Custom Ford Commercials

[Sioso]

$20K over a standard vehicle and no extra power or driveline changes!!!

https://www.carsales.com.au/editoria...h-down-109622/

M-Sport and Rossi themed Ford Ranger and Transit Customs set to turn heads Down Under

The once-humble commercial ute has fast become a status symbol in Australia, where the Toyota HiLux was the nation’s top-selling new vehicle last year followed closely by Ford’s popular Ranger.

Both models are about to receive a big dose of extra factory aggression in the form of the HiLux TRD and Ford’s first Ranger Raptor, while Volkswagen is planning more versions of its lusty Amarok V6.

Plenty of owners have already pimped-out their one-tonne tough trucks and, for others that can’t wait, there’s also the locally developed Tickford Ranger.

Now you can add to that list M-Sport and Valentino Rossi versions of Ford’s Ranger ute and Transit Custom van, both of which are now available with a full local warranty and ADR compliance from British motorsport brand MS-RT and its sole Australian agent, AUTOSource International.

MS-RT is a collaboration between Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport, the driving force behind Ford's UK-based World Rally Championship (WRC) factory team, and British custom van specialist Van-Sport.

Around 18 months ago, MS-RT approached European auto design house Carlex Design to craft a very special series of Ford commercial vehicles.

Now, thanks to Melbourne-based AUTOSource-International and Victorian dealership Valley Ford, these stunning machines are available here in Australia.

Commercial imperative
A total of four custom Ford commercials are on offer: a Ranger and a Transit Custom in an MS-RT theme — a nod at Ford's world rally exploits — and a Ranger and a Transit Custom in a VR46 theme, paying homage to MotoGP ace, Valentino Rossi.

motoring.com.au recently caught up with Frank York, managing director of AUTOSource-International, at his Melbourne headquarters, to learn more about these fully blinged commercials.

While AUTOSource International has set up the framework to bring these vehicles to Australia, Valley Ford will serve as the showroom and point of sale location.

Based in Traralgon, in Victoria's Gippsland region, a recent change of ownership will see sister dealerships in New South Wales and Queensland form an expanded network for these custom creations.

"All purchases will be made through Valley Ford; AUTOSource-International will simply be operating in the background," said York.

So what do these custom Fords actually entail? Well, the powerplants and drivelines remain unchanged, but the Rangers receive Pedders off-road suspension incorporating a 2.0-inch lift. The Transit Customs, on the other hand, receive Eibach suspension and are lowered slightly – by around 30mm.

Both the van and pick-up receive twin exhaust outlets at the rear, the tips emerging from a custom Carlex Design rear bumper.

Then there's obviously all the MS-RT and VR46 decals, which are cut from 3M adhesive stickers guaranteed against fading for 10 years, and the Carlex Design nose sections.

All vehicles come with LED daytime running lights and, in the Ranger's case, LED driving lights and an LED light bar from British specialist, Lazer.

There are custom wheel-arch flares on both the Ranger and Transit Custom plus custom skirts on the van, while the pick-up gets custom side steps.

The Ranger and Transit Custom both come with 18-inch alloy wheels – Oz Racing items for the van and TSW for the Ranger – which are one-offs unique to these particular vehicles.

The Transit Custom is shod with Michelin Primacy rubber while the Ranger scores BF Goodrich All Terrains (in the K02 format with stiffer sidewalls).

Out back, the Ranger's tailgate comes with a custom top lip and a hydraulic strut to prevent it from slamming down when opened, but otherwise the tub – and the Transit Custom's load bay, for that matter – remain stock.

Inside, the Ranger and the Transit Custom receive Nappa leather-upholstered seating (both rows in the Ranger), complete with embossed MS-RT logos.

The seating features attractive contrast stitching, as does the gear lever shroud and steering wheel – a chunky sports item with a flat bottom which retains each vehicle’s integrated controls.

Finally, the interiors are capped off with custom mats and, in the Transit Custom's case, a custom instrument fascia with the MS-RT logo.

Full approval and warranty
It might be operating "in the background", but AUTOSource-International appears to have done its homework in making these vehicles a reality for Australian roads.

"AUTOSource-International is a licenced second-stage manufacturer and we attach an ADR compliance plate to each vehicle," said York, who cited his son Ethan's efforts in negotiating the ADR minefield.

The firm's director of engineering, Ethan has previously worked for Toyota's technical centre in Clayton and for Toyota Product Design in Port Melbourne. Add in AUTOSource International's director of marketing – and Frank's wife – Loretta, and the firm is truly a family affair.

The vehicles themselves are purchased new through Valley Ford, before they head to auto heavyweight Prixcar Services in the Melbourne suburb of Altona to be customised with kits sourced from MS-RT and Carlex Design.

"It was clear Prixcar Services was the right fit for us to get this off the ground, in terms of what it does with vehicle logistics, vehicle build and vehicle repair," said York.

The Rossi theme came about through the MotoGP rider's connection with MS-RT and M-Sport, the latter owned by former WRC driver Malcolm Wilson and responsible for Ford's factory WRC team since 1997.

"My understanding is that Valentino does some rallying each year through MS-RT, and through that connection he saw the MS-RT Ranger and Transit Custom and he wanted to get involved," York revealed.

Rossi has licenced AUTOSource International to build a maximum of 460 VR46 Rangers and the same number of VR46 Transit Customs (there's no such limit on the MS-RT models). According to York, initial interest in the Rossi-themed machines has been exceptionally strong.

"We had the VR46 vehicles at the Australian MotoGP round recently and the reaction was phenomenal," he says.

"I already have around 80 names on the list of people who are interested in the VR46 models."

Conservative estimates
While AUTOSource International has no clear idea of how many people will put their money where their mouth is, Ethan says they do have some initial targets in mind.

"We'd like to sell 25 by the end of this year and then, as a conservative estimate, 100 per calendar year," he says.

Both the MS-RT and VR46 Rangers are dual-cab 4x4s based on an XLT trim grade and fitted with a tow pack and all the electronic safety gear like forward collision warning, radar cruise control and lane departure warning. To that end, it's essentially a Wildtrak.

The Transit Custom models, meanwhile, are only available in short-wheelbase guise, while both the Ranger and the Transit Custom are available with either manual or automatic transmissions across the two styling themes.

AUTOSource International says it's ordered enough kits to produce 66 vehicles initially – six Transit Customs and 60 Rangers. That initial shipment will reach Australia on November 6, with the first vehicles reaching Valley Ford's showroom in mid-December.

"Our initial lead time will be four to six weeks, but as we progress that will shorten," says York.

After some initial reticence from Ford Australia to engage with the project it's now full steam ahead, he told us.

"I can understand their [Ford Australia's] nervousness; they're desire to protect their brand. But we wanted them to understand what we're doing here – we're ADR approved, we've gone through all the hoops and jumped all the hurdles and we've approached it from a technical and engineering perspective properly.

"Valley Ford has talked to Ford Australia and argued the case that selling Fords with our body kit, it's really no different to selling a Ranger with an ARB bulbar, and it's winning that battle."

Quality and care
motoring.com.au took the MS-RT Ranger and Transit Custom for a closer inspection and quick spin in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and found the customisation had been completed to a very high standard, as if these vehicles had come like this straight from the Ford factory.

That's a good thing, because they do command a hefty premium over their standard counterparts.

With no pricing difference between the MS-RT and VR46 themes, the Ranger is priced at $86,990 plus on-road costs in manual guise, or $2000 more for the auto. Pricing for the Transit Custom is yet to finalised, but expect figures in the low to mid-$60,000s.

While the thick custom sports steering wheel initially feels quite chunky, acclimatisation is quick and it soon seems quite fitting given the striking looks and all the other bling on show.

The Pedders off-road suspension and lift kit will enhance the Ranger's off-road ability, but herein lies the paradox of a custom Ranger – it's more about the appearance of what it could do, rather than what it actually will do. We can't see too many of these Rangers actually heading bush…

Each MS-RT model is available in a range of colours while the VR46 Transit Custom is available in Shadow Black and the VR46 Ranger in Shadow Black or Magnetic Grey.

Considering a standard Ranger Wildtrak is priced from $59,590 plus ORCs and the Transit Custom from $39,690 plus ORCs, we're talking about a fair premium – appreciably north of $20,000 – but the quality of the customisation and the full local warranty coverage put that pricing in perspective.

But given the popularity of the Tickford Ranger and the fact Mercedes-Benz will ask anything between $48,000 and $79,000 – before options – for its new X-Class pick-up, there appears to be no shortage of people willing to throw substantial amounts of money to obtain a unique dual-cab pick-up.

The custom van market, however, is tiny in Australia compared to Europe and the US, so it will be interesting to see if these MS-RT Transit Customs spark some interest in this 'niche within a niche'.

At the very least, a custom van like this could serve as an eye-catching mobile billboard for a progressive-thinking business.

In any case, these custom Ford commercials look the part and they've been done right – now it's up to the market to decide if the value equation stacks up.