Lost for Decades, the Original Ford Supervan Has Returned

Big Comeback

Over the past couple of years, the Transit-based Ford SuperVan 4.2 EV demonstrator has put on a show at various motorsports events around the world, setting a new record at the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and also beating out every other competitor at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill Climb challenge. However, the original SuperVan was previously thought to be lost forever, at least, until one man managed to track it down and bring it back to life. 

Photos: Ford

Famous Van

That man is ex-Ford engineering apprentice, Andy Browne, who was a mere teenager back in 1971 when Terry Drury of the Terry Drury Racing team built the Ford SuperVan. This special Transit was powered by a V8 from a GT40 and used a mid-engined Cooper Monaco chassis fitted to a Transit body, and as one might imagine, quickly skyrocketed to fame at various events around the globe.

Photos: Ford

Parting Ways

Ford funded the creation of the SuperVan, but once its world tour ended, Terry Drury Racing proceeded to strip it down, after which the parts passed through several owners over the ensuing years. Andy managed to scrounge up enough money to buy the most important piece, however.  "I bought Supervan in late 1973 for £500”, he said. “But there was nothing; all it had was a shell and four wheels. Nothing else. Luckily, I had access to machine shops so I could produce parts, and bought a transaxle off Terry for another £500. Back then, I was a Ford apprentice on five pounds a week!"

Photos: Ford

Moving On

After putting the SuperVan back together and fitting it with a 4.7-liter V8, Andy managed to get it registered and roadworthy, but once he started a family, was forced to sell it as well. He never forgot about the SuperVan, however, and after an exhaustive search that spanned many years, he managed to track it down once again - decades later.

Photos: Ford

Basketcase

“Originally, I wanted to build a replica," he said. "Then one day I got a call and somebody said to me they thought they knew where the remains of Supervan were. I’ve lost count, but this must have been at least the twentieth time, easily. I went to see these remains, ran my hand under the sills, and knew that it was the van that I’d owned. It wasn’t even a van at all - just a floor pan and a bit of bulkhead, and some parts of a chassis that had been cut.”

Photos: Ford

Comeback

Andy bought the remains of the original SuperVan and began a sympathetic rebuild using original components, a process that's nearly complete. It recently joined the SuperVan 3 and the newer SuperVan 4.2 at Ford's Dunton Technical Center - the home of the Transit - just in time for the annual Transit Day celebration, marking the first time those three models have appeared together in public. 

Photos: Ford

Big Celebration

This rebirth also comes roughly a year before the Ford Transit celebrates its 60^th birthday on August 9, 2025 - the day the first example rolled off the assembly line. Thus, next year's Transit Day celebration is set to be the best one yet, just as the van celebrated 58 years of being the UK's best-selling commercial vehicle of any kind. 

Photos: Ford

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