noobrider wrote:Fast Ford?
Commercial Motor Magazine - possible trade stands for next year?
What Van
Professional Van & light truck magazine
Practical Motorhome
Motorcaravan Motorhome monthly magazine
Just a few
I'll put something together and post it on here for the classic mag, then if anyone has anything to add, edit etc it can be a group publication
noobrider wrote:OK, I've put this together to give a flavour of Transitmania with a Classic van slant. Please criticise, I certainly wont be offended in anyway. I believe Luke will organise the photo's so here's hoping we can get something into the mag. With a bit of luck we can do something similar for other publications.
It all started in October 1965. A van designed to replace the Ford Thames 400E became an iconic symbol of Britain, as recogniseable as the Mini and even entering several languages to mean the word van. We are of course talking about the Ford Transit van. This ubiquitous and tireless workhorse has a charm and a following all of its own, so much so THAT the fordtransit.org forum has over 15000 members that continuously chat about all things Transit and take great pride in showing off their lastest rides, modifications and restorations.
The Ford Transit Forum is a valuable resource for prospective and current owners of the classic marques. The wealth of knowledge and access to parts and searches THAT the forum has, means the saviour for many of the now rarer Mk1 and Mk2 Transits and their many variants. The enthusiam for the preservation and ownership of these iconic vehicles drips from every topic and and every entry. This enthusiasm is certainly very noticeable in the forums adminstrator Luke (Surname). With various local meetings for van owners regularly being publicised and organised on the site, Luke arranged and organised a National event to collate all these mini meetings in one big blow out. Thus Transitmania was born.
Transitmania took place over the August bank holiday weekend and was hosted at Billing Aquadrome campsite. A huge venue with ample camping and caravaning facilities and one of only a few sites that could accommodate a lot of vans in a show arena. The site is very family friendly and even pets are allowed making this an ideal excuse for everyone to get out the tents and spend the entire weekend enjoying one of those rare fair weather bank holiday weekends.
This was the first ever Transitmania show and I must say the turn out was far higher than expected. Around 70 vans attended and formed a large circle in the main field. Within the various marques and body types there were some exceptional classic vehicles ranging from Mk1 Campers, through to two fire engine variants. I counted at least 10 Transits that fell into the classic category.
Two Mk1 vehicles stood out as stunning restorations. A beautiful Mk1 cab pick-up in white was immaculate and looked as though it had just rolled off the production line. Parked next to this was an equally impressive Mk1 short wheelbase panel van, both owned by the same Transit fanatical family that were more than willing to discuss every aspect of their picture perfect vehicles.
Everywhere you looked there were great examples of the early Transit chassis in various guises. It was also encouraging to see many of these vehicles in regular use and non more so than the campers. An excellent Mk1 coachbuilt camper in powder Blue complete with white wall tyres was noticeable not only by the teletubbies in the top window but also for its period and complete interior, all complete and working and being used as accommodation over the weekend for its lucky owner.
Two other Mk1's that stood out were the fire appliances. One of these belonged to show organiser Luke and was a German left hand drive version. Although still under renovation, its condition was superb for such a hard working vehicle, still sporting its original livery and sign writing. The second fire appliance was more complete, down to the original helmets in the back of the passenger area and hoses and tools in the rear. Badged as a Central Electricty Board unit it certainly looked very complete and very original.
Moving on to the Mk2 versions, once again there were working versions and custom models, all with their own unique touches. Probably one of the most outstanding and original versions was a coach built camper that was truly immaculate. Unfortunately, due to a late entry into the field and the nature of a public voting system, it only managed a 3rd place in it's category. I'm certain next year it will feature much more in a variety of categories.
We couldn't mention the Mk 2's without a passing nod to Luke's own Mk2 in metalic gunmetal grey. Although definately not standard with its Ford Cosworth engine and chrome side pipes, certainly the bodywork is one of the straightest panel vans out there and even more so considering its age. Stealing some of the limelight was a reall (one l) blast from the past with the fantastic custom Mk2 panel van of one "Beefy". Sporting its(apostrophe) period flames on a mirror finished jet black bodywork, its period rear end in the air stance and chromed side pipes it certainly retained its 70's custom look. Only it's interior gave away its modernisation and memories of the Carlos Fandango adverts came flooding back.
The Mk2 evokes a lot of personal memories for me and this is the iconic model I remember the best. The customisation scene was big back in the 70's and many of these Mk2 vans have kept some of that era's styling and bolt on goodies. Whilst not strictly original and museum quality, they certainly are in keeping with the period that these vans first started to be used as custom vehicles. The custom Mk2 camper was unusual to say the least and I didn't get chance to speak to the owner or grab a look inside. It was that old kid in a candy shop cliche that prevented me from speaking to many of the owners. I'm sure I have missed many other notable Mk2's but I would strongly suggest a visit to the fordtransit.org/forum to catch up with the owners and see the many hundreds of pictures and stories published there.
For a first one marque show, Transitmania certainly delivered. Whilst not strictly a classic vehicle show, the longevity of the Transit name will always guarantee a good number of classic vans turning up. Luke and the forum are already planning next years event and if they manage to get just a quarter of the ideas and only half of the interest generated so far into the weekend it will be at least twice as big and twice as good as their excellent first attempt.
As a first time Transit owner, I learnt more about the Transit in one weekend than a whole month of internet surfing would have delivered. If there is one show you must attend next year it should be Transitmania. Great camping, great company and great vans. Congratulations to Luke and the forum on an unforgetable weekend.
One final note..... if you are looking for a classic of the future, you couldn't go far wrong in investing in a Transit Mk3. They are getting quite rare already and there were a couple of fantastic examples on show. Manufacture started in 1986 so only a couple of years before they fall into the classic status so get searching now. I can hear Slade singing Coz I luv you now, the theme to the greatest Transit TV advert, backbone of Britain, also the unofficial motto of the forum.
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