A little over a year ago, Ford Performance shook the sports car world when it revealed it had 12 new performance vehicles (and variants) to debut before 2020. You heard right, a very-sizable 12 vehicles.
A hero of the working world, a sportier Ford Transit van is not likely to be one of those dozen sporty vehicles? but that didn?t stop ?Hoonigan?, racing driver, and celebrity Ken Block from creating one. Meet the 2016 Ken Block Edition Ford Transit van.
If it looks vaguely like a World Rally Championship race car, there?s a reason for it. The firm responsible for the outrageous Ford Transit is M-Sport, the UK company behind the Ford Fiesta WRC rally cars. Let?s hope this one is equally sporty.
As can be seen, the special edition Transit van features customized all-black bodywork, providing a mean look for what would otherwise be an everyday work van. The conversion includes darkened Ford badges, headlight housings, a low-slung body kit, and if you look close you?ll find subtle grey designs flanking the Transit?s sides. These details provide a nod to Block?s own Ford Focus RS RX race car livery, and have been sketched by renowned street artist Felipe Pantone.
Visibly, the Transit sits much lower to the ground than stock. The drop in height comes courtesy of a lowered and tuned suspension along with lightweight OZ racing wheels. Inside, the Ford Transit is said to boast a custom leather interior, which also features designs that mirror Pantone?s sketches.
Unfortunately, not much else is known about the racy van, other than the fact that it will go on sale later this year in Europe. Sorry, American fans. Further information and powertrain specifications are expected to be announced later this summer.
?I?m really stoked with how this collaboration turned out,? said Block. ?I always thought that maybe someday I?d have a signature Ford vehicle, but I never thought that it?d be a van!
Ken Block has been personally driving this van around Norway for the past week. ?I?m blown away by the looks and attention this thing has been getting. Plus my wife and kids like it, so it?s a win-win in my book.?
Though pricing is likely to differ, M-Sport does currently sell a rally-styled Ford Transit van through a collaboration known as Van-Sport. Pricing for that model starts at ?26,995 (about $39,000) in the UK.
