If you were thinking, “Hang on, this van looks familiar,” that’s very perceptive of you. This was last seen in this magazine in August of last year and since then it has developed an Instagram following of around 700.

We don’t usually acknowledge social media platforms within printed publications, but this Ford Transit Custom Sport has become something of a celebrity since its debut in NZ Company Vehicle, so we’re a little chuffed about starting this workhorse on its path of fame and fortune. 

If anything, the fortune will go to the Ford’s owner, Ben Ireland of Offshoot Digital, who says he doesn’t need to advertise his company much these days.

The van does that job for him, despite having the subtlest of subtle signwriting.

But we’re jumping ahead a little bit. Let’s take it back a notch to early 2020 when Ford New Zealand made a big noise about the first Transit Custom Sports to be sold, and that was to Ben, who was looking for “just the right van” for his business.

Cutting a long story of research short, Ben decided the Transit Sport Custom was just right for what he wanted, so he took delivery quick smart and just as quickly, set about customising the Transit even further.

You see, Ben is a creative kind of guy and something of a self-confessed individualist. “My partner agrees,” he says. “She would be the first to admit that when I buy a vehicle, it has to have my own flair added to it. I just can’t have a stock vehicle out of the brochure.”

And judging by the Instagram following – for the van remember, not Ben – Ben’s ‘own flair’ resonates with plenty of others.

The Transit Sport Custom has received its finishing touch just recently: the Raptor-style grille, which is a genuine Ford part out of the UK.

“I love my van in so many ways,” Ben explains, “but that original grille was just so… not cool. In researching the Sport model, I’d seen some in the UK with the Raptor grille and thought that was what was needed. I asked Ford about it, and they were a little sketchy about bringing a couple of units in.

“I had the van booked in for a service and coincidentally, the National Parts Manager for Ford NZ was visiting the dealership. He saw the van, came up to me and asked if this was the famous ‘most customised best looking Transit Sport Custom in our fleet’?

I took the compliment and we got talking. When I mentioned the overseas grille issue, he asked me to leave it with him.

“A week later I got a call saying that Ford NZ would bring the grille in, but I would have to pay for it, including the shipping.”

It was, according to Ben, a small price to pay for the finishing touch to his unique van and the part was flown in, along with a few extras, just in case the Ford Faithful here fell in love with them as Ben predicted they would.

But even with the distinctive grille, Ben wanted a more personal touch, and he had the grille treated to a three-colour paint job: it is in fact, a combination of satin and gloss black for the grille with the FORD text colour matched to the van’s primary customised paint work.

And the end result? “This is what the Transit Sport Custom should have looked like, in my opinion.”

On final inspection, it would seem 700 or so members of the public agree. Not only them either: Ford NZ has invested in a few more grilles which will end up on Transit Sport Customs as part of a ‘Limited Edition’ line soon, apparently.

But back to Ben and how the Transit Sport Custom helps him with his business – and to a lesser degree, his leisure time.

Ben’s quite the outdoorsy-type and accordingly, he has his ‘toys’, not least of which is a customisable mountain bike and a pair of jet-skis, both of which end up attached too or inside the Transit Sport Custom most weekends.

“It makes relaxing so much easier,” says Ben. “I can just pack it all up and go, and while I’m out having a good time, the van gets noticed in the car park and I often get people coming up and asking me about it later.”

Business-wise, the Transit Sport Custom keeps Ben in the black – to coin a phrase – by being the best choice for what he does, how he does it and who he does it for.

Ben’s company does a lot of high-profile video work for some prestigious organisations and the van transports Ben, his team and a spectacular amount of kit from offices to locations and back again during the nine-to-five week.

Ben routinely travels upwards of 20,000kms every two months and so, has a fair idea of his Transit Sport Custom’s handling, drivability, efficiency and comfort.

“I love the long-distance cruising trips,” he enthuses. “That’s when the Sport Custom’s economy really comes into its own. It’s comfortable too, with a very clever cabin that stores water, snacks, small pillows, though I’d like to see matching armrests on the driver’s seat.”

Ben’s also enthusiastic when it comes to the adaptive cruise control. “It not only keeps the speed constant, it brakes and accelerates with the car in front. It’s a seriously cool feature.”

To say Ben’s a Ford fan is something of an understatement, but the improvements he has made to his Transit Sport Custom have really made the CAM OP van one to stand out from the crowd.    

“Most of the modifications I’ve done have just improved a little on the original van, but they have suited both the aesthetic appeal and the functionality of the van.”

One of the first mods Ben decided on is a great example. While Ford always intended the Transit Sport Custom to be a low roofed, city-savvy van, Ben lowered the van further overall by fitting 20mm lowering springs at the rear.

While largely done for aesthetics, the lowering accentuates what Ford originally had in mind when it created the compact 6 cubic metre van.

One of Ben’s clients has an underground parking structure which even a conventional Transit Sport Custom wouldn’t accommodate. Ben’s upgrade has proven its worth on two levels: his personal satisfaction and an enhancement to his business requirements.

So, what – if anything – would convince Ben to move his van on?

“Unless Ford has a Transit Sport Custom EV on the horizon which lets me just swap the parts out and keep driving, I’m going to stay with this one until it gives up.”

Yeah, we can’t see that happening anytime soon.