From primary school age, Mr North has been totally fascinated by all things Ford. While at his local Middle School, he worked at the garage of his father’s friend, cleaning carburettors and even tuning engines, eventually buying his first Ford Escort, when he passed his Driving Test. He dabbled in various Fords, both standard and highly tuned, eventually amassing the funds to specify a campervan built to his exacting requirements.

Having seen the MS-RT modified vans (featured on Page 18 of our Car Reviews archive), he knew what would be used as the basis for his planned for campervan. MS-RT is the collaboration between Ford’s motorsport supremo, Malcolm Wilson, and specialist van converter, Van Sport. However, the task of creating the ultimate campervan was passed to Huddersfield-based, Wellhouse Leisure, which is also a Ford QVM accredited dealer.

Intriguingly, Volkswagen has been manufacturing its own campervans, based on both Transporter and LT models, for the past few years, achieving a high level of success for the premium quality conversions…although, can they be fairly called ‘conversions’, when they are fully-manufactured by the company? Conveniently, Ford Motor Company is using the North campervan as a launch-pad for its own factory-produced alternatives, launching the Transit Nugget this autumn.

Mr North selected the exact specification he wanted in his van, which included a full kitchen, luxurious seating area (on sliding rails) and an extendable roof for an attic bedroom. The bespoke campervan was also equipped with xenon headlights, satellite navigation, adaptive cruise control, Starlit Alcantara roof and Alcantara dashboard.

With the interior fitout being handled by Wellhouse, Steve approached QVM-accredited partner MS-RT to providing some serious visual style. MS-RT’s new Transit Custom package was adapted for the campervan specification, with a full body kit and anthracite 18.0-inch diameter OZ alloy wheels backed up by a twin exhaust system and some bold graphics. Inside, the Wellhouse seating package was given a stylish MS-RT white leather finish with contrasting blue panels and stitching carried onto the seat belts.

Powered by Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBlue 167bhp turbodiesel engine and driving through a six-speed fully automatic gearbox, the final price for this unique vehicle ran to a remarkable £77,000. As Mr North highlighted: “I wanted an MS-RT Transit campervan built to my own preferences and my expectations are very high. I’m hoping to have some good times out exploring various Ford shows and motorbike events, once my trailer has been built to carry my classic bikes, and I’m looking forward to travelling around the country seeking out new adventures.”