Dual Slider Mid Ford in Commercial, dual slider Options

[Vanner1993]

I always wanted one of these, I knew they were out there. I caught this in a commercial on TV today. The cool part was that it was a dual slider. Now I know what my second van will be lol.

[n2ri]

that is either an english (right side driver seat) made or a reverse image as I can not read the Ford on grill.

Ford quit making doors on both sides in the states when the second gens came out.

Mitch

[Roger]

I saw that commercial last night,, but couldn't remember what the ad was for.. I didn't notice it was a dual slider.. That's pretty wild!.

[1TuffClub]

That is real interesting. I have wondered myself what a dual slider would be like, and if things might have been reversed on these made for other countries. Would be one heck of an undertaking, though I imagine body makers and big custom guys might consider it easier than other mods.

I wonder if it would seriously kill rigidity in the body. If so, perhaps a custom, hinden cage or bracing could regain enough to make it workable.

On the surface, it seems like it would be killer. Would be insane side access, and really cool to look into with both sides opened up.



Was also thinking that could just be a reversed or mirrored image.

[1TuffClub]

Grille has a custom look to it kinda as well. Not to mention not being able to figure out what's up with the letters.

Is that luggage on the top, or a Flux Capacitor?

[n2ri]

cant tell if it has doors on both sides, does look like passenger side person has a steering wheel though. so either a reverse image or left hand drive so side doors would still be on curbside for safety when entering or exiting rear passengers.

Mitch

[n2ri]

would be a cool custom body shop project if one could find a right hand drive from across the ponds (Europe or Australia) to make an 8 door 2nd gen van by merging one van from each style.

Mitch

[yogreasygramma]

Now that's a mysterious picture!!!! I can't figure it out. First I thought it was a mirror image because of the grill and where the front license plate would mount (driver side); it does look like that's the case because the grill is not symmetrical. However, the FORD letters on the front appear to be correct, not backwards. But what I can't figure out if it is a mirror image is why would the other side have windows in it whereas the left side with the visible sliding door has windows in the door but no windows in the back side of the van. Display vans had windows on the passenger side but none on the driver's side. But this van has windows in both sides where the doors would be, if it is a dual-slider. So that's what it looks like to me - a dual slider with windows in both sliding doors. This is weird. Was such an animal ever created, even for prototype purposes? Sliding doors came out only in 1972, so that seems way beyond the time period you'd normally expect for prototypes (before regular production). On the other hand, they probably did make prototypes in 71 for the sliding door, and maybe they made some with dual sliding doors just to see how it would work out. I understand that only the first generation had production dual doors (regular, of course, but on both sides of the van nonetheless). I saw one of those on ebay a couple months ago. VW had dual regular doors back in the 50s with their micro van, as well, so the idea is not new. But overall I think it would be killer to have dual sliding doors on a second generation. Another thought, were mids ever officially exported to other countries besides Mexico and Canada? Were they ever exported to right-side driving countries like GB and Japan? Maybe some experts can chime in on this one.

[Tom Snyder]

I'm pretty positive that's a reverse image. Like Greasy pointed out, the license plate mount location was the 1st clue, & it sure looks like a steering wheel on the left side of pic, right side of van. The letters on the grille are just to fuzzy to tell anything.
If you look close you can see that the window in the slider is an aftermarket item, thin black vertical strip divides it in the center. I would assume that's what you see for a window on on the opposite side.
These days with computers & lots of photo-chopping you can't always be sure that a pic you are looking at is the real thing.
If Ford had built a van like this, wouldn't we had seen one by now?

[Roger]

Saw the commercial a couple times again last night. Here's the youtube link to it. The van comes in at about the 15 second mark. It is a left hand drive,, unless there's 2 of them in the commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwLBfg93jJM

[n2ri]

after reviewing the video, it cuts to a sene with driver on left side. but still cuold be just editing.
this deserves further investigation. if it is real, they should not be treating it like junk as it may be the only one left.
good call Vanner1993

Mitch

[Guitar Builder]

It does appear that the gas cap is in the correct place. Maybe this beast exists!

[Tom Snyder]

Come on guys, it's just a reversed image. I think the gas cap looking thing is just part of something painted on the side.
Check out the tail pipe. Stock or dual pipes? I say stock.



And, oh, what's this? The guy that was helping 69 PopTop install his windshield done stole his van & is out off roading it hard?
Yeah, that's the ticket.



Notice that it has shoulder belts.

[yogreasygramma]

Obviously the last sequence showing the driver and the left hand steering is normal and correct, but the first sequence must be a mirror image because of the grill, and as Tom just said, the tailpipe. I also wanted to say that what looks like a gas cap is too large and is one of the many stickers on the van in that region. As to the mystery of the window in the other side, I presume it's another aftermarket window. The van has a small round one in the back too, so it's not so hard to imagine a larger one cut into the passenger side of the van behind the door.

[69econo]

the flipped teh film at some point.
the wipers point the wrong way when the jump is happening (slider on the drivers side)
and they point the normal way in the close up