Whereas Ford’s E-Transit work vans are busy racking up gross sales and electrifying the world’s industrial van fleets, Ford’s 1400 hp electrical SuperVan is racking up data and electrifying race tracks all over the world!
We lined a earlier iteration of Ford’s electrical SuperVan expertise demonstrator final summer time, when “model 4.2” was set to tackle the Pike’s Peak Worldwide Hill Climb (PPIHC). That model of the van packed 1400 hp and produced a whopping 4,400 lbs. of aerodynamic downforce at 150 mph. Greater than sufficient, in different phrases, to threaten for general victory. It got here shut, too – ending on the prime of the Pike’s Peak Open Class and second general, simply 7 seconds behind the profitable Wolf TSC-FS prototype.
A category win and second place at Pike’s Peak had been simply sufficient to get the Ford workforce actually engaged, it appears, they usually confirmed up on the Mount Panorama circuit in Bathurst this previous weekend able to run.
With Romain Dumas on the wheel, the electrical van blasted across the circuit in simply 1 minute and 56.3247 seconds, setting data for being the quickest closed-wheel automobile, electrical automobile, and industrial mannequin automobile ever to run at Bathurst. That’s almost 3 tenths of a second faster than a specially-prepared Mercedes AMG GT3 went across the identical observe, in accordance with Ford.
You may watch Romain wheel the Ford SuperVan 4.2 round Bathurst on this video from Ford Efficiency, beneath.
So far as what’s subsequent for Ford’s quickest industrial van, the corporate’s individuals are enjoying it coy. “We do have extra plans for it,” Ford Efficiency spokesperson Jay Ward advised Motor1 in an announcement. “In the meanwhile, these are confidential, however you will be positive we have now some thrilling concepts.”
Right here’s hoping we see extra of Ford’s newest SuperVan at Pike’s Peak later this yr.
Electrek’s Take
I get the impression that Ford didn’t count on to return in second at PPIHC final yr, and positively didn’t count on to lose to a five-year-old Wolf. That’s not why they employed a two-time LeMans champion and the Pike’s Peak general file holder to get behind the wheel, and the truth that they’re trying to set data elsewhere simply highlights that.
My prediction: 4.3 is coming quickly, and it’s going up the mountain once more this summer time.