Ford Transit Connect meets Focus RS

[DonShockley]

I wonder if they got the idea here on the forums from the member that did something similar?

 

[herb]

7 hours ago, DonShockley said:

I wonder if they got the idea here on the forums from the member that did something similar?

 

 

There are images of a generation II model with racing stripes also , think it's called the Connect Sport , comes with the GT 350 R engine, welded interior safety cage & huge 28" X 10" -15 Goodyear drag slicks .

 

Think i may pick one of those up , clocked quarter mile times in the mid 8 second range .

[Fifty150]

They're not going to have much in the way of curbside appeal, unless you're really into vans.

[zalienz]

I like it!

 

[WillMartin]

Dayum!  That would be fun.  I have thought stuffing a big V8 in the cargo area to turn one into a Q-ship would be a lot of fun.  Expensive and useless as a van, but it would surprise just about everyone who argued with it.  One of those from Ford would not be as stupid fast, but it would still be usable as a van.  Which means it could be rationalized.  That's the key to getting it into the garage.  Nope, not a hot-rod, just a van...

[Fifty150]

7 minutes ago, WillMartin said:

One of those from Ford would not be as stupid fast, but it would still be usable as a van.

 

 

Except for the part where they bolted 2 spare tires to the cargo floor.  

 

With a lot of cars on the road, people tend to modify them to gain performance.  HP, torque, traction, stopping distance, cornering.......this is why SEMA exist and there is a huge convention in Las Vegas every year.  Most of those car owners think that the factory should have sold the car in it's modified condition.  After all, who wouldn't want to buy a car which was already tuned to maximum ability, instead of buying a car that you put more money into?  

 

Worry not.  This is just proof, that Transit Connect could be better.  Now someone just has to build a SEMA ready version, bring it to SEMA, and be able to produce and bring all the necessary parts to market.  Every piece needed from fabricated adapters, to custom mounting pieces, to the motor, the turbo, the exhaust, the reinforced transmission, the manual shifter knob........and somehow find a way to sell those kits to Transit Connect owners and not go bankrupt.  

 

I would look, admire, and then scoff.  If I wanted a performance car, I would have bought a different car.  Just my opinion.  If I take my $20K Transit Connect, and add in $10K worth of upgrades, I may as well spend $30K on a car with better performance.  I drive an F-150, not a Raptor.  Ford figured out that there was a market for a basic utility truck, and room for a performance truck.  Along the way, they must have figured out that there is no market for a performance van.  Same way that Ford never built an Econoline 4X4 van, built off the F-Series 4X4 truck.  Yet, there is an aftermarket where you can have a 4X4 van built.  I think an All Wheel Drive Transit Connect would enter the market before a fast Transit Connect.  Maybe built from an AWD Escape platform.

 

But it sure is neat to look at something like that, and admire it.  

 

Anyone consider building a Transit Connect - Escape Frankenstein Van with AWD?

 

 

[mdarren]

Would love to have a van like that.

[WillMartin]

Yeah, there's those two spares bolted to the floor.  Weight distribution?  I can think of better ways to do that and avoid cluttering up the cargo area, but they can always be unbolted and stashed back behind the barn.  A sleeper TC would be an absolute hoot.  I bracket raced a '73 Chevy van a few times, just because I was in the right place at the right time.  It would rumble up to the line for the first pass, and the serious guys would look nervously at it as though it might have been fast or something.  Then it ran a 21 second quarter at exactly 64 mph.  It didn't matter what I did.  That's what it would do.  It was the perfect bracket car.  It wasn't a sleeper, but I sure got a kick out of the confused and slightly uneasy looks it got before it was completely obvious it was slow as a post.  A sleeper TC would get the same kind of confused looks, only it would be fast.  That would be even better.

 

It would have to start with a TC with 350k miles on it, since there's no point in cutting apart a new one.  That's the hot rodder way of doing things anyway.  My TC will get nicer wheels and maybe stripes if I can convince my wife.  Other than that, it's purpose is pure utility and if it's slow, it's slow.

Edited January 25, 2019 by WillMartin

[Fifty150]

I'm looking ahead.  If Ford sells a Courier or Fiesta pickup truck, maybe that will be the car that you add power to.  In Brazil, there's a little Ford Fiesta/Courier type pickup, with 110 HP, which they get up to 160 HP, and race.  Although at this point, I don't see a US market demand.  But who knows what the future may hold.  In another 5 or 10 years, technology will be way more advanced and we could have all sorts of new power platforms.  No point in looking back in time, and wondering about 2 spare tires bolted to the floor of a 1st generation Transit Connect.  

 

To the real dreamers.........take a Transit Connect van, eliminate the front engine and transmission completely, mount a 302 + transmission right behind the front seats, and you will have a mid-engine, rear wheel drive, 5.0.  

[WillMartin]

A mid-engine, rear drive TC would be the idea, as you say.  It's only a matter of time before non-automatic vehicles and vehicles with gasoline engines are relics like steam tractors.  Beats me how long before that happens.

[Fifty150]

The stick shift is already out.  Most cars are automatic only.  

 

Idea for me would be a cabover design, with a flatbed, where the van body is actually like a lightweight carbon fiber camper shell which you can remove or install at will. 

 

A flip over cab allows for easy access to service the engine and transmission.  You could also have a mid engine & all wheel drive, since the cab and flatbed are raised over anything mechanical.  

 

Imagine being able to side load with a forklift, strap down your load, then place the van body shell back on.  With the size of the Transit Connect, you could load 2 small pallets, if the pallets are approximately 4'X4', and no more than 5' or 6' high.  Jump seats could also be configured to be easily removed and installed. But that would be way too "commercial", and not safe without airbags for those passengers in the rear.  Just my own crazy idea of what could be done with a small platform.  Not entire practical for anyone else except me.