Ford Transit
Long before the Econoline became the smash hit that it was there was another lesser-known Ford van. The Transit was designed to appeal to businesses that needed to transport cargo. While the Transit did not catch on with consumers over here the van was quite popular in Europe. But the reliability of the van was questionable, and getting to the engine to do repairs was just as hard (via Hot Cars).
The Transit had a lot of quirks that needed to be ironed out. The development of the van cost the Ford Motor Company millions of dollars. The Econoline would take the place of the Transit in the American market. Both vans had innovative designs but it took a ton of time for the company to perfect them.