Ford celebrates 50 years of the Transit with UK golden convoy
To celebrate 50 years of the British van icon, Ford's golden convoy of Transits departed from the UK's CV Show at the NEC in Birmingham to tour dealerships and events until the commercial vehicle leader's anniversary on the weekend of August 8 and 9.
The convoy of gold-coloured Transit Courier, Connect, Custom and two-tonne Transit models marks five decades of loyal service to businesses in the UK and around the world.
Since the first vehicle left the production line in Langley, England, almost eight million Transit and Transit Custom models have been built, while the Transit has grown from a single model to an entire family of Transit vans.
Launched in 1965 - the same year that the first person walked in space - the Transit made an immediate impact, providing practical support to the booming economy and quickly evolving with a vast range of body styles and variants from the parcel van, tipper trucks and campers through to outrageous one-offs such as the Cosworth V8-powered Supervans.
On average, a new Transit van has been purchased every 180 seconds during its lifetime, and lined up end-to-end, 50 years of Transit vans would circle the globe.
Mark Ovenden, chairman and managing director at Ford of Britain, said: "The Ford Transit has touched the lives of most of us. From house moves to moving people, the Ford Transit is an essential tool to get the job done. It has become a mobile office or workshop for some and loved by us all."
The Transit has also introduced a list of technology innovations to help improve performance, comfort and safety, including side-loading doors, halogen headlights, direct-injection diesel engines and standard anti-lock brakes. The latest Transit models add the latest technologies from Adaptive Cruise Control to Lane-Keeping Aid.
Ovenden added: "Ford's Transit family continues to lead the way in innovation. With 50 years of van sales leadership in the UK under its belt, the new four-van Transit range is looking forward to its next half-century."