Ford is not going to let its absolutely insane Transit SuperVan 4.2 rust in some garage. They are now sending it up Mount Panorama in Australia to let her stretch her legs and challenge a new record.
The carmaker unveiled the custom van in July 2022 and soon sent it on a promotional tour around the world. It went to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom, went uphill at Pikes Peak in the United States, and is now going up Mount Panorama in Bathurst, Australia.
Two-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Pikes Peak veteran, Romain Dumas, was behind the wheel at last year’s International Hill Climb, winning the Open Class and finishing second overall, 7 seconds behind the actual winner, with eight minutes and 47.682 seconds. Dumas is still the record holder at Pikes Peaks, going uphill in 7 minutes and 57.148 seconds without the Volkswagen ID.R Peak in 2018.
And he is the one who will pilot the van in Australia. The vehicle is going to start in both the Bathurst 12 Hour endurance race from February 16 to 18 and the Bathurst 500 Supercars race between February 23 and 25. It will be a comeback for the Ford’s SuperVans and the first time there since their debut in Australia in 1971.
Back then, the original Ford SuperVan came with the chassis carried over from a Ford GT40 and was powered by a V8 engine. In 1984, its successor was set in motion by a Formula One-derived V8. In 1994, Ford deployed its most technologically advanced supervan. It came with a fiberglass body, which significantly lowered weight and a Formula 1 V8 engine.
Photo: Ford
Three decades later, the pumped-up Ford has all the credentials to do a good job up the mountain. It's got the styling of a supercar and the oomph of one, too. The model sports this big rear wing for extra downforce and a prominent front splitter that channels the air. Furthermore, everything that was useless uphill inside the cabin was cut out.
The Ford Transit SuperVan 4.2 is set in motion by a state-of-the-art powertrain, developed by the carmaker's Performance division. It integrates three six-phase electric motors that produce together 1,044 kW (1,400 horsepower/1,419 metric horsepower), steered to all four wheels, which are 20 inches in size and shod in Pirelli P Zero racing tires.
The battery pack, supplied by STARD, is made up of Ultra High Performance Li-Polymer NMC pouch cells for better weight distribution and handling.
Pro driver Romain Dumas promises a show that Australian fans "will hopefully never forget." The Bathurst unofficial lap record set by Jenson Button, who was then driving for McLaren in Formula 1, was set back in 2011. Button covered the lap in one minute and 48.88 seconds.
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