Curbside Classic Outtake: The Un-Econoline Illegal Alien Van

by Paul Niedermeyer

Published: September 26th, 2010

curbside classic outtake the un econoline illegal alien van

You’re driving along, and from a distance it looks like just another one of a million white Econoline vans with ladders on top parked in front of the job site. But wait a minute…

The silhouette alone is all wrong: it sits way too low. That load floor is just a small step from the road.

A VW Transporter; FWD, with a little TDI four cylinder and a stick shift. Where did that come from? It certainly was never sold here legally. I’m guessing Canada, given the tell-tale rust streaks. Well, if Ford isn’t going to build a modern FWD Transit van, one has to take matter into one’s own hands.

The “r” must have fallen off a long time ago, or?

Paul Niedermeyer

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2 of 14 comments

BigDuke6 on Sep 27, 2010

"Negative, it’s “transport” in French (or “transporteur” if you’re going for a direct translation), and I can’t think of any example of a car model ever getting a Quebec-specific name." Well you could say the Buick "Allure" was Quebec-specific since GM Canada didn't want to call it's proper name LaCrosse. They've since changed their minds. I guess they had other more important things to concentrate on...........

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Zbnutcase on Sep 27, 2010

Looks like a slammed T1N Sprinter at a glance...

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