Ford has a brief but delicious history with high-powered box cars. in fact, the name Supervan comes from the seventies, when Oval decided that it would be best to install the Transit van’s body on a Ford GT40 chassis that had been discontinued. The success of this promotional model was so great that in the following decades they created two more models, based of course of course on the newer racing model in the latest generation of Transit bodies.

In between, we can’t forget that Jaguar tested the spectacular XJ220 engine that mounts a supercar chassis in the Ford Transit, a model that could be considered an unofficial Supervan.

The fourth generation Supervan, officially called the Pro Electric Supervan And as you know, it’s a 100% electric van, but with its sporty styling and track, it’s hard to believe it’s never entered any competition. Of course we saw him prove himself in the “Green Hell” on the Nürburgring. Then he headed to the United Kingdom to perform at the 2022 Goodwood Festival, where Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, took the opportunity to take a few turns.

Until mid-year, June to be precise, when the Ford Pro Electric Supervan launched its way to the United States. to compete in the legendary Pikes Peak race in Colorado.

To this end, Ford announced a slight change in the nomenclature of the electric van it will be registered to race as the Ford Performance Supervan 4, hinting at a collaboration with R&D company STARD and its 50 kWh battery.

To face the challenges posed by the mountain, Ford performance has gone to famed French racer Romain Dumas who, if he had known, would have broken records in high-performance electric cars; Does the Volkswagen ID.R ring any bells? The model who, in addition to “burning” the Nürburgring, she also won the Pikes Peak climb, adding eight consecutive participations.

“The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the perfect test of Ford Performance and the perfect place to take the SuperVan 4 Electric. Both the Ford Performance and the SuperVan 4 have a history of sparking the imaginations of racing fans around the world. They have evolved with the times, and it’s time to testing our electric vehicle technology on this mountain, and comparing it to some of the most impressive performance vehicles in the world.”said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports.

Ford vehicles have always been prominent at the PPIHC, where a wide variety of models have entered: from the 1916 Model T, to a number of current-generation Mustangs, including the 2022 Shelby American Ford Mustang Shelby GT500SE.

Over the years, several famous drivers have taken the Ford to the top of the iconic mountain; from Curtis Tanner and Parnelli Jones, who in 1960 set a record in the Stock Car Division, to the late Ken Block, who recently climbed a mountain with his Hoonicorn in Climbkhana. Romain Dumas will join this select group of stars to run for the oval sign.

“The next generation of Ford electric vehicle technology is the perfect ally in America’s Mountaineering”Dumas said. “In traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, power is reduced at altitude. The SuperVan 4’s electric motor suffers no loss of lift and will be a strong contender in this year’s races.”

The 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb begins on June 25, 2022 at the foot of the legendary American mountain. There are 4,302 meters that Dumas has to climb in this spectacular electric van.