Ford Light Commercials
Discussion
https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2671-02-N...
I file this under the heading " You Never Noticed Them Disappearing " the at one time almost universal on any High Street Escort Van .
Anyone any experience of the values of these ? In this condition to the right Buyer it must be an easy £20K all day long ?
I file this under the heading " You Never Noticed Them Disappearing " the at one time almost universal on any High Street Escort Van .
Anyone any experience of the values of these ? In this condition to the right Buyer it must be an easy £20K all day long ?
In pre VaT days, cars were subject to 'Purchase Tax', vans were not. So the likely lads bought a van and spent the weekend with a hacksaw blade cutting the van rear side panels out to accept windows and mounting a rear folding seat, thus building an 'estate car' out of the humble van!
Joining the 'Common Market' and the introduction of VaT ended the practice.
Joining the 'Common Market' and the introduction of VaT ended the practice.
Doofus said:
Did they only do the van, or was there a kombi too?
For the MK3, you could have a 'proper' van, or a kombi, which was the three door estate with panelled sides.
There wasn't a Mk1 or Mk2 kombi, not in the UK atleast. For some reason a few companies ran Escort estates (& Vauxhall Chevette estates) with clip on side window covers. Redifussion being quite a common sight in the '70's. They also had Mk3 Escort estates with window covers, predating the factory Kombi van. From memory I don't think the Escort Kombi arrived until the 1986 facelift, Mk4 Escort ? I'd have to check to be sure. For the MK3, you could have a 'proper' van, or a kombi, which was the three door estate with panelled sides.
gt40steve said:
There wasn't a Mk1 or Mk2 kombi, not in the UK atleast. For some reason a few companies ran Escort estates (& Vauxhall Chevette estates) with clip on side window covers. Redifussion being quite a common sight in the '70's. They also had Mk3 Escort estates with window covers, predating the factory Kombi van. From memory I don't think the Escort Kombi arrived until the 1986 facelift, Mk4 Escort ? I'd have to check to be sure.
You could be right. It was a long time ago... 
There are some really nice MK1 and MK2 vans out there at the moment and a few more having extensive, and expensive, restorations. The price of panels can be particularly eye watering.
Values vary but good vans are 20k plus.
Eta
The MK1/MK2 Escort panel van group on Facebook is worth a look.
Values vary but good vans are 20k plus.
Eta
The MK1/MK2 Escort panel van group on Facebook is worth a look.
Edited by Little Pete on Sunday 15th September 00:26
Edited by Little Pete on Sunday 15th September 00:34
gt40steve said:
Doofus said:
Did they only do the van, or was there a kombi too?
For the MK3, you could have a 'proper' van, or a kombi, which was the three door estate with panelled sides.
There wasn't a Mk1 or Mk2 kombi, not in the UK atleast. For some reason a few companies ran Escort estates (& Vauxhall Chevette estates) with clip on side window covers. Redifussion being quite a common sight in the '70's. They also had Mk3 Escort estates with window covers, predating the factory Kombi van. From memory I don't think the Escort Kombi arrived until the 1986 facelift, Mk4 Escort ? I'd have to check to be sure. For the MK3, you could have a 'proper' van, or a kombi, which was the three door estate with panelled sides.
Bristol*, late ‘80s early ‘90s was peak boy-racer Max Power era and before these guys got their hands XR3s etc Escort vans were pimped right up, before their inevitable death. Lurid paint schemes, alloys, stereos, exhausts etc. Good fun TBH.
- I assume everywhere else too but I associate them with roaring around the Centre at 11.00PM on a Friday.
gt40steve said:
Doofus said:
Did they only do the van, or was there a kombi too?
For the MK3, you could have a 'proper' van, or a kombi, which was the three door estate with panelled sides.
There wasn't a Mk1 or Mk2 kombi, not in the UK atleast. For some reason a few companies ran Escort estates (& Vauxhall Chevette estates) with clip on side window covers. Redifussion being quite a common sight in the '70's. They also had Mk3 Escort estates with window covers, predating the factory Kombi van. From memory I don't think the Escort Kombi arrived until the 1986 facelift, Mk4 Escort ? I'd have to check to be sure. For the MK3, you could have a 'proper' van, or a kombi, which was the three door estate with panelled sides.
I had totally forgotten those clip on sides . A TV Engineer at the top of the road used to remove them every Sunday to take the Family to the Chapel but unlike some the car was all one colour so it could pass for a Private vehicle .
The early Seventies I don't suppose this thought ever crossed Johns mind .There certainly wasn't any declaring of Personal Use to the Taxman nor I believe to the Insurance Underwriter .
The early Seventies I don't suppose this thought ever crossed Johns mind .There certainly wasn't any declaring of Personal Use to the Taxman nor I believe to the Insurance Underwriter .
https://angliacarauctions.co.uk/auctions/2671-02-N...
This is another from the same Auction . Like the Unimog an unfulfilled ambition of mine I file this under the heading " Vehicles I Wish I Had A Use For"
This is another from the same Auction . Like the Unimog an unfulfilled ambition of mine I file this under the heading " Vehicles I Wish I Had A Use For"
The lightest of light Ford commercials , the KaVan !
I believe it may have been developed for BT originally? An official Ford model, picture of an early brochure below. I don't know if they were built in the factory in Valencia or converted post production. All the van conversion parts could be ordered as a kit or individually from Ford dealers. The fact that there was a finis number for a complete kit suggests to me that a post production - pre registration conversion was quite likely.
I believe it may have been developed for BT originally? An official Ford model, picture of an early brochure below. I don't know if they were built in the factory in Valencia or converted post production. All the van conversion parts could be ordered as a kit or individually from Ford dealers. The fact that there was a finis number for a complete kit suggests to me that a post production - pre registration conversion was quite likely.
Yertis said:
Bristol*, late ‘80s early ‘90s was peak boy-racer Max Power era and before these guys got their hands XR3s etc Escort vans were pimped right up, before their inevitable death. Lurid paint schemes, alloys, stereos, exhausts etc. Good fun TBH.
When I lived in Suffolk all the boy racers had ex-Breheny vans. Breheny is a well-established civil engineering company with a branch in Needham Market, near Ipswich. They used a lot of Astra vans, both van-shaped and estate-shaped. These were sold off periodically at auction, and were bought by lads who'd remove the livery but never polish out the "shadow" left behind, so you could always spot an ex-Breheny van.- I assume everywhere else too but I associate them with roaring around the Centre at 11.00PM on a Friday.
At one point, the land speed record was held by such a van*
*Or so it felt, at least
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