Ford Transit MK2 – angular van

Ford Transit MK2 – production of this van began in 1977 and lasted until 1986. Ford Transit Mark II had several names, in Great Britain, when it was presented in August 1977, it was called the Transit 1978 ½ code and was considered the facelifting MK1 model. Presented in Germany, in March it was called the "Third Generation" of Ford Transit. In Poland and many other countries, Ford Transit produced in the years 1978-1986 is called the second generation of Ford Transit, i.e. the MK2 model.

Ford Transit MK2 Clubmobil
(fot: flickr.com/photos/zacks_classic_cars/27870946975/in/photostream/)

The second generation of Ford Transit was characterized primarily by the modified front. This was made due to the desire to equip the MK2 with Pinto engines from the reliable and extremely popular Cortina in the UK. In the early years of production, the Ford Transit MK2 was available only with a 1.6-liter engine with the designation Ford Kent. Police versions and rescue ambulance were equipped with previously known Essex V6 engines with a capacity of 3 liters. In Australia, the Ford Transit MK2 was characterized by a motor with a capacity of 4.1 liters!

Ford Transit MK2 was designed in such a way as to resemble the style of its smaller brothers - passenger cars from that period. The square headlights and the black front grille were characteristic of Ford cars. The interior of the new van has also changed. From now on - metal dashboard known from the MK1 model was replaced with its plastic equivalent. Also most of the equipment was more civilized and came largely from the Ford Taunus / Cortina passenger car.

In 1984, there was a small facelift of the second generation of Ford Transit. New van received a new front grille combined with headlamps, new side covers, fog light located in the rear lamp, reversing lights and position lights. The most important change was the introduction of a diesel engine with a direct injection of 2.5 DI. It was a redesigned diesel unit with the code denomination York. Remember that you can find parts for Transit MK2 in our online shop.

Ford Transit MK2 was offered in 6 body versions: Classic Van, Combi, Chassis Cab, Bus, Camper, in turn, all these versions were available with both a short wheelbase (2690 mm) and a long wheelbase (3000 mm). The extraordinary flexibility of manufacturers at that time allowed for any configuration of model. The success of a given model was not only its appearance, but also the possibility of personalization. Ford Transit MK2 customers could choose not only the body type, but also the engine version. Five engines were available: 1.6 OHC (gasoline), 1.6 OHV (gasoline), 2.0 OHC (gasoline), 2.0 OHC economy (gasoline) and 2.5 DI (diesel). In addition, each customer could choose from 32 combinations of external door settings, 6 types of drive system, and from 12 to 17 seats in the vehicle, which could be freely configured and set.

Ford Transit MK2
(fot: curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-global-ford-transit-mk2-phase2-mid-eighties-blue-and-white-transit-bus/)

The extraordinary freedom of configuration and the popularity of the second generation of Ford Transit led to the creation of many special editions of this van. One of them is certainly Clubmobil, which was introduced to the market thanks to Hymer Company. It was characterized by an OHC petrol unit with a capacity of 1.6 liters or 2 liters. It was equipped with a custom interior with swivel seats, carpet, sports steering wheel, velor upholstery and unique 14-inch Ronal wheels. To all this, the customer had at his disposal folding rear seats, trunk, front spoiler, tinted mirror, power steering, spare wheel on the back door, ladder, additional roof rack, as well as non-standard - unique arrangement of windows. During three years of production, only 150 units of this vehicle were manufactured, and to this day it is expected that less than 20 units survived.

At the end of 1982, the 4x4 all-wheel drive version was also launched on the German market. All-wheel drive development was dealt with by the German Ford dealer in Stuttgart, which later also offered the 4x4 version on foreign markets. The second generation of Ford Transit with 4x4 drive gave new opportunities in off-road.

Ford Transit MK2 in its long and colorful history was produced in Amsterdam (Netherlands), Genk (Belgium), Southampton (United Kingdom), Istanbul (Turkey) and New Zealand. The production of the second generation Ford Transit van was completed in 1986 after nine years of market presence.