Digging Out The Transit – Car & Classic TV

We’re back with another ‘dirt under the fingernails’ exploration video, this time with a Ford. And that’s good, because the internet loves a Ford, or so we’re told. Though, there is no Capri or Escort action here, as we are instead focused on digging out a somewhat forgotten example of ‘the backbone of Britain’. Yep, we’re digging out a Ford Transit Mk2. 

But why, you may be wondering? Well, Simon who owns the Transit and the farm on which it sits is going full Grand Designs so the site is being cleared. It needed to be dug out anyway, so why not make a video of it? Plus, we wanted to see if this 1980s relic was worth saving, as in, will it have a life after this? And without giving too much away, it turns out it might. It’s no minter, obviously, but it wasn’t nearly as rotten or as horrible as we first thought it might be. The funny thing about all those viscous brambles is that once you chop the top, green layer off, everything underneath is bone dry, so it’s not quite the hotbed for rust you might think. 

The Transit, which has been fitted with a 2.5Di engine, has been parked in the same spot for at least a decade. It wasn’t parked up because it had failed or broken or anything like that. It was just parked and then… well, then time happened and the brambles took over. However, because it was parked up as a functional vehicle, we had high hopes that we could get it to run again. You’ll have to watch the video to find out if we succeeded on that front. We don’t want to give anything away here! 

Why? 

You might wonder why we bother digging out cars like this? Certainly the Jaguar we extracted before was nothing but a lost cause, given how badly it had deteriorated over the years (remember, we lifted the roof off it). To be honest, there was a bit of concern over whether or not that would resonate with you, the viewer. There was no goal other than to do some carcheology. We were never going to get it running or driving, that was for certain. 

As it turned out, our worries were unfounded. There is a deep-seated, almost morbid curiosity that surrounds the forgotten and the derelict. We, as people, have a fascination with cars, houses, trains and even ships that have been forgotten and left to rigors of time. By doing these videos, we’re exploring that dereliction, we’re affording the forgotten some much wanted attention. And while cars like the Jaguar and the GS are beyond any sort of restoration, we at least managed to salvage some parts from them. As for the Transit, you’ll have to watch the film, but we’re quietly confident that it will go on to be restored. It’s not as bad as it looks, not by some measure. 

What’s Next? 

Obviously we’re at the whim of whatever restrictions may or may not be imposed due to the global pandemic. However, rest assured we have more carcheology in the works, more content on modern classics as well as some exciting, interesting profiles on cars, people and places.