Copy of Article Text Below
tech spec
BODY
XR2, with original front wings, sills, bonnet and front panel, tailgate replaced (without wiper), MC Rallying wheelarches (sills not fitted), genuine RS spoiler over tailgate.
ENGINE
2000 Mondeo 2-litre Zetec in standard form, custom-made (by owner) exhaust, exiting through offside rear wing.
TRANSMISSION
Quaife five-speed, rear-wheel-drive conversion featuring English axle
STEERING
Quickrack and Capri front crossmember.
SUSPENSION
FRONT: GRP4 Bilsteins.
REAR: GRP1 Bilsteins on coil springs, but using original suspension mounts.
WHEELS AND TYRES
Performance 7x13 inch alloys; Kumho tyres.
THE TRANSIT THAT KEEPS ON TOWING...
While most club rally enthusiasts use old Japanese pick-ups and battered Sherpas to get their cars to and from events, Craig Wilshaw's created the perfect retro-rally duo - an early '80s XR2, pulled by this County-converted four-wheel-drive Transit.
Turned out as well as his Fiesta, Craig's Transit (which was bought off eBay for less than £500) is only like this because of the hours and effort he put into it. When Craig picked up the van in Oxfordshire, it was fitted with a Rover SD1 bent-eight, and the radiator was in front of the grille. The seller had said the Transit's body was pretty tired, so Craig wasn't in for too many nasty surprises.
Not put off by the clutch cable that melted on the way home, and the rotten rear floor that meant water was sprayed as far as the front seats as it rumbled down a wet M4, Craig was putting a plan together to revitalise the Transit and give it a more exciting lease of life.
Originally sold to British Telecom, the van then went to a mining rescue team, who painted it bright yellow. "It was well-worn, and a friend of mine said the yellow paint and mining rescue board at the front of the roof made it look like an American school bus. Mind you, it sounded good," Craig says.
Unlike the Fiesta, which has its original wings, sills, floorpan and front panel, a bare-shell restoration was the only way to save the van from the scrapper's. Much of the floor was replaced, as were the bonnet, wings, front panel and the steps into the cab, which had rusted through. Strangely though, the rear inner wheel arches were (and still are) perfect. The work hadn't finished there though: Craig put glass in the rear passenger doors, renewed the roof guttering, fitted a brand-new grille and gave the interior a major tidy-up. To help on those long winter nights coming back from a rally, four Cibie Oscars light the way and they give the Tranny a seriously tough image.
Once all the metalwork was completed Craig painted it the same colours as the Fiesta: Mondeo ST200 Imperial Blue, with an Ermine White roof, while a company in nearby Narbeth made up the Ford-lookalike graphics to give the Transit a true service-barge look.
And because Craig's a proper Ford fanatic, he threw away the Rover engine and box, and installed a low-compression 2-litre Pinto lump. While it might seem a bit small for a van this size, there's plenty of power there: "It's been up to London loads of times and it has no trouble going across muddy ground. It's great on rallies too," Craig says.
The four-wheel drive isn't permanent - it can only be used on soft ground - but it makes negotiating rally service areas less of a hassle. And it seems like Craig's got the Ford van bug now - lurking in his workshop is a Mkll Escort, which will be painted in the same colours as the Fiesta and the Transit.
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