In collaboration with MAKE magazine, Ford will show off two customized Transit Connect Wagons at the the 2014 Maker Faires — “an all-ages event celebrating the do-it-yourself spirit”, which this year takes place in over 60 cities in North American and beyond.
Th two vans, Hackmobile and Happy Mutant Mobile, have already appeared on Thursday, May 15th at TechShop in San Francisco and were then displayed at Maker Faire on May 17th and May 18th, at San Mateo Event Center in San Mateo, California. The vehicles will also be on display at Maker Faire in New York later this year.
“Transit Connect Wagon is exactly what customers want it to be,” said Minyang Jiang, brand manager for Ford Transit Connect Wagon. “Whether it’s used as a people mover or to carry cargo, the spirit of the vehicle is in how it can be transformed by its owners to express their passions. We think these two vehicles are a perfect example of the unminivan, of how to inspire the imagination in a new way.”
The Hackmobile
Winner of MAKE magazine’s Ultimate Maker Vehicle Challenge, the Hackmobile is a fabricating workshop on four wheels. As part of winning the contest, Ford commissioned California-based builder CGS Motorsports to build Hackmobile.
The concept for the Hackmobile was for a Transit Connect Wagon to be designed and built around a machine the team dubbed “The Fabber” due to its use as a multipurpose tool in fabricating. Hackmobile has shelving and storage for tools to do woodworking, metalworking and 3D fabrication.
The Happy Mutant Mobile
Developed in collaboration with MAKE magazine and Boing Boing, a Web-based magazine devoted to technology and culture, the Happy Mutant Mobile was envisioned to be as original as its name, serving as an official vehicle for the site.
The custom-designed exterior features a large screen that can roll down to show outdoor movies, a hood ornament that blows bubbles and LED signs mounted to the roof. The interior is decorated in dark custom woodwork and green leather upholstery. It houses a mix of oddities and knickknacks, a 3D printer, camera equipment, magazine rack and computer equipment.
The 2014 Ford Transit Connect Wagon
The 2014 Transit Connect Wagon went on sale in North American earlier this year as an affordable alternative to customers looking for something new and functional in a five- or seven-seat people mover. The vehicle is unique in the segment thanks to its wide array of configuration options and general flexibility. It’s available in five-seat or seven-seat configurations, has dual sliding side doors, fold-flat second- and third-row seating, a maximum payload of 1,270 pounds, more than 100 cubic feet of cargo space, a choice of a rear liftgate or side-hinged cargo doors, and a starting MSRP of around $25,000, With its bigger brother, the Transit, the Ford Transit Connect and Transit Connect Wagon are taking the North American van market by storm.
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