Rare Body Styles of Mundane Cars: Part 4!

"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2) 04/02/2020 at 20:03 • Filed to: Rare Body Styles of Mundane Cars, Oppositelock

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As the 90s waned and the 2000s bloomed, cars were getting more and more expensive to build. Fewer and fewer cars were offered in multiple body styles because they cost more to design, build, and certify for the road. The last of the body on frame passenger cars were also dying off, soon to be replaced with unibody sedans and SUVs, which were more difficult to modify.

As a result, fewer manufacturers built lower volume body variants, even as people shifted towards the extreme practicality of SUVs. That era produced quite a few forgotten body variants of normal cars out of sheer habit, some of which will be listed here.

Land Rover Freelander Two Door and Panel Van

Thank you, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , for the suggestion.

The Land Rover Freelander was sold in both four door, two door, and panel van (!) versions over the model’s run, but the latter never made it to the states. I actually can’t recall the last time I saw one, but the two door convertible and hardtop are especially rare in the USA. Supposedly, the panel van version is ungodly rare even in its home market. Mostly derided as “not a real Land Rover,” !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!   had a very favorable report over his ownership. He says:

The rear shell is fully removable, although the roof rails make it a bit like Tetris to get free and clear without dinging anything. But the result of removing it along with the two removable sunroof panels was a great open air sensation. Of course, the first time I went mudding after buying it, I had the roof off, and was left with a nice coat of muck on the entire interior.

Also kind of neat, and definitely more rare to see (I have never actually seen one other than on the internet), there was a whole tent you could buy to mount in place of the hard shell, so you could camp up off the ground.

As mediocre as the Freelander was, I actually did enjoy it. Never broke down on me or got stuck anywhere.

Toyota Echo Two Door Sedan

By now you may have noticed !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , AKA Yaris, which for some unfathomable reason was sold in a North American-only sedan and coupe variants here. Available with optional automatic or base manual transmission, a tiny 4 seater coupe with a shamefully practical roofline is simply not what Americans ever wanted to buy.

The last two door I’ve seen was in a serious state of neglect.

Of course, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and other economy cars were much more common as coupes in the 80s, but by the 90s the segment was on borrowed time. Commuter coupes simply no longer sell, making spotting any example of the segment in the wild incredibly rare. I haven’t seen one without major body damage in a long time. Strangely enough, most of the coupes I’ve seen actually had rear seat passengers who probably did appreciate the practical roofline.

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Thank you !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for the suggestion·

One of the most unusual vehicles to come out of the retro craze of the early 2000s, aside from the Chevy SSR of course, was the Chevy HHR Panel Van SS ! Yes, GM took an already rare and unusual retro inspired take on the classic livery van and stuffed a 260 hp turbo 4 with an standard manual transmission attached, in a freaking HHR ! I’ve never actually seen one, since even the regular panel van spec is rare and unusual enough to include here. A local flower shop used to have one, but it hasn’t been seen around in a while. With a rear door delete and retaining the fold flat(ish) seats, it was just a normal HHR with some window blanks and a false pretense of increased utility. There was absolutely no reason to get a panel van over a regular HHR because they had the same utility but increased depreciation.

Got any suggesti ons for the next one? Drop ‘em below. I’m running out of ideas myself. I wanted to include some more panel van versions of hatchbacks, as per !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! 's suggestion, but I really don’t know much about them to decide which models to include.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 20:07

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The two-door Freelander is my absolute favorite Bad Car

slipperysallylikespenguins > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 20:13

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There is a group of HHR enthusiasts where I live that always arrive at shows together, 4 out of the 8 or 9 cars are HHR SS Panels. I guess it gave me a false sense of them being more common.

facw > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 20:19

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Honestly, I only remember the two-door F reelander. A coworker of mine had a two-door Echo/ Yaris/w hatever , IIRC, it was totaled hitting a deer at speed.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 20:20

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First things first, a lot of people tend to forget that the Audi A4 used to be available as a convertible. And no, it’s not a rebadged Eos. We can verify this by seeing that both the S4 and RS4 were available as convertibles too. So I nominate the RS4 for being the most practical, daily driverable of the German uber-saloons yet also deciding that the best way to make that car even better was to cut the roof off of it....

dogisbadob > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 20:21

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I like that 2-door Freelander more than I should. Especially in yellow

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > facw 04/02/2020 at 20:26

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Every freelander I've ever seen has been a two door. Never saw the four door.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 20:29

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And while it isn’t a unique body style, per se, I need to give a nod of the head to the Mitsubishi Diamante VR-X trim level. Because the only performance trimmed sedan more forgotten than the Galant Ralliart is the Diamante VR-X. In the world of the obscure, Mitsubishi makes damn sure they are #1.

And you know what? Let’s give the galant ralliart some love too. It’s certainly earned it.

So I guess my argument isn’t that they’re wholly different bodies, but that Mitsubishi had entries in the “Performance mid-sized sedan” market. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 20:35

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“By now you may have noticed my strange obsession with the Mk I Toyota Echo , AKA Yaris”

FYI, the Mk. 1 Toyota Echo sedan/coupe was never sold as the Yaris! The second-gen sedan and hatch were both called the Yaris in North America (and sold as the Vitz [hatch] and Belta [sedan] elsewhere) , but the first-gen was never sold under the Yaris name anywhere that I know ! :)

The first-gen hatch was sold as the Vitz elsewhere and t he coupe/sedan Echo you’re talking about was known as the Platz elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Platz_(XP10)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/02/2020 at 20:47

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So it wasn’t a true Yaris? I guess the Mk I Yaris looked similar enough that I mistook them for the same generation. Platz name seems peculiarly  unfit for the US market. In fact, Echo is a better name than Yaris in my opinion. Did the two ride on the same platform?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 04/02/2020 at 20:49

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Wait, those exist? Woah. That is gonna be included next time for sure. You’ve got some good suggestions so far.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > slipperysallylikespenguins 04/02/2020 at 20:51

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I’ve never seen an SS panel, and even a regular HHR is incredibly rare nowadays that they are so cheap and of limited appeal. I used to like their styling but it has somehow aged worse than the PT Cruiser in my opinion. I imagine the HHR community is much more limited than you may think.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/02/2020 at 20:54

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I swear I didn’t even know those existed I’ve seen so few of them. From my research, I gather that the problem was more of the Land Rover badge on the front than the car itself. It would have been a great car under literally any other marquis. Just look at how the similar two door Rav4 sold.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 04/02/2020 at 20:57

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I don’t even remember the Diamante, though the Lancer Sportback was on my list. Actually quite a good looking rear end  if I do say so myself. Mistsubishi somehow kept introducing models here even though all of three people bought them. Just look at the Raider or the (what was that SUV that was similar to the Isuzu Axiom?) , which were reasonably good vehicles.

SmugAardvark > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 04/02/2020 at 21:14

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It was the most reliable “historically unreliable” vehicle I ever had. And I did not treat it mildly either.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 22:13

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Yeah, the Platz name wasn’t used here because it is a bit odd for North American tastes.

Yup, they shared a platform, as did the Verso/FunCargo....which we never got in North America....probably because it was too awesome for us to handle it! :D

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Yaris_Verso

Would be fun to import a 1.5L FunCargo and modify it with 1st-gen Echo/Yaris hatchback go-faster parts and then autocross with it! (T he 1.5L as that is the same engine we got in North America - we never got the 1.3L here) :P

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 22:16

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Ummm......

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/02/2020 at 22:25

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That would be. . . interesting. The name Fun Cargo or FunCargo is so stereotypical JDM that it barely even sounds real. Americans don’t want fun cargo. They want angry cargo that looks like it wants to tear your soul from your fragile body. Seeing any sort of joyful cargo in North America would be really cool to about a half dozen people, you and me included.

People always ask me how I know these things, and even I am wondering how you know that. We all know the answer is just pure time sink into hopeless blissful nerdiness but I don’t like to answer so bluntly.

Then again, the first gen Ford Transit Connect was pretty close to this idea. Cramming hotted up parts bin stuff in a cheap one would make about the perfect daily driver.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 04/02/2020 at 22:26

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I have seen more imported Defenders than two door Camrys (not Solaras), yet they still seem to be more common than the Elantra Coupe. Good point.

not for canada - australian in disguise > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 22:34

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I will never understand the mid-2000s coupe-convertible craze. The Eos may have been a separate model according to VW, but really it was just a Golf with the roof chopped off.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/02/2020 at 22:35

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I would guess it was an offshoot of the retro craze, since convertibles really came and went with the times. The difference with the Eos is that it was a four seater only. AND HOLY CRAP THE FOCUS WAS A CONVERTIBLE????

not for canada - australian in disguise > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 22:40

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Yep, only in Europe, and interestingly built by Pininfarina. There was also the Opel/Vauxhall Astra TwinTop competing with it and the Eos in Europe, and it was replaced by the Cascada when the next generation came along. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 22:42

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I know of the FunCargo because of countless hours spent browsing GooNet Exchange for fun...mostly in the Kei vehicle section...

https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 22:47

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The original version (Project Odin) was developed to be sold under the Rover brand. But then LR got snotty about the cars division intruding on their patch so it was beefed up a bit and LR badged. Then shelved for about 5 year s bec au se LR had no money before being revived . I can’t help but think that if

it’d come out a couple of years before the RAV4 did;  

under the Rover badge and therefore with lower expectations of its butchness, which is one of the ma in things it got criticised for at launch;  

not designed for LR-level abuse (which the actual ver si on still couldn’t take anyway - see the point above ), and therefore lighter, faster, and more economical ;

and manufactured at Longbridge, which had rea so nable quality b y the early 90s, rather than at Solihull, which didn’ t

... it would have been a vastly more successful car.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/02/2020 at 22:50

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And we all know how the cascada went down. Also a rare vehicle but for good reason. Fascinating.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/02/2020 at 22:53

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I did not need to know this existed. . .

What have you done? You monster!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 04/02/2020 at 22:56

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You could say that about a lot of cars. But you really have a point there. It was a fantastic idea that almost came  along at the right time. Sort of like if the Pontiac Aztec wasn’t so polarizing and up to the head in ideas. Ditch the tent, nostrils, and maybe 5% of the plastic and that could have been exactly what the market wanted. It seems the British car industry shares GM’s so so close but screwed over by corporate bureaucracy history. Except GM didn’t have Lucas Electrics. . .

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 22:59

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“Lucas Electrics”

Funnily enough, I had a Jag XJ6 S3 for 6 years, which had Lucas stuff all through it. The only electrical item which ever let me down was the (Bosch) ignition coil.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 04/02/2020 at 23:05

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The problem was not necessarily only with the company, but with the fact that all the manufacturers were indifferent to build quality and only bought the cheapest the company had too offer. Maybe someone topped off the magic smoke, or maybe Jaguar got a good batch every once in a while. Or maybe someone’s boss was watching. Seems like that is not the experience most had.

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 23:13

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not arguing that Lucas didn’t deliver a lot of companies a lot of crap. But I’m not sure they fully deserve their position as the poster child for bad quality. T here were plenty of suppliers - and plenty of OEMs - mak ing crap in the 70s and 80s, in both the UK, Europe and the US . 

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/02/2020 at 23:35

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My ( to be) father in law had a manual Raider in the mid 90s . I only got to ride in it once before he crashed it.

The back end of the Diamante reminds me a little of the Jaguar XJ-S, the big C pillars looking a little like the XJS’s famous buttresses.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 04/02/2020 at 23:49

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That was not an era known for quality. I'm sure they didn't only produce (comparatively) poor quality, but that's still going to be their eternal reputation. Maybe it was that their stuff was also very difficult to fix (I mean duh, electrics, but more so). I really don't have any experience to back up my claims.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen 04/03/2020 at 00:12

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Ha yes the Lucas parts in my S3 XJ6 all work fine (though I have replaced some of the window switches).

Chinny Raccoon > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 01:57

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The car for when a Jazz is a bit too youthful and exciting for you. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 08:30

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It’s a great way to spend the time during Lockdown! I hadn’t been there in awhile (they’ve updated the site design!!!) so after I sent it to you, I spent like an hour and a half browsing manual cheap Kei cars! :P

Stuff like...this base Suzuki Alto E (no power windows/locks/keyless, etc...does have airbags and A/C though!) with ONLY 49,000KMS for $300! I mean....yes, it’s a bit bland and basic, but I love basic, and hell....$300 for an almost-new car? I feel like I should import it on that alone! 0_o

https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/SUZUKI/ALTO/700060230330200318003/index.html

A Boy and His Longtail > SmugAardvark 04/03/2020 at 09:13

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That’s argument enough for me that it isn’t a real Land Rover. You didn’t even get the full experience.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/03/2020 at 09:44

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It’s not the most flattering shade of silver and that interior isn’t the most exciting either, but it would simple, fun, and unique to those in the know . And still cheap even it cost three times its worth to import it. Of course with such a car it’s vital to make sure the engine was used somewhere USDM to be able to get parts.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 12:16

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Naw, it’s pretty much a guarantee that any kei vehicle doesn’t share parts with anything sold here...

It’s not hard to get engine parts though, depending, as a lot of the same engines are used in kei trucks and kei trucks are pretty popular, so there are a lot of importers in the US and in Canada that have parts for them.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 12:54

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Could get a $1500 Daihatsu Move instead? :P

https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/DAIHATSU/MOVE/700060249930200114003/index.html

...or a classic 1979 Mazda Porter kei truck with only 17,000kms for $3800? :P

https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/MAZDA/PORTER_CAB/700020746130190222003/index.html

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/03/2020 at 16:54

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The move is bit more expensive with a bit more miles, but seems altogether a more upscale car with the sporty black on black.

But the Porter? Sign me up! Oh wait, it costs 4x as much as the others?

It’s blue and friendly looking? So cute yet so useful!

Wait, it has 17k kms on it? What is with the Japanese and barely using mundane vehicles? Reminds me of this much larger Toyota Litea ce I saw at a car show last summer. All original, somehow.

SmugAardvark > A Boy and His Longtail 04/03/2020 at 17:10

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No need to worry, I’ve recently bought a Jaguar , and look forward to experiencing everything I missed out on.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 20:07

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Wow, that LiteAce is mint! They were never that common here in North America too, so it lasting this long is pretty crazy!

Yup, that Porter is more expensive....kei trucks on the whole are pretty cheap though! Flavien has told me many times they are very cheap....I bet one in fairly decent shape with fairly low KMs would only be a few thousand including the shipping fees and import duty, etc!

I like all the Kei trucks, but they aren’t the safest thing in the world, so I tend to like the Honda Acty the most as (at least for the years we can currently import here in Canada) the later 2000+ or so ones have driver’s airbags. At least that gives a BIT more safety, haha!

How about an Acty for about $100 with 126,000km? I am guessing there is a catch to this one or a typo on the price, but it doesn’t look too bad! Driver’s airbag and 4wd too!

https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/HONDA/ACTY_TRUCK/700050647330180707004/index.html

How about this one with slightly less KMs (77,000km) for about $900? Also with 4wd and driver’s airbag !

https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/HONDA/ACTY_TRUCK/700055170230200322002/index.html

Could get an earlier Acty? This ‘97 is ~$700, also with 4wd and even less KMs!

https://www.goo-net-exchange.com/usedcars/HONDA/ACTY_TRUCK/700116120430181114005/index.html

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/03/2020 at 20:25

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The 25 year rule precludes all of the above for us Americans, but then again so does not having an income right now. A Honda Acty would make a great second vehicle for the occasional home improvement or other project. I’m surprised that drivers airbags came so late to a vehicle where they make such a difference.

Who's Flavien?

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 21:20

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Flavie n is a cool Oppo (doesn’t post here AS often) that is from France and lives/works in Japan exporting cars to predominantly the US! :D

He works for a company called Amagasaki Motors that buys cars at auction and elsewhere and ships them over :

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAtc-JKY9I-kIgaY3gnsJew/videos?view=0&sort=dd&shelf_id=1

He often does overviews/drive videos of the cars he is exporting ( when the new owner gives him permission!) and puts them up on Youtube...some very cool stuff!

Derek Weldon is another cool guy - not on Oppo, he’s originally from Canada (British Columbia, I think?) and lives in Japan exporting cars through his own company called Pacific Coast Auto. He knows Flavian (if memory serves) and also does similar overviews of the cars he is exporting with the new owners’ permission as well:

https://www.youtube.com/user/PacificCoastAuto/videos

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/03/2020 at 21:27

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Interesting. As you probably know I’m relatively new around here there are a lot of people I don’t remember. I’ll have to check out those videos when I’m done with this. If you recognize this you instantly gain 100 Oppo Points™

Car exporting has to be an interesting business since you see so much variety both ways. Probably more paperwork than I could handle though.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 21:44

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Sadly I don’t recognize that pic! And no worries, I’ve been here since like...2015 or 2016 or so...?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 04/03/2020 at 21:49

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The TV show is Mystery Science Theater 3000 and it’s, well, niche and polarizing. The fictional main characters are forced against their will to watch (real) bad movies as part of an evil science experiment.

It's probably pretty interesting how much longer some people have been here than they realize. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/03/2020 at 22:58

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Ah yes, I know the show! It was never as big up here in Canada as it was down in the States, so I’ve never seen it!

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 14:06

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I didn’t see this post. But we have quite a few panel vans of many cars (Europe has ore).

Take the Toyota

3 door

5 door

3 door commercial

5 door commercial

and the LR Discovery

Discovery 4

down to panel van Fiestas 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/04/2020 at 14:11

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That’s incredible. The Discovery is not a car I associate with commercial use, ever, so panel van just doesn't make sense. The Fiesta meanwhile makes too much sense for us Americans to even consider.

It can be hard to keep track of posts made while you’re asleep so I appreciate the input.

Svend > not for canada - australian in disguise 04/04/2020 at 14:18

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We also got the Ford StreetKA.

Va uxhall Tigra

Nissan Figaro

Nissan Micra C+C

Daihatsu Copen

Peugeot 207cc

Peugeot 308cc

Renault Megane

Renault Wind

etc... 

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 14:26

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A lot of the discos would be used for builders to farmers really.

The Fiesta would of made a much better pizza warmer car than the Chevy.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/04/2020 at 16:07

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I still haven’t seen one, but the Spark was an interesting choice as a base vehicle. I just can’t get over the logic of this , even if I was a builder.

Where I live you might see a Transit Connect on a construction site every once in a while but most are double cab medium duty pickups for a mix of dry and open storage. Sometimes you might see S uburbans in the mix too. I used to see a lot of old minivans repurposed as a handy van for handymen but not any more.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 19:00

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Here on a construction site you’ll see everything from a Ford Fiesta panel van to a long wheel base Ford Transits.

Pickups are few as single and double crewcab Ford Transits with a tipper or dropside body make much more sense to us.

L5

L4 H3

Transit Customs

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/04/2020 at 19:11

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Those vans with tippable trays seem very useful, but that style is very rare here. And wow that is one long boi right there in the middle pic. Most jobs that would use a long van like that use a box truck or a pickup with a gooseneck trailer instead here, although the vans seem to be very popular with plumbers still.

What’s the deal with the weird transit custom? Just smaller?

Also, they are rare but sometimes a pickup is used as the basis of a small box  truck instead of a van. Always seemed kinda strange to me.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 19:53

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The previous gen Transit had a longer bed, with a massive over hang to the rear.

The Transit Custom is the one below the Transit.

It goes,

Fiesta van,

Transit Courier,

Tr ansit Connect,

Transit Custom, and

Transit.

You can get bodyk its for the Transit Custom if you wish

We have a van for all eventualities.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/04/2020 at 20:17

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That’s a lot of vans! There is a pickup for all eventualities here, with Ford’s naming scheme perhaps stretching it the furthest, all the way up to the F650 which really should never have a truck bed but sometimes people make them like that.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 20:57

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When I look at an F650, all I can think of is, w hy?

It’s massively oversize, overweight, un-economical, load area is small.

A 2 door Ford Ranger is vastly more practical than an F650.

If it’s the seats you want, fine, get a Ford

Galaxy

S-Max

Plus all the Transit Tourneo variants.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/04/2020 at 21:16

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None of the cars you just mentioned are sold here, because SUVs rule app arently. Obviously I don’t share that mindset because I think my Cruze is too big for what I need. I wish Ford still sold cars here, so I could completely ignore them for their bad build quality.

The F650 can be practically used without the bed and a gooseneck hitch in it’s place for long  hauling or most commonly as mulch trucks or the like, but my point was that the bed variant is about the stupidest thing you could imagine, like a bro truck on steroids.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/04/2020 at 21:36

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I totally agree with you on the F650.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fifth wheel on a pickup here in the U.K. I’m not even sure if they are legal on U.K. roads.

For something with a fifth wheel we’d just use an actual truck.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/04/2020 at 21:39

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Wait, why does that last one even exist if the cab is still really tall? Hey just moved the wheels forward slightly.

But the F650 is about a step down from a true semi and a few steps above the small cabo ver Isuzu box trucks that are common.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 04:40

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I guess it’s something to do with power and engine size, because we also have the Scania L-Series for more urban areas which has better visibility, ease of entry, etc...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/05/2020 at 11:58

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Pretty much the only time that style is used is on the Mack LR based garbage trucks, where the drivers really benefit from the easy sight lines and egress.

But the only other cab over design that is popular is the small Isuzu chassis, which seems to have the garden maintenance market niche cornered.

Pretty much everything else is a more traditional style. It makes sense with dump trucks, where offroad ability is important and it is just easier that way.

To semi trucks, where the increased aerodynamic efficiency makes up for the larger footprint.

I still don’t quite understand the logic behind these.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 16:32

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Pretty much the same here. The easy access/low cab is used primarily for refuse collections. Though more are using them for big city deliveries.

The Mitsubishi Canter is quite popular.

Our dump trucks are a little different.

Most of our semis are flat fronted.

Looks like box van,

and what we call ‘Luton’ here.

A Luton uses the space above the cab.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/05/2020 at 17:19

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Most moving vans here have the “luton,” which they usually call a mom’s attic or something. I should start using that word. It’s good. Strangely enough I haven’t seen too many new Transit based trucks although the previous Econoline was very popular for that application.

Those images also reminded me how stupid it is that the US doesn’t require side underride guards. Even the rear underride guards aren’t tested so they could be made of peanut brittle or maybe paper mach e for all they care. Just sheer apathy there.

Although I also wonder why flip down bed sides are almost nonexistent in the USA. That looks so useful. And also susceptible for overloading with only one axle.

I guess the cabover dump trucks have more axles than the traditional style for load distribution?

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 18:43

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The Luton originated in Luton Bedfordshire, by a vehicle company called, very easily named, Bedford Vehicles. Lol.

It was a box body made for a straw, namely straw hats, where the products being transported are light but high volume. The box over the cab sometimes called the kick, is often used to carry the attachments, etc... used to strap down or cover the items being carried, to protect them.

The dropside above would be used for scaffolding and would not be stacked high noth ing too heavy* .

Ideal for local authority gardening where you need to convey your tools and grass and wood clippings.

*VOSA (vehicle Inspectorate), Highways England and the police can order a vehicle to pull over and be checked and stop it’s progress if it doesn’t comply.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/05/2020 at 19:52

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Overloading and poor loading is annoyingly lax in enforcement over here. But there is a special type of van body here used for gardening and lawn care, which I cannot post on mobile easily but you can see previously in the thread: the red Isuzu NPR about 3 replies above. It has a driveup ramp back for mowers and special holders for all the tools.

Very interesting about the straw hats. Not what I would have expected.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 20:57

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It has a tail lift for small machinery.  

for larger mowers there’s these.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/05/2020 at 21:11

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Wait and the sides still flip down on the ramp one? There really aren't many of the lift kind here. Neat.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 21:34

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Ye’, it’s why dropsides are popular. You have access to the cargo from three sides.

Of course there’s the curtain side which has the same sort of access but protected from the weather.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/05/2020 at 21:55

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But that would be more like side loading pallets right? You have a Transit for everything my goodness.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 22:27

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Of pallets yes, but also delivery drivers use them for anything from deliveries of large cumbersome deliveries such as inner city alcohol deliveries, you can have the kegs , then cases and crates of beer bottles, etc...

Before Ford moved van production from the UK. to Turkey, there was lots of pride in the vans being British and forming what Ford coined, the

Ford Transit Backbone of Britain.

Old advert

Recent advert with the Transit and Ranger.

Of course most of what Ford has to offer can be found with Vauxhall, Mercedes, Renault, etc... 

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/05/2020 at 22:50

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That slogan seems to be reasonably true, though not sure where the pride comes from now that they are forei gn manufactured. Here there are lots of Beverage trucks with roll up sides that make deliveries of cumbersome drink cases but I don’t know about beer

My goodness this is getting to be a long thread spanning many days.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/05/2020 at 23:36

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Ye’, when they moved some U.K. production to Turkey it was a hit, then they moved all the U.K. production to Turkey that was a hell of a shock.

But people grew up with the Transit. Ford has a long history in the U.K. with the first factory outside north America in 1911 . Most people in the U.K. had a Ford as their first car. These days the majority of people don’t even know where their cars were built. They want to see costs, effic iency, practicality, etc...

Ford still has plants in the U.K. in Croydon (stamping), Dagenham (engines, Duratec 20 and 23 and Duratorq, equipment (tools & die ) ) and Liverpool (MT75 and MT82 and PTO transmissions).

Brid gend in Wales that makes the Ford Zetec engine and Jaguar AJ V8 is shutting down soon.

But ye’, in the most parts regular vans, box vans, etc... are used for deliveries.

Ye’, it is a bit of a long thread, it takes a while to scroll down to read the reply.

So I’ll leave you with some M-Sport (aka MS-RT) Ford Transit Connects and Transit Customs.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Svend 04/05/2020 at 23:57

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Yes Ford UK now shares maybe the Transit and possibly one or two SUVs (ecosport, escape?) with the US market, since they really do things almost entirely separate.

I know I wouldn't turn down a customised Transit Custom, though the feds might crush it if they found out. Don't tell on me.

This conversation has been fun. Take care.

Svend > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/06/2020 at 00:12

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Ye’, it’s so curious, especially as they were doing the whole, ‘one Ford’, stream lining the cars across the board. Doh. Even then, in the U.K. the Escape is called the Kuga.

Regular

Sporty (looking), ST-Line X First Edition (not an ST, just looks like what an ST would look like).

Vignale (premium edition)

It’s always interesting to see how the neighbours do things.

You take care also mate, stay safe and stay sane.

Future next gen S2000 owner > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 04/06/2020 at 17:30

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It’s only kinda mundane but the Mini Coupe/Roadster didn’t sell very well I believe.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Future next gen S2000 owner 04/06/2020 at 17:59

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That’s one I almost forgot about! For that matter the Paceman sold just as terribly. Good spot.