As the proud owner of a Mk5 Ford Transit, it warmed my heart to find that these magnificent beasts (…) are still being made in China, courtesy of the Jiangling Motors Corporation.

While I am the first to admit that they aren’t the last word in refinement or performance (slow and noisy might be a fairer description) they are excellent, reliable workhorses built in the tradition of older commercial vehicles and designed to take some abuse.

These Chinese Transits look like they should be even better than the original Fords. The cabs seem to be nicely specified and the choice of engines has improved, with a Mitsubishi petrol engine or one of several turbo-diesels to choose from.

According to ChinaKnowledge.com, JMC sold more than 2,500 of Transit-based commercials in May alone – proving that there’s still life in the old dog yet.

You can check out the Jiangling Ford Transits in all their glory here – and be quick, as it looks like JMC are about to leapfrog the Mk6 and go straight to the latest generation Transit – the same one as the European Mk7 Transit.

P.S. The scruffy old nail in the picture above isn’t mine!