Ford Of Britain 100: Image Of The Week - 19/52

BRENTWOOD, UNITED KINGDOM – May 12, 2011: To celebrate the centenary of Ford of Britain in 2011 the company is exploring its photo archive to reveal rarely seen images.

Ford's unique relationship with Britain and its society will be illustrated each week by specially selected pictures.

Since its launch in 1965 the Ford Transit has 'flown' off the forecourt but as this week's image shows some people took the flying part more literally. The versatile load carrier has proved an icon of motoring and the name Transit has become synonymous with medium vans.

Back in 1985 stunt man Steve Matthews took his Ford Transit a bit further by leaping over 15 cars to raise money for charity. Rumour has it the only modifications were the removal of glass and an ample supply of gaffer tape to the bonnet.

Today, the Ford Transit may prefer to keep all wheels on the ground but that doesn't mean it can't fly. Last month saw the unveiling of the one-off Transit Supersportvan. Ford’s biggest Transit engine, the 3.2-litre, 200PS Duratorq TDCi engine, has been transplanted into a short wheelbase Transit.

Exterior features such as twin exhausts, side skirts and low profile tyres combine with power deadlocks, rain-sensing wipers and LED daytime running lights to showcase how easy it is to apply existing high-performance Ford technology in the UK's best-selling van.