Landmark hatchbacks – there have been a few - the most obvious, of course, being the Volkswagen Golf.

It not only saved its maker from post-Beetle oblivion but emphatically confirmed the template for the breed after the 1964, Fiat-designed Autobianchi Primula and the 1967 Simca 1100 did the pioneering. 

But after the Mk1 Golf, what came next were emulators offering much the same recipe, if sometimes with added spice. The SX version of the Talbot Horizon came with a trip computer, an advance winning it the Car of the Year trophy and its buyers regular packets of wildly inaccurate data. The Renault 14 bodyshell’s slightly banana-like curve inexplicably won it a place in New York’s Museum of Modern Art, while the magnificent, robot-flaunting TV ad for the Fiat Strada was the best thing about this lazy 128 re-skin. There were many more, but what all had in common was that none was as convincing as the Golf. The most serious challengers were the 1978 Opel Kadett, a crisp design of revvy engines and nail-breaking switchgear later available as the Vauxhall Astra, and Ford’s 1980 Escort, this the first front-drive version.

A brilliantly product-planned, pretty car that was immensely more advanced than its history-lesson predecessor, this Escort was a massive hit and should have propelled Ford towards ever-greater heights despite a couple of ear- and bum-battering dynamic flaws. But subsequent iterations succumbed to the Blue Oval’s cost-cutting ways, each more mediocre than the last, the barrel bottom crashingly struck with the Mk 4 Escort. 

This car was so short of interest that one of its launch presenters resorted to caressing the admittedly appealing hillocks of steel covering its tailgate hinges to highlight a rare item of sexy design. It was far too inconsequential to prevent this publication from delivering this car the slating it deserved. Suitably stung, Ford performed a major rework. The result was half-decent, this last Escort identifiable by a surfeit of oval motifs that the design department had become obsessed with. Ford was back to its just-good-enough ways, few thinking that it was about to perform a spectacular reset on the small family hatch, not just for Ford but the entire car industry. 

The first clues came with the extraordinary scoop images sneaked out of customer clinics. High-mounted, cornet-shaped tail-lights completely capped the rear pillars. Wide-spaced wheels occupied flamboyantly blistered wheel arches. Lozenge headlights flanked the slender mouth of an oval-jewelled grille. All these arresting features housed within a shapely six side-window body. Only Fiat’s Bravo and Brava hatchbacks came close for outlandish originality, and the Ford Focus had both beaten. Ford called it New Edge design. Most called it startling.

What was even more amazing, when we got to drive it, was that the Focus had the Fiats, the Golf and every other comer beaten, for handling, powertrains, packaging, refinement and sophistication. At much the same moment, the particularly crisp-looking Golf Mk4 arrived, surprising everyone with a high-calibre, soft-feel cabin finish that even ran to damped-action grab-handles. The Ford’s slash-sculpted dashboard was more imaginative but couldn’t match the VW for finish. But in every other way, the Focus had the Golf beaten. It rapidly became Britain’s best-seller, a deserved position sustained for years. It also became a benchmark. Some Fords had previously achieved this, but at the other end of the spectrum.

The Focus also set new standards for durability, this more subtle step change a reason why these cars remain so commonplace today. And therefore uncoveted and very cheap. There will be plenty more draining of the Mk1 Focus pool before their importance is recognised. So buy one now.

Car designer Peter Stevens, famed for the McLaren F1, is revealing the inspiration behind one of his latest projects: “I was working away from home in Coventry and staying in a very basic hotel.

"There wasn’t even a chair in my room. So, one evening, I’m sitting on my bed eating a takeaway and feeling quite depressed when I thought: I know, I’ll buy a camper van with all mod cons, park it in the car park of the firm I’m working at and sleep in that instead!”

We’ve all got to kip somewhere, of course, but Stevens – the designer of all-time classics including the F1, Jaguar XJR-15, Lotus Elan ‘M100’, Lotus ‘X180’ Esprit and the 1999 Le Mans-winning BMW V12 LMR – putting his head down in a client’s car park?

“There are some people who like being designers and some who like designing,” he explains. “I’m the latter. I certainly don’t expect special treatment. In any case, living in the motorhome gave me ideas for the project I was working on.”

That project was designing the interior of a Mk1 Ford Transit, an event vehicle commissioned by eBay to promote the availability of new and used car parts on its website and which it has dubbed the eBay Lounge.

The former German fire service Transit was registered in 1975 and restored and converted last year by the Envisage Group, based in Coventry. It had worked with Stevens in the past and thought the legendary designer the obvious choice to remodel the van’s interior.

This year marks the Ford Transit’s 60th anniversary, and while eBay might have been tempted to commission an attention-grabbing tribute, instead it has respected the donor vehicle’s original design and specification.

The eBay Lounge is still powered by its original 1.7-litre V4 petrol engine, for example, albeit modified to burn E5 fuel, and has the four-speed gearbox it left the factory with.

The only major change, apart from Stevens’ redesigned event space, has been its conversion from left- to right-hand drive and the addition of a pop-up roof.

“During the early discussions, we agreed it would have no silly 21in wheels or be lowered,” says Stevens. “Instead, we said it must respect the original design and specification and not spoil it with a sad caravan interior.”

On that point, Stevens was able to draw on the experience of his motorhome. “That vehicle showed me what I don’t like in a caravan interior,” he says. So in place of pastel shades and floral fabrics, Stevens has chosen dark wood for the cabinets, a brushed steel sink with a smoked glass cover, a cool-looking counter-top fridge and a tough, uncarpeted floor, all from eBay sellers.

Also from eBay are a Bentley alloy wheel table, passenger and driver seats that can turn 180deg and a pair of ‘old timer’ retro sports seats for use outside.

Stevens’ favourite item is the Classic JLR retro radio sourced from the Jaguar Classic Parts store on eBay. Envisage also went shopping for parts on the website, sourcing everything from Mk1 Transit headlights to drivetrain and suspension components from the official eBay Ford store. Fuel pipes, brake lines and electrical and other parts also came from eBay.

In his spare time, Stevens, 82, still races and enjoys driving his collection of cars, which includes a 2CV van, a Ford Model A roadster pick-up and a 1932 3.2-litre ‘Alexander Special’ hot rod.

He rides shotgun with me as I take the Transit for a few circuits of the track at Bicester Heritage. I’m impressed by his composure as I wrestle with the old commercial’s woolly steering and wand-like gear selector.

After a few laps, I’m getting the hang of it but the mushy brakes can still generate a few surprises. Either there’s nothing in the cabinets or whatever is there is stowed securely, but there are few rattles from the back. 

It’s a pukka job and Stevens is pleased to have his name attached to it: “Whether it’s a supercar or a camper van, I just love designing!”