Ford SuperVan 4.2: more than 1,400 hp electric racing bus

Around this time last year, Ford added a new chapter to the downright bizarre story called SuperVan. It started in 1971 with the SuperVan, a beastly bus with the body of an early 1970s current Transit but the chassis and 400 hp 4.0 V8 racing engine of the Ford GT40. Later Ford came with the SuperVan 2 and SuperVan 3 with powerful V8 machines from Cosworth. The SuperVan that was presented in the middle of last year had a whopping 2,000 hp electric powertrain. That SuperVan has now been modified and will participate in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb as SuperVan 4.2.

Vigorous wing work produces a lot of downforce.

Although the SuperVan 4.2 is still very similar to last year’s, the entire aerodynamics have been adjusted. That means: new spoilers, edges, flaps and so on. In its modified form, the SuperVan 4.2 should be better suited to tackle the nearly 20 kilometers long and 156 corner Pikes Peak Hill Climb in one go.

According to Ford, the modified spoiler work at a speed of 240 km / h accounts for almost 2,000 kilograms of downforce. The regenerative braking system has been updated and now includes carbon ceramic discs, the chassis has been revised and is lighter than before, the SuperVan 4.2 gets a Plexiglas windscreen, special magnesium wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero racing tires and the interior has been stripped of all unnecessary elements . It is striking that the SuperVan 4.2 is now no longer 2,000 hp, but 1,427 hp. The Ford has to do with one electric motor less and still has two copies at the rear, but only one copy on the front axle.

On June 25, the SuperVan 4.2 with Romain Durmas behind the wheel chases up Pikes Peak mountain.