Rare Mk 2 Transit ‘Purdy’ needs your help to stay on the road

Purdy is an ex-BT Ford Transit Mk 2 — an increasingly scarce model.

Purdy is a rare ex-BT Ford Transit Mk 2 that’s owned by Penny Panagi from St Leonards-on-Sea. This van is well-known around Hastings and among the classic car community, but has fallen on hard times in recent years and is now in urgent need of some serious TLC.

As part of Ford’s celebrations of 100 years of commercial vehicles, Purdy will appear on the Ford stand at this year’s FordFest, which will take place at the Santa Pod drag strip on Sunday, 17 September.

The van is currently described as “too far gone to be economically viable to repair”, but owner Penny is determined to rescue this increasingly rare model and get it back on the road. She’s hoping that UK Transit fans will dig deep and help to fund some of the restoration work this great lady needs.

Such is Purdy’s fame that she even has her own Facebook page, where you can keep up to date with progress on the restoration and chat with other supporters or volunteer your help.

If you’d like to support Purdy’s restoration directly, she also has a crowdfunding page where you can donate: https://www.gofundme.com/23ztpmk.

FordFest event director, Phil Weeden, said:

“It’s imperative that, having survived this long, Purdy remains on the road. Most vans have a very hard life and few live to being over 30 years old, especially ex-utility vehicles such as this one. Penny adores Purdy and the van has become something of an icon among Transit fans and classic vehicle preservationists alike, so we’re hoping that her presence at FordFest will be sufficient to help raise enough funds to continue the restoration. What better way to celebrate 100 years of Ford Commercial Vehicles than to contribute towards the preservation of one so iconic?”

Apparently Purdy does still run, but she’s no flyer and won’t be taking part in the FordFest Drag Race. But visitors to the event should be rewarded with a feast of Ford delights, as more than 2,000 cars are expected to be on display.

Other highlights planned for the show are magazine cover style photo shoots from Blue Pig Photography, where showgoers can have their car modelled on the front of a mag for just £40, plus a Show and Shine sponsored by ValetPRO, entrance photography by Photography UK and stands from the leading Ford titles, Fast Ford and Classic Ford.

Petrol outpaces electric in the race to replace diesel vans

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The Volkswagen Transporter is now available with a 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine with 150 PS or 204 PS power ratings.

I’ve written quite a bit about how petrol and electric power plants can be a more suitable choice than diesel engines for van owners with urban or low-mileage operations.

Figures released today by automotive data specialist cap hpi suggests that petrol is currently winning the race. Steve Botfield, Senior Editor Commercial Vehicles & Motorcycles, said:

“EV shows a YOY growth from 2016 but petrol registrations in this sector have already overtaken the whole of last year’s numbers.

This is not surprising. A number of manufacturers — notably Volkswagen — have increased the choice and marketing of petrol-engined vans over the last year. And while electric models can make very good sense, the reality is that they are still unknown and more limited in scope.

Would-be electric van buyers may be especially concerned about resale value, which is still largely unknown.

Diesel vans remain the only sensible choice for many operators. This is reflected in sales figures, according to Steve Botfield:

Interest in alternative fuelled vehicles within the LCV sector is mainly limited to the small van sector, with both electric and petrol increasing their market share. All other sectors however rely on diesel being the fuel of choice based on pure economy.

Looking at the LCV market as a whole, cap hpi expects new registrations in 2017 to fall by around 5% compared to 2016. If this forecast is correct, it will be the first year since 2010 that LCV registrations have fallen.

We track used van prices and new LCV registration data using data issued by the SMMT and leading auction firms. Follow the vanrental.co.uk blog for regular updates on the state of the used van market.

Information update: Terror attacks and van hire

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This year has seen a number of terror attacks where hired vans have been deliberately driven into crowds with the intention of causing harm.

Such attacks are obviously difficult to prevent. There are around 150,000 vans operated as short-term rental vehicles in the UK. Isolating one or two suspect customers will never be easy. And of course, the vast majority of hire customers are completely genuine.

However, you may have seen press reports suggesting that the government, police and van hire companies are working together to find ways of identifying suspect rental customers.

What’s being suggested?

If you’ve hired a van before, you’ll know that you are always required to provide proof of ID and your home or business address, along with a valid driving licence.

What you may not know is that some hire companies already have access to watch lists to help them identify potential customers with links to vehicle theft and fraud.

The suggestion seems to be that this system could be expanded to include watch lists of possible terrorist suspects. It’s not clear to us whether this is already happening or not. If and when these changes and others are made, they won’t necessarily be made public.

Whatever happens, we wouldn’t expect changes of this kind to have any effect on genuine van rental customers. We certainly don’t expect much change in the procedure for hiring a van for UK use from any of our van hire partners.

Customers will continue to have to provide driving licence details (including a DVLA check code), personal ID and proof of address. We’d expect stricter enforcement in all three areas, where necessary.

If and when any changes are made public, we will post further updates on this site and on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

StreetScooter unveils Work XL electric Transit van

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The StreetScooter WORK XL, a Ford Transit-based electric van built for Deutsche Post DHL

Back in June, I reported on plans by Deutsche Post DHL to develop an electric version of the Ford Transit. The German group’s StreetScooter subsidiary would build the van, with plans for 2,500 units to be in service by the end of 2018.

Progress has been rapid and plans are now underway for 150 early production vans to be produced by StreetScooter’s Aachen plant during the remainder of 2017. Pictured is one of the first examples of the new model.

Charging the StreetScooter WORK XL

The Work XL is based on a Ford Transit chassis, with a battery-electric drivetrain and a body designed and built to Deutsche Post DHL specifications.

According to the firm, each van could save around five tonnes of CO2 and 1,900 litres of diesel each year. So the planned fleet of 2,500 could reduce the company’s fuel usage by as much as 4.75 million litres per year.

The WORK XL will have a load volume of 20 cubic metres and provide stowage space for more than 200 parcels. The e-van is fitted with a modular battery system delivering 30 kWh to 90 kWh of power, giving it a range of between 80 km and 200 km.

The Work XL is the largest of the three electric vans developed so far by StreetScooter. The other two are the WORK (4 cubic metres load space) and the Work L (8 cubic metres load space).

Deutsche Post DHL is already the largest electric fleet operator in Germany, with more than 3,000 StreetScooter WORK and WORK L vehicles in service, plus around 10,500 pedelecs (presumably these are electric bicycles).

From Model TT to Transit: Ford celebrates 100 years of vans

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The Ford Model TT van was launched in 1917 and was the company’s first purpose-built van.

Did you know that 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the first purpose-built van made by Ford? I didn’t either, but it turns out that back in 1917, Ford launched the Model TT.

The TT was a purpose-built one-tonne van, making it the direct equivalent of today’s Transit Custom. Obviously much has changed. But as these pictures from the Ford archives make clear, in some ways very little has changed. Like the Transit Custom, the TT provided a flexible and highly customisable way for businesses to transport more or less anything.

The Ford Model TT loaded with straw. Obviously wide loads weren’t such an issue then as they might be now…

The TT had solid tyres and was started with a crank handle. Operators wanting more comfort could specify air-filled rear tyres, which were something of a luxury at that time.

A Ford Model TT with a caged rear body — as used by gardeners and scrap dealers today!

I’ll leave you with this fascinating titbit. According to a study commissioned by Ford, 46% of Britons believe that a “Transit” refers to a specific size of van. Almost a quarter of those questioned used the word “Transit” to describe a typical panel van.

Like it or not, the Transit really is part of the fabric of life in the UK.

Heading back to uni? You need a van

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The end of the summer holiday is approaching. The dreaded return to university is almost upon us.

Impossible amount’s of ‘stuff’ that just won’t fit in your family car, even if everyone but the driver travels by train.

The solution is simple. By hiring a van, you can fit everything in comfortably. You may even be able to share the journey and the costs with a friend.

The extra cost in fuel and hire charges could easily be cancelled out by the cost of making two trips by car if you don’t fit everything in the first time.

Nevermind the risk of damage to the inside of your prized motor…

Demand for van hire is sky-high at this time of year. But prices are still reasonable and our suppliers are still showing some availability.

However, I’d recommend booking now if you need a van, as popular locations and van sizes are in limited supply and may soon be booked up.

The university run is a lot simpler and less stressful if you go by van. Why not give it a try this year?

Questions?

What’s the minimum age? Van hire is not generally available to drivers under 21 and those under 25 may incur a surcharge.

Can I hire one way? One-way journeys also normally cost more, and your choice of pickup and dropoff may be more limited.

The solution: The best way to do #backtouni van hire is to get a parent or home-based friend to hire the van. That way you won’t have to worry about one-way charges or young driver fees.

Still got questions? Get in touch with us on Twitter @vanrentaluk or through our Facebook page.

UK commercial vehicle exports drive 11.6% higher in H1 2017

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Exports of UK-built vans, trucks and buses rose by 11.6% to 27,818 units during the first half of 2017, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

The industry trade body said that the EU continued to account for 94.7% of all CV exports, although noted decent demand for UK buses from Asian and Australiasian markets.

In total, 63.5% of commercial vehicles built in the UK were exported. This has obvious implications for manufacturers concerned about the detail of how Brexit will be implicated. Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, says that the government needs to give due consideration to the needs of the automotive industry:

It’s positive to see such strong growth in CV exports, however, with almost every British-built van and truck destined for Europe, this reiterates the critical need to secure a new trading relationship that ensures this important sector can remain competitive.

The British and European vehicle manufacturing industries are highly integrated, and a beneficial relationship will take time to negotiate. This is why we need government to seek an interim arrangement that will maintain our place within the single market and customs union until this can be achieved.

The reality of modern manufacturing is that parts are made in many countries and brought together on a just-in-time basis at the point of final assembly. As such, it’s clear that the close integration of automotive supply chains across Europe depends on rapid, frictionless movement across multiple borders.

Whether Brexit can deliver this for UK manufacturers remains to be seen. Although I suspect the government will be aware of how much employment and inward investment is tied to automotive manufacturing.

Beginner’s guide to van hire: the round-up

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We’ve recently been running a beginner’s guide to van hire here at vanrental.co.uk. For many of you, we know that it’s your first time renting a van.

So we’ve tried to put together a series of short articles covering all the questions you might have.

In order to make sure these new articles easier to find, I’ve put together this round-up post with links to all the beginner’s articles we’ve published.

Of course, if you still have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch:

New Nissan Navara Trek-1° takes Tekna up a notch

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Only 400 examples of the limited edition Nissan Navara Trek-1° will be available in the UK.

At the start of this year, I flagged up the impending arrival of the Nissan Navara Trek-1° pickup. It’s a well-specified limited edition model of the firm’s popular pickup truck.

The Navara Trek-1° is now on sale in the UK. Just 400 units will be available to UK buyers, so if you haven’t already put your name down you may want to do so soon. Pricing will be an extra £3,435 above the range-topping Navara Tekna model.

The Trek-1° is powered by the Navara’s usual 2.3 dCi 190 engine, which boasts a official combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 44.9mpg for the six-speed manual, and 40.1mpg for the automatic. All versions offer Nissan’s on-demand four-wheel drive.

Among the extras included in the Trek-1° specification are:

Black sport styling bars
Forward-facing LED spot lamps
Black 18-inch, six-spoke alloy wheels
A colour-coded load bed cover

Two colours are available, Black Metallic or Storm White. Both versions come with Trek-1° decals.

Inside, the Trek-1° bets the NissanConnect infotainment system, which includes sat nav and DAB radio, plus 360° Around View Monitor, rear parking sensors and LED headlights. Leather seats, heated front seats and a full-size spare wheel are also included.

It’s a loaded model that’s bound to appeal in the current market. For more details, take yourself to your local Nissan dealer.

New van registrations stack up with 1.1% gain in July

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A grand total of 24,766 new vans hit British roads in July 2017, 1.1% more than during the same period last year.

The new figures — from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) — suggest that the van market remains stable and is not yet suffering from the slowdown being seen in the new car market.

So far this year, we’ve seen a 3.1% fall in the total number of new light commercial vehicles (LCVs) registered, compared to last year. Here’s how this looks compared to performance since 2011:

Van registrations for rolling years from July 2011 – July 2017 (courtesy of SMMT)

The top-performing sectors have been the 2.0t-2.5t van market (+9.2% YTD) and the pickup market (+14.8% YTD).

The highest-volume sector of the van market is the 2.5-3.5t segment. Sales here have declined in line with the market so far this year, falling 4.3% to 129,871 units.

The weakest sector has been vans with a maximum laden weight of under two tonnes. Registrations have fallen by 19.6% to 17.817 so far this year. In fairness, I suspect that the main reason for this decline is simply that there are now very few new vans which fall into this category.

July’s top sellers

There are few changes from last month in July’s list of top-selling van models. Ford continues to reign supreme. The Transit Connect, Transit Custom and Transit accounted for 27% of all vans sold in July, and occupy the top three slots in the bestseller list.

It’s a similar story for the year as a whole:

Best selling vans in July 2017 and for the year-to-date (courtesy of SMMT)