We have an unusual cover story this month, because it is in fact, a case study.
Some weeks back, Ford let us loose in the Transit Sport Custom – a sneak preview, which we reviewed well before the vehicle went on sale.
When Ford released the Sport Custom to the public, the first customer to buy one was so enthusiastic about it, Ford asked if we wanted to review the vehicle again, but this time from a customer's perspective – and that brought us to Offshoot Digital, otherwise known as Od, where Ben Ireland is the content director.
As content director, Ben has this “little hobby” that involves cameras, hence the Custom Sports’ oversized Euro plate: "CAM OP” meaning camera operator.
You’ll have seen some of Ben's projects if you watch a little bit of telly; Ben's nine-years-young business is all about making top end commercials and social media content for brands.
We've seen some of them and when we say 'top end' we are referring to the quality of the production, which is sort of the signature theme of Ben's business.
Actually, it is a signature theme of Ben's life in general, which could translate to, “if you're committing to something, make being perfect part of that commitment.”
And this is the same Ben Ireland who wanted a van as his daily drive car.
This is a tad unusual – ask most people what they want their daily driver to be and, well, let's be nice, a Ford Transit is not likely to be the first vehicle that springs to mind – unless you happen to be Ben Ireland.
What Ben has done is put the 'custom' into Custom Sport. We have seen some tricked-up vans in the past, but nothing like this!
When Ben collected his van from John Andrew Ford, he was pretty pleased with it, but as the saying goes, he felt like it needed something else.
Ben had done quite a bit of homework on vans before settling on the Transit Custom Sport.
“I looked at one brand, and found it not only lacking in frontal impact protection, but it is also positively ugly. The other van looked good on the outside, but when you got in, well, it was literally just a van.
"An element that really appealed to me with the Transit," explains Ben "is how carlike it is to drive. I wanted a van for the business, but I didn’t want to feel like I was driving one.
“The Transit has that driving appeal which a good car can give, “says Ben. “That's really what sold me."
But the Transit Custom Sport became more than just a daily driver, it became a catalyst for Ben’s creativity.
Creatively Different
In addition to being the watchword of Offshoot Digital (Od), Creatively Different gives you some idea as to what Ben was thinking when it came to modifying his Transit Custom Sport.
The Transit Custom Sport's greatest outward appeal is arguably the racing stripe, and in Ben's case, that was a matt black stripe with gloss orange edging.
Well, that didn’t quite work with what Ben had in mind, so the stripes came off and were copied in the gloss black and matt black edged stripes which are the exact measurements of the factory ones.
And then, the real work began. The painting and decal work was comparatively easy. Ben had much bigger plans though.
As a self-affirmed car enthusiast, Ben thought the Transit Custom Sport would look better if the rear ride height was subdued, so a 20mm custom lowering leaf spring kit was installed to give the van a more even and aggressive stance.
The brake calipers were painted black and a rear mounted ladder was added to provide easy access to the roof (camerawork sometimes requires this).
A tow-bar was added and the tail-lights were smoked with a gloss black paint, while a front and rear collision camera were installed.
As for the interior work, this proved more challenging.
Ben's a big fan of the heated leather seats, but again, he felt the headrests could stand a little personalisation. The headrests went to an embroidery shop where they were umm, destroyed!
Seriously, the headrests were taken apart, the leather and stitching was copied and then embroidered with the three- dimensional company logo before being reassembled and put back together again.
Now they look and function exactly the way the originals did. But they look cooler.
There was very little else done to the front cabin because, as Ben rightly points out "everything has been so well thought out and so well put together.
“I've added a wireless phone charger, but I mean, there's even a power inverter in there! And I’ve got more cupholders than I know what to do with and heaps of storage space.
“In fact, I’ve got compartments here that I have no idea what to put in them. I guess a tradie would know!"
But when it came to the back of the van, Ben had a pretty good idea of what he wanted to see.
The fit-out is quite extensive and quite unlike what you might expect.
Ben only carries a couple hundred kilos of gear, but its finicky/expensive and in need of some pretty special sort of protection.
Imagine most of a television studio and then making it mobile in Auckland's start stop traffic and roadworks around every corner – yeah, you get the point.
A new floor and workbench makes up much of the improvements, and Ben has added an extensive array of interior LED lights as well as a power converter to truly make his business mobile.
The windows are treated with smash-proof tints and, if someone gets through those (that’s a big 'if'), there's a cage inside that would give Jaws a toothache.
Ben is well pleased with the wide body look of his Transit, which all told is right
on brand with the rest of the company assets.
Fleetline was responsible for most of the fit-out, while the Wrapshop handled the exterior graphics and Hyperdrive took care of the suspension and wheelwork.
Nothing's been done to the engine (yet) but we wouldn’t rule out a ECU tune or turbo upgrade.
“Overall,” says Ben, "the Ford Transit Custom Sport is a brilliant platform to base a personalised business vehicle concept on: Ford has not wasted any space on the inside,” enthuses Ben.
"And with the inclusion of safety equipment, like blind spot monitoring, its ease of access and intelligent storage space, it’s just fantastic.”
We couldn’t have said it better, Ben.
