Driving a Ford Transit Mk5 Flareside! Rare Oddity! 

That generation of transit has some great memories for me. When I was at uni I was in the Canoe Club and we had a ropey ex-police transit meat wagon we used to haul the boats around. As it was Ex police it had bull bars and blacked out perspex windows so we would get pulled over all the time by cops with no sense of humour who didn't like us answering "If you don't like the bull bars you shouldn't have fitted them". I did the servicing on her because "You're an engineer" (I was studying electronic engineering which obviously qualified me to service a 1989 Transit). Somehow "Soapy" managed to take us all the way to the French Alps and back multiple times.

Years ago, and I mean *years*, my dad had reason to describe one of these to me. He'd seen one somewhere. At the time I told him I had no idea what he was on about, never seen a Transit as he described. Never seen one since either. It pops into my mind now and again and I still never understood what he was talking about.... until now. Probably 25 years later and finally the mystery is solved. Amazing. Thanks Hubnut.

The mechanical sounds of younger days you never realized you'd miss - until you do! Suffolk Punch lawnmowers humming away on sunny Sunday mornings, Paxman Valenta engined HSTs screaming out of cold and lonely railway stations on dark, winter evenings and the unmistakable growl of the Transit 2.5DI engine, just everywhere!

I'm a big fan of MK5 Smiley Transit's and we used to hire them all the time for removals. So rare now.

Did thousands of miles in a smiley DI. Never missed a beat until the timing belt snapped. Only bent a couple of push rods. Fitted push rods and belt in a morning and back on the road.

Can't say I've ever seen one of these in person, but I do now want one...

That distinctive diesel chug and dull roar was the soundtrack of Britain in the '90s to mid-'00s. Never thought I'd miss it but I kind of do.

My dad was a diesel fitter, I have fond memories of him working on these. I remember him having friendly banter with his mate - another local mechanic, about how quickly they could change a 2.5 DI cam belt kit if they had a race. I also remember him swapping out the local Scout Groups 2.0 pinto minibus to a 2.5 DI in a day. Something he still bleats on about to this day!

I used to work for a van hire company and had to maintain their fleet of Transits. I loved working on them because they were so easy unlike the majority of modern vans

Marvellous. For some reason we had a 2.5Di powered minibus as a 'pool car' in one company I worked for. Like the Duracell bunny it just went on and on and on. Great piece of kit. Sadly, due to their hard-working lives, there are fewer commercial vehicle survivors than cars, but seeing more on the channel would be splendidly splendid.

That engine sound is so evocative! Never exactly speed demons, but I suspect that one has lost a few horses along the way. I'm sure they were faster to 40. The Mk.2 1.6 Pinto was surprisingly sprightly up to 30 or so, and good for (an indicated) over 90, where the speedo ran out of numbers. Got to love a smiley faced Transit, but Transits in general have been such damn good grafters - get on and do the job. Every time I get in one, I'm always impressed by the view, you somehow feel more in control and aware of what traffic is doing. A modern one would definitely be in my multi-millionaire's garage.

You can't beat a banana powered smiley 😂 I have an ex royal mail lwb 190 that was converted to a campervan in 2000 & absolutely love it, not fast but very comfortable & got up the Welsh hills in 3rd gear, my best adventure by far 👍

Used to drive a 2004 transit in a previous job and can genuinely say it was one of the very few vehicles that never gave me back pain, so comfy!

Gotta love a Transit. Of course this one seems to be missing a few bits of kit. A copy of yesterdays Sun, McDonald's wrappers, rizla papers and baccy. It'll run much smoother with these essentials on board 👍👍

I can remember fords advertising slogan “the backbone of Britain” or something very similar to that? Equally another one that sticks from more recent years was something like “engineered to last” sadly the transit lost the race and most fords these days don’t seem to last. Lovely little van all the same, I could feel and smell that cabin air, good memories

The local road works yard had a red one of these when I was growing up, was abused and thrashed for well over 15 years before it was put out to pasture in their storage facility the other end of town. It was still there a few years ago and surprisingly not that rusty, will check and see if it's still there next time I visit my parents!

I don't know how all these rare, bizarre automotive oddities keep finding you but I'm glad they do. I never knew anything like this even existed until this video.

Crazy to me that my Fiesta from two years after this Transit had the same power output and weighed less than a ton itself, nevermind carrying an extra ton. Always makes me smile to see a smiley face Transit, though - the street furniture of my childhood. I don't recall seeing many, if any, of these stylish Flareside models, though.

Miss my old Tranny pickup. Had a tail lift too! Was very slow when laden. Funny story I was overtaking a mini bus with a bunch of women on a hen do onboard who all lifted their tee shirts when we overtook. Then just as we got past them we were on the slope going up to the split on the M5 before Clevedon, the Tranny lost speed and we were undertaken by the same minibus so we got to see it all again. Hilarious.

PHWARRR you find some gems Ian! Is it weird that if I owned that van, I'd just want to sit and listen to it on tick over!

Growing up in an ex pit town, these things were absolutely everywhere. At least one or two on every street owned by a bloke who worked in the pit 10 years prior and was then a plasterer or a builder or an electrician or etc etc etc - really were used for everything lol. That ovular smile is iconic and that distinctive banana screech (dont know what else you'd call it) is one of the most iconic automotive sounds to me - you could hear it from a mile away and know it was a ford transit. a local window fitter had a red flareside for a number of years well past its welcome, i cant say ive seen one since. i'm lucky enough to live on a street that a smiley still calls home - though a tipper - and i must say it makes me smile each time i see it. I suppose that is another reason you could call it a smiley transit lol. really is a shame that the steps and arches were basically made of cardboard - though nothing will be as hilariously rusty as an early sprinter.

The sound of that engine idle at the end was amazingly evocative. My first van (not actually mine but I drove it every day) was a Transit swb panel van of this era. I didn't have much to compare it against except old rear engine VW vans, I remember driving that thing flat out all the time, all over the place. The engine really was un-burstable but 71mph, limited by revs was the top whack. I also remember discovering it could be made to go even better on twisty country roads with a little judicious left foot braking. Oh, and getting it stuck more then once especially when empty on a wet grass verge after pulling over for a tractor to pass. They had next to no traction in the wrong circumstances.

All RAC Smiley's were 2.5TD along with lots of campervans and Tourneo's. There was also a choice of rear axle ratio's depending on spec. Even though the 'Banana' engine/TD is OHV it has a timing belt which is unusual.

Used to work on these often. Cambelts are a piece of cake, great engines

Every year at Santa Pod at Transfest you can see The most Beautful Transit Flareside completely restored plus a Transit half van as a Trailer/Caravan..Absolutely gorgeous and a lovely family own it and built it .....Be sure to go and see it .!!!!!

The mk4 facelift was mostly mechanical upgrades, the mk5 facelift was mostly cosmetic. All mk4s have the independent front suspension. Mk5 got a new dashboard, mirrors, grill and vents in the rear pillars. Also, headlights went from glass lenses to plastic between mk4 and mk5. They're the same shape, so mk4 lights are sought after by mk5 owners.

Transits are fantastic I remember the first time I rode in one and couldn't believe the comfort level and smoothness. I had only been in Austin J2 and Ju's before that.What a revelation

Great for hauling recycable metals! Cool version, never seen one until today. Fun review, I hope the 'oddities' continue for 2023. Thank you very much HubNut, a great surprise :)

That generation still sounds quite smooth. Try a K or J plate or especially an 80s E or F and the clatter of the diesel will be much more obvious. The sound that you heard a lot as they were your school minibus, your builders tools and there was several on the street. Certainly not quiet motorway cruisers but did the job and got us to all the places we wanted to go unlike some of the coaches we hired.

I can remember a couple of fishermen having these. They weren't bought new, and of course being around salt made them rust even quicker than normal. A friend had an ex BT smiley Transit which I drove once. I remember that putting your foot down just increased the noise. You had to have a decent gap to pull out onto a main road.

Had one as a works van brand new in 94,loved it,nice to see one again

Brilliant video Ian 👍I think white van man wouldn't enjoy driving it as its not fast enough to drive up your rear it's a nice looking van and practical Brilliant

I remember my high school having a smiley as a minibus. It was a 99 or 2000 model. The nostalgia that engine brings back is👌

About the time this one was out I road-tested a clutchless semi automatic LPG Transit as a regional journalist. An experimental vehicle, it was a superb vehicle, but was let down by the LPG service network as there weren't many qualified MOT testers in the UK able to service and inspect them. Originally aimed at Royal Mail, I don't think it ever caught on with fleet buyers, but the MKIII was a superior vehicle to anything in its class. It was the first LCV with car-like handling and features allowing 'anyone' to get behind the wheel, so came with a cabin that treated the driving position, switch gear and creature comforts and an office for owner drivers. A first tat the time, it took many years for the competition to catch onto this concept. Great video as always Ian, it's brought back some memories

Back in the early 80s I drove Mark 1 Transits, the Kombi version, a van with side windows and fold down side facing seats, later outlawed. They were petrol powered and had the twin rears with protruding mudguards. I only drove them for a few months and they belonged to the local health authority. The newest of the fleet had an updated bonnet design. They worked hard for their keep and were really pleasant to drive.

Aw Brilliant stuff! I remember seeing one of these once and thinking it must have been a custom chop-job. But no! I have been educated by the kind people at HubNut yet again! So-long...And thanks for all the fish ;)

My first transit was a early 70s diesel which was very slow and noisy. In a bid to quiet it down I fitted a piece of carpet in the cab. Next a 1.6 petrol both panel vans. then a 2.0 petrol Luton box a 3.0 v6 petrol luton (fun) 2 more 2.0 petrol Lutons and finally a face lift 92 diesel lwb hi roof panel van. The carpet fitted each van exactly without cutting it. Very reliable and easy to drive work horse's. Other vans as well besides transits were used most notably a Renault master. So when I had to purchase my own transport for work it was a no brainer for me to get another.............Renault master a 2.8tdi lwb hi roof. It was the low floor I needed to make my job easier lifting heavy tools and gear in and out the back. The front drive transit was still a few years away. Last van as I'm now retired was a Citroën relay similar to the Renault but no where near as good to drive as it or the transits. But it was the v6 I drove for 1 year that was most memorable as it left most cars for dust in the traffic light grand prix.

Excellent video Ian! Bought back a lot of memories from my Transit driving(thrashing) days... Not a patch on a Sprinter but so much better in many ways... Thanks.

Great memories, thanks for the drive Ian!

When I worked for Intersport, we had an SWB Tranny panel van with this engine in. K602LWP used to get thrashed stupid, remember doing what was a regular run, Alcester-Orpington-Gravesend-Margate-Hastings-Worthing-Redhill-Maidenhead-Alcester. In one 14-hour day. That was 510 miles. I can remember she would do 95mph flat out, which was the speed it did for mile after mile on the M40/M25. We had that van until early 1997, never once did she fail to proceed. Superb tools.

Sounds of my childhood those Transit diesels, brings back memories when my dad use to have one.

I had one of these as a “company car” was offered this or a Rover 800 and this was much more tax efficient and came with a fuel card . The company would occasionally use it for delivering electric pallet trucks , fond memories it could hustle along fairly well

Lovely ! Used drive LWB Smiley vans from Dublin to Birmingham (NEC) and London (Olympia ) for exhibitions, in the mid 90s. Loved them, slow but so easy to drive. Never saw a flare side in Ireland. Great vid, thanks, Ian!

Ah, the good old days of Ford in the late 80s & early 90s. If your dad didn't have a Sierra, he almost certainly had a slope front Transit. God I miss them. The sound of that diesel engine is so evocative.

Wonderful! I spotted a seemingly abandoned green one on the Isle of Wight in the summer.

Our mk 3 Transit we used to deliver print back in the early 90s did over 200k miles in 3 years, a true workhorse.

Yeah I enjoyed this. Brought back memories of delivering parts for a Land Rover dealer in central London with a SWB smiley van in the late 90s. The van wasn't that old, had very low mileage but was badly worn out because it was always in London. It was on the go all day but I doubt it ever did more than 300 miles a week. I don't think it ever went above 50mph but it was always either accelerating or breaking. Happy days, constantly changing gear while eating a sandwich, reading an A to Z and talking on a hand held phone, legally! 😊

Great video Ian - thoroughly enjoyable

When I started as a satellite dish fitter for TAS back in 1995, we had a few transits they were extremely popular among the engineers. I did some miles in one, happy memories. That sound brings it all back.

I've driven one , we had a few on fleet , fun to drive

Awe great vlog Ian- the noise of those engines bring me back. I used to load the Luton bodied version up at night for delivery the next day as part of job I had.... nostalgia....

Such a distinctive noise. The noise of the roads of the 90s/early 00s

Van testing is a really nice change , more please if you are able .

I think this is the first time that I've seen a Flareside. I drove a few transit vans many years ago. An early non smiley slant front petrol like this one was a joy to drive for me to help move an old buddy some 100 miles away and it was fantastic and handled like a car in many ways. OK it wasn't super quick but it went well and was quite a relaxed drive. In the late 90's I hired another on when I moved nearly 80 miles away, a diesel this time and although it did a great job it was painfully slow on the country lanes. Brilliant work horses though.

Fond memories of the G plate pick up I drove as an apprentice. I was struggling to describe the experience, but tooling about sums up my experience 100% Oh the noise!

The noise of that gear change always reminded me of someone cracking their knuckles. Weirdly satisfying in an odd way.

I enjoyed that ! Very pro presentation with interesting comments. All the more remarkable that you're alone talking to the camera, no crew to act as a public ! Well done 👍

Something about this generation of transit is always exciting

The transit was the only Ford I liked until I owned a Falcon 😁 Your video brought back a few memories for me too.

Spent everyday of my childhood in these and into my early adult life.. love that sound of the Di

Amazing commercial vehicles. So tough. So simple. I managed 82 mph on an uphill section of the A27 on a memorable day.😁 Probably the best vans ever made. So reliable.

Never knew these existed, funky! Also Ian nearly 100k! Very exciting times!

Lovely sounding engine!!! Nice to see Atherstone too ❤

Thanks Ian. I NEED one of those now.

Love it! That era of transit is pretty set in my memory. I noticed a proper old school transit in the "unloved spares" area of a small independent garage near me; sadly it's probably a fully fledged "tin worm nursery, school and college" as we're by the sea here.

I'm old enough to remember when Englands roads echoed to the sound of those clatterbox Transits, lol!

The diesel noise took me back to the early 1980's when I was on post-office and the sound of the old 1970's Bedford vans clattering away. Nice little find Mr HubNut, never seen one before.

Really enjoyed this, would love to see more vans on the channel when possible

I can only agree Ian, hearing that 2.5DI engine makes me want an ice cream too! 😋

just been out in mine today always put a smile on my face pure nostalgia with total reliability! ive also got another 3 lol addicted to them love the style and driving position

There is still a T reg Transit that I see running around locally to me, it is pretty tired looking, but doesn't want to give up, it currently has 306k miles on it!

Hello Ian and miss hubnut can’t wait to watch this

Wonderful Video 🙂 Only hubnut does this type of review !

Really enjoyed, fab vid. 😀

Ahh that Clattery sound of a “Smiley” transit, takes me back to my days working as a cleaner for BT and they always had these vans in that classic Blue/Grey colour, that sound was one I’d hear every day. Sadly most have rotted away now, but it’s nice to see the odd survivor plodding around that’s not a camper van, mind you they’r nice to see as well, when did you last see a Smiley transit camper! Your right, the Flareside wasn’t a big hit for Ford, most transit owners were fleet buyers and this would have been unsuitable for a lot of businesses. I last saw a Flareside a few years ago, most were that blue/grey colour, I’d almost forgotten about them until now. Great review again Ian, and thanks for your time, effort, and knowledge.

another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts 👍

I had a mk3 swb van, did 275k without missing a beat, succumbed sadly to tinworm, but the engine/box lived on in another truck. Bombproof.

Superb video, thank you. I’ve wanted a Flareside ever since I saw a modded Red(?) one in Max Power back in the day…. Im actually in the market for either a Flareside or MK5 SWB van in the new year, I’ll have to get searching now after seeing this!

Liked the way you drove to and away from the camera towards the end. Very William Woollard!

Blimey, a Flareside! We had one of them at work in the late 90s, and was utterly brilliant! Compared to our LWB van it was like a little sports car to drive - I absolutely loved it. ❤️❤️❤️ I'd love one now but with just 30 on the roads? Ah well...

I saw one of these on the way to college today. I was actually wondering what it was! 😂. Then I realised it was a Transit van! First time ever seeing one of these.

My dad has a groundwork’s firm and they started out with an m reg smiley swb mid roof as their first van in 1996, I have many fond memories of going to work with him and doing car boot sales with it! I bought one earlier this year a T reg mid roof swb with twin side doors. Currently restoring it as it is as rotten as a pair 😩 cannot beat the sound of the mighty 2.5 di though, a sound from many of our childhoods!

Ahhh the transit flareside. I remember looking at these with curiosity when I used to drive a smiley 190 transit for work and wondered if it would be better than the Hilux we had for carrying smallish payloads. I don't remember my van being flat out at 50mph - even with it being a mobile tool shed!

I remember those back when they were on sale & always thought that they'd be ripe for customising...suspension & brake mods & then fit a Cosworth YB turbo...

In December 2018 I bought an ex Australia Post 1999 Smiley SWB van. Turbo Diesel Auto. This car is strange on a number of counts. Belgian build rather than a Southampton build. Power steering, Central Locking, Electric Mirrors, Tacho and Air Conditioning. I bought it to move house with the intention of selling it almost immediately afterwards in January 2019. I still have it and can't part with it as it is so useful. Happy Transit owner here!

Nice to see it is an original flareside as registered as such when new,there's plenty of copies about,strangely I went in my dungeon today lifted the bonnet of mine and with the help of a starter charger she fired within 5 seconds,left it running for half an hour turned all electrics on and of checked the light clutch then turned it off again and shut the door.

This was something different! Nice.

I had a 1996 minibus diesel version, it had done nearly 400,000 miles and was on its 3rd engine ,not good performance but ultra reliable and a very comfortable drive, I much preferred it to drive than the Fiat Ducato minibus I had along side it, great video by the way

I've got the jumbo campervan home conversion I did myself brilliant van had it 14 years can't get rid of it 😁 welding biggest problem but had all mine done nearly!! Got to be a future collectors soon I might just sell?

Proper job this one love it

Absolutely gutted you've now had a Mk5 transit on the channel, I've been slowly fixing mine for nearly 3 years with the hope it would be the one to make it on 😭😂 Legendary vehicles 👌

I love never knowing what mad car you come up with next.

The sound 🤩 More vans 👍😎

Hubnut giving us the Ying and Yang of motoring.

I haver never seen one here(Denmark)or anywhere else. It must be a great car for a gardener etc. I love it. Thank you Ian.

Hi there Mr Hubnut.Greetings from South Africa in Pretoria Gauteng province.Ive been watching your video's for a very looooong time.Firstly I would like to thank you for your awesome video's.Very entertaining and super informative.Your style is not irritating and just pleasant to watch.I love driving older cars.My favourite is old Mercedes.Currently own a Merc 1986 W124 260E.She is my daily and so enjoy driving her.Her name is Margeret. Keep your video's going.Im a huge fan.Regards.

Excellent review on this Transit Ian, do like a smiley Faced Transit

Nice camera position ! MT75 is a great transmission !

Would love to have a transist like that. Really love it. Really cool looking. 🐸

Fantastic, my school morning milkround was in a mk1 tranny, great memories. Proper working mans vehicle!