Ford pulled the sheets off its newest creation Thursday morning, the absolutely ridiculous SuperVan, or as it calls it, the “Ford Pro Electric SuperVan.” Built to look sort of like an E-Transit Custom with wild aero, the one-off creation is the newest member of the Ford SuperVan family and officially made its public debut at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed today.
Back in 1971, the very first Ford SuperVan was powered by a mid-mounted, 302 small-block Ford V8 engine taken out of a Ford GT40 Le Mans racer. Having to live up to such wild expectations drove Ford’s engineering team to push the envelope, and hoh boy! Mounted on the purpose-built, track-ready chassis are four electric motors—one at each corner—fed by a 50-kilowatt-hour, liquid-cooled battery encased in a high-safety carbon packaging. Driving all four wheels is a two-speed transfer case, with first gear designed specifically for ultra-quick launches in “Drag Mode,” while second gear can be used when racing around a circuit or when trying to reach the van’s top speed of 186 miles per hour (300 kph).
Now, onto the even juicier bits. Total horsepower output is claimed to be 2,000 PS, or right around 1,973 horsepower. As far as acceleration goes, Ford claims the futuristic van can go from zero to 60 mph in under two seconds.
The Blue Oval paid as much attention to handling as it did to power output, giving the new SuperVan unequal-length double-wishbone suspension at each corner, racing-prepped front and rear subframes, uprights, and large brakes. Pirelli P Zero high-performance tires are wrapped over 20- by 11-inch lightweight alloy wheels, which are adorned with cool, semi-transparent aero discs for ultimate aerodynamics.
Pulling this all together is a racing-spec construction that marries the E-Transit Custom’s floorpan with a steel spaceframe developed by Ford Europe, Ford U.K., and Ford U.S. Lightweight composite body panels adorn the exterior, which were developed by Ford and STARD Motorsport.
Judging by the photos provided, the low-riding van seems almost as tall as it is wide, with the wild-looking aero design characteristics making it look more like a space shuttle than a racing car… err.. racing van. The massive rear diffuser, front splitter, and side skirts look like something straight out of a Pikes Peak racer, while the design’s cutaways, dorsal fin, and over-the-top rear wing remind me of a Bugatti Bolide. I bet you never thought a Transit van would share something in common with a Bugatti, huh?
Inside, the SuperVan is mostly traditional race car fare. An oversized, motorsport-grade roll cage and a top-spec racing seat protect the driver in the case of a crash, though considering only one of these babies exists, I truly hope that never happens. There’s also a large vertical screen plucked directly from the Ford Mustang Mach-E, where the driver can access real-time telemetry while on the track, as well as GPS navigation and charging information on the road because, yes, it is road-legal. It’s even got a license plate.
Tasked with driving this beauty up the hill at the Goodwood Festival of Speed is none other than Romain Dumas. Dumas is not just a multiple-time Le Mans 24 winner, but he’s also set the ultimate lap records at the Nurburgring and Pikes Peak in electric race cars. It’s safe to say that he knows a thing or two about driving extremely mental battery packs on wheels.
Ford’s made it clear that the Ford Pro Electric SuperVan is a one-off build, but isn’t that how most cool stuff is born? C’mon, Mr. Farley—build some more. You know you want to.
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