Pickups intended for heavy commercial use (in South Africa, the so-called one-tonner class) tend to be based around a steel ladder-frame chassis, with the cab and load box mounted separately.

It was intended to compete for market share that was, at the time, almost entirely monopolised by Nissan's B140 1400 Bakkie (which had been derived from the B110 sedan), with the remainder accounted for by the recently released Volkswagen Caddy.

The Bantam (named after a breed of fowl known for its small size and courageous, defiant nature) was based on the Mark III Ford Escort.

Upon Ford's apartheid-era divestment from South Africa, Bantam production was relocated to the Samcor plant in Silverton, Pretoria.

The new Bantam was the first South African-produced vehicle to be subjected to computer-modelled finite-element stress analysis, and also benefitted from accelerated durability testing conducted by the University of Pretoria.

Though the Mazda 121 (a re-badged Ford Fiesta) was available in South Africa, demand was judged sufficiently low that a Mazda-rebadged Bantam was never produced.

Being a low-cost derivative of the multi-valve Zetec-SE that was intended for developing markets, the Brazilian-designed Rocam engine is of single overhead-cam configuration with two valves per cylinder.

Basic (fleet) versions featured austere interiors with vinyl seat trim, and no air conditioning, power steering or audio system.

XL versions featured Jacquard cloth upholstery, 14-inch alloy wheels, four-speaker sound systems, full instrumentation, power steering and air conditioning.

In 2009, the Bantam received a second mid-life upgrade consisting of all-new bonnet, headlights, front bumper, rear lights, 'liquid chrome' nomenclature, instrument cluster and interior trim.

In 2011, Ford South Africa ended production of the Bantam, focussing its marketing efforts on the larger and more expensive Ranger.

South Africa's deteriorating economy, combined with the relative unaffordability of larger pickups such as the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger mean that demand for a Bantam replacement has never abated.

Rumours continue to circulate that Ford USA may develop a replacement for the Brazilian Courier, possibly based on the next-generation Focus platform.