Ford and Galpin Auto Sports will showcase a custom luxury motor coach based on the full-size Transit van at the New York International Auto Show next week.
Built to demonstrate the flexibility, versatility and capability of the all-new Transit, the Transit Skyliner Concept luxury van will not remain just a study, with Ford announcing it will go on sale this summer. The Transit Skyliner will be aimed at high-end transportation services as well as commercial fleets, shuttle providers and small-business owners.
The interior of the concept features four setups (theater, business, reception and travel), which consist of different positions of the custom-designed “throne” seats. These can be repositioned simply by using a smartphone or tablet.
In theater mode, the seats face the 52-inch retractable Stewart movie screen and recline for optimal cinematic viewing, while in business mode, a motorized table unfolds and the leather-trimmed seats are gathered around it for face-to-face conversation. In reception mode, the sliding door opens four feet (1,219mm) wide and the seats are arranged for easy entertaining while parked at an event. Finally, travel mode allows passengers to adjust their reclining seats and retractable footrests for “ultimate comfort and solitude,” according to Ford.
The entire interior is integrated into a Crestron automation system controlled through a smartphone or tablet. The entertainment system features Focal Utopia 7.2 surround sound with speakers handmade in France specifically for Transit Skyliner, a KVH DIRECTV satellite for HD TV and a Kaleidescape media server with storage space equivalent to more than 300 Blu-ray movies or more than 1,000 DVDs. There’s also a built-in bar, while the custom luggage matches the leather-trimmed seats.
The exterior features a custom silver metallic paint accented by contrasting lower trim, chrome highlights and custom Forgiato wheels. The Transit Skyliner is powered by the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine available on production Transit models.
By Dan Mihalascu
PHOTO GALLERY
