Ford of Britain, hoping to mitigate the error and cost, sent a fleet of Escort vans to collect as many errant brochure pages as possible, as quickly as possibly, resulting in many vans tearing ass around the city, crammed full of reams of paper, knocking over trash cans and side-swiping fences. The public conflated the wicker in the image with the speeding vans, and the expression stuck. If you were rushing to the airport with an armload of overnight bags and carry-ons, you were hauling the wicker, as you were when you rushed home with two full grocery bags, or if you were collecting a dozen rambunctious kittens. Also, I may have just made all this up. Torch, I can’t wait for the next story where you or David are haulin’ the wicker. Interesting front grill badging…when did Ford go to the oval emblem in the UK? In the ’80s? At that same time in East London, mass confusion ensued. A crowd vigorously chanted “Haul in da Wicca,” as a mad mob searched high and low for the local pagan priest allegedly transporting pig hearts in large wicker baskets. https://youtu.be/8t4pmlHRokg?t=9
