No one who attended Goodwood Festival of Speed last year will need reminding about the 2,000hp Ford Pro Electric SuperVan - it swept up the hill in the fifth quickest time of the shootout, nearly a second quicker than the latest Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. Evidently, its maker has decided that achievement is well worth replicating elsewhere: Ford has confirmed its all-electric special project will attend the 101st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
“The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the perfect next stop for Ford Performance, and is the perfect place to take SuperVan 4, as both have long, storied histories that ignite the imagination of racing fans all over the world,” stated Mark Rushbrook, global director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “Both have evolved over time, and it’s time to take our electric vehicle technology and put it to the test on the mountain against some of the most impressive performance vehicles in the world.”
If that sounds like it is taking a leaf out of Volkswagen’s book (it took the ID. R to Goodwood before shattering the PPIHC overall record) then you’re not wrong; Ford has even collared the same man to do the driving. Romain Dumas is making a habit of steering improbably heavy things to impossible times, and it sounds like he rather fancies his chances in Colorado Springs.
“Ford's latest generation of Electric vehicle technology is the perfect match for America’s Mountain” said Dumas. “With high altitudes cutting power in traditional ICE powered vehicles, the electric powertrain of SuperVan 4 has no loss at elevation and will be a healthy competitor in this year's race.”
Of course, he’ll know better than anyone the strength of the competition. Thanks to the always-zany Unlimited class and the high-profile nature of the event, Pikes Peak is ground zero for one-off (or heavily modified) racing machines that are custom-built to tackle 156 turns over an elevation gain of 1,440 metres. And while the occasion is slightly less spectacular with no unmade sections, the presence of asphalt for the entire 12.42-mile course makes for increasingly wild record-setting.
While SuperVan 4 is highly unlikely to make a dent on the 7:57.148 time Dumas laid down in the ID.R back in 2018, it will follow in a long tradition of Ford product taking part in the PPIHC. That includes a Mustang Shelby GT500SE campaigned by Shelby American last year, and in 2020 Clint Vahsholtz took the overall win in a home-built, open-wheel Ford-powered car described by one observer as looking like a bathtub with a snow shovel on the front. The SuperVan ought to blend right in.
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