New Ford SuperVan swaps out race-bred V8 for devastating 1471kW quad-motor electric powertrain
Ford Pro has unleashed an all-new Ford Electric SuperVan at the Goodwood Festival of Speed that’s capable of a sub-2.0-second 0-100km/h sprint and a 320km/h top speed thanks to its a pure-electric all-wheel drive powertrain.
Armed with four electric motors, the 2022 Ford Pro Electric SuperVan produces 2000hp (1471kW) – a significant increase on the previous SuperVan 3 that used an endurance racer’s 3.9-litre V8 Cosworth F1 engine that could ‘only’ muster 478kW.
Developed in partnership with Austrian-based STARD Motorsport, the impossibly-quick battery-electric delivery van was driven up the famous hill-climb by Le Mans winner Romain Dumas.
Created to build anticipation for the upcoming Ford E-Transit family of zero-emission commercial vehicles, Ford says that instead of using a racer’s aluminium space-frame the new SuperVan actually sits on the same platform that will underpin the battery-powered E-Transit.
The SuperVan uses a 50kWh battery that’s mounted mid-ship and can be topped up using a fast-charger in just 45 minutes.
Externally, it’s not surprising considering the performance on tap that the SuperVan shares little in common with the Ford E-Transit.
For better air-bending at high speeds, for example, there’s a big front splitter, huge side skirts, race-spec door mirrors and fixed glass windows.
At the rear, the motorsport theme continues with a huge rear tailgate spoiler and comically large diffuser.
To maximise performance, the cabin has been stripped out. It’s also fitted with a full roll-cage, while ahead of the driver is a race-spec steering wheel and a digital instrument cluster.
To the right of the instrument panel is Ford’s latest 12-inch infotainment system that runs the Blue Oval’s SYNC 4 operating system. The same tech will be available in the E-Transit.
Said to have been developed to feature Road, Track, Drag, Drift and Rally driving modes, the Electric SuperVan will also offer three levels of regen braking.
There’s even a line-lock for burnouts that Ford has amusingly renamed ‘Tyre Cleaning Mode’ that allows Dumas to choose whether to light up the front or rear tyres.
Sadly, there’s little chance of a production version of the fast Ford van ever following in the SuperVan’s impressive wake, but its arrival continues the Blue Oval’s glorious tradition of rolling out impossibly fast versions of the Transit.
The first iteration arrived back in 1970, when Ford commissioned British outfit Terry Drury Racing to build a race car out of the load hauler.
Squeezing in a 320kW 5.0-litre V8 in the load bay of the Ford Transit, the first SuperVan featured independent suspension all round and was seriously quick, launching from 0-100km/h in less than 7.0 seconds and topping out at more than 240km/h.
1971 Ford SuperVan
Ford then repeated the exercise in 1984 with the Group C V8-powered SuperVan 2, but that was little more than a racer with van body stretched over its chassis, explaining its 3.0sec 0-100km/h dash and 300km/h-plus top speed.
The last SuperVan 3 arrived in 1995 and was actually a facelift of the SuperVan 2 but with a real F1 V8 in place.
The Ford E-Transit Custom will launch in Australia in 2024, while the larger E-Transit van will be Ford’s first EV in Australia and is due Down Under in the second half of this year.
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Keyword: Ford SuperVan returns as monster 2000hp EV