'm not sure when it replaced the Mk1, but someone else will know.

that aint no mk2 transit ive ever seen

[Altransit]

That's a Mk2, replaced by the Mk3 in 1985/6. I'm not sure when it replaced the Mk1, but someone else will know.

that aint no mk2 transit ive ever seen

To the eye of someone who has never owned a Mk2, it seemed to be pretty close, until I started looking at others

According to the OP, it is supposed to be a Transit

[ned]

I thought it looked like a Bedford until I googled it, now I’m intrigued as to what it is

[Altransit]

Using a Google lens search, this is what Google thought:-

The image displays the front headlight and turn signal assembly of a Mazda B-Series compact pickup truck, likely a B2200 model from the 1980s or 1990s.
The B2200 was known for its ruggedness, dependability, and affordability, often used as a work truck.
It was typically equipped with a 5-speed manual transmission and, in some versions, a Perkins diesel engine.
The Mazda B-Series, including the B2200, is considered one of Mazda's most reliable vehicles, with a high average reliability score and a strong potential to reach high mileage.
The image specifically shows the rectangular headlight and the amber corner turn signal marker light.
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