This was surely going to raise some eyebrows. After all the supercars, hypercars, insane cars with Rs, RSs, and STs in the name, that did the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb over all these years, Ford was taking a Transit van to the mountain. But it was not just any Transit van.
They don't call it The Race to the Clouds for nothing. It is a 12.42-mile (20-kilometer) hill climb with 156 turns with names that send shivers down your spin, such as the Devil's Playground, Bottomless Pit, and Ragged Edge. There are 18 turns at Silverstone, 38 at Le Mans. So Pikes Peak is a whole different kind of racing.
The course goes as high as 14,115 feet (4,302 meters) above sea level and sports an elevation gain of 4,725 feet (1,440 meters).
Ford has been doing the hill climb in the Rocky Mountains since the very first event, which took place in 1916. Back then, they took a Model T to the America’s mountain, near Colorado Springs. But this time, they were doing it differently. They were taking a van up the mountain for the 101st run. It was not just any van, but the absolutely insane SuperVan 4.2.
Based on the E-Transit custom van, the model is an update of the Ford Pro Electric SuperVan 4.0 that made its debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed back in 2022. The vehicle got an 880-pound (399-kilogram) weight reduction. It also received a larger battery pack and electric motors, plus better aerodynamics for two tons of downforce at approximately 150 mph (241 kph). The lighter chassis improved maneuverability and balance. The team put a wing as big as the state of Colorado at the rear. That was for downforce, too.
Photo: Ford
The model received a lightweight carbon fiber rear spoiler and front splitter, which the team says will help the SuperVan 4.2 stay planted to the winding roads of the mountain.
The vehicle was powered by three six-phase electric motors instead of the four that it previously used and gets Ultra High Performance Li-Polymer NMC pouch cells for better weight distribution and optimal power-to-weight ratio. The van still featured all-wheel drive as one of the motors sat up front, while two operated at the rear.
Together, the motors developed 1,408 horsepower (1,428 PS). The model featured a regenerative braking system with carbon ceramic brake discs and rode on magnesium forged wheels with Pirelli P Zero race tires.
Everything that was to be useless inside the cabin was removed to help the team keep the weight under control.
Racing driver Romain Dumas was in the driver’s seat. Dumas still holds the record for the fastest-ever Pikes Peak hillclimb with the Volkswagen ID. R Pikes Peak: 7 minutes and 57.148 seconds, achieved in 2018. He also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the 24 Hours of Spa, the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, and the 24 Hours of Sebring. So he seemed like the right person to do it.
This year, the Ford SuperVAn 4.2 monster went uphill on Sunday, June 25, ready to conquer the mountain. He crossed the line 8 minutes, 49.682 seconds later. The time placed Romain Dumas and Ford as the record holders in the Pikes Peak Open Class. The run also secured them a solid second place overall at the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
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