September 19 2008
Cool: 1953 Renault R2087 Fourgon
The Ford Transit is a very versatile car. It comes in loads of shapes and sizes. Well, … meet the French Transit 4×4 of the fifties, the Renault R2087. Used by civilians and government departments in loads of countries around the world and as a plain van, ambulance, pick-up, soldier transporter, … you name it.
This 1953 example has been restored in a sympathetic green colour. It has been used as a “party” vehicle in Aalst, the Belgian city renowned for its carnival. It would be great for promotional use as it is certain to draw loads of attention. We assume this one has been used originally as an ambulance, and although they are 9 out of 10 certain to have some rust issues, they have the better preserved engines as they most probably never had to work too hard. This one doesn’t mention a price, but unrestored examples are for sale in France for €3000. Plenty of spares there too.
The engine to power all this is a 2-liter 4-cylinder that doesn’t really deliver much more than 64bhp at 3300rpm. The speedo only goes to 105km/h. Should also mention that these cars didn’t really have heating. It was an option, hence the electrical heater behind the front seats. Check out the video below to see the most common of the bodywork variations.
