When Ford let Ars drive its new electric E-Transit van in early 2022, I probably annoyed the heck out of the engineers and executives by repeatedly suggesting they make a Supervan version. While I don't think for a minute that my bugging them had any effect, the company did just that, building a souped-up version of its electric commercial vehicle with almost 2,000 hp (1,400 kW) and aerodynamic appendages that would not look out of place on a Fokker Triplane. And this weekend, it's sending Supervan 4 to one of the hardest races in the world—the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Supervan?
Ford's Transit van occupies roughly the same place in the European and British psyche as the pickup truck in the US. It's the default tradesperson's vehicle, available in various configurations and beloved by everyone from plumbers and builders to tour bands.
In 1970 or 1971, some bright spark at Ford UK had an idea to promote the Transit's image. A Transit body shell was mated to the chassis of a GT40 race car, complete with a 400 hp (298 kW) V8 engine. The Supervan was born, and it made its debut at a 1971 race meeting at Brands Hatch, just outside of London. Its performance was unlike any Transit van at the time, if a little pedestrian 52 years later—a zero-to-60-mph time of 7 seconds. For comparison, the current electric E-Transit is 0.6 seconds quicker off the line.
Supervan 2 followed in 1984. This time it was entirely custom-built, with a glass-fiber body that was a seven-eighths replica of the Mark 2 Transit, with a carbon-fiber and aluminum monocoque chassis underneath. Power was provided by a 3.9 L V8 Cosworth DFL engine capable of sending 590 hp (440 kW) to the rear wheels.
A decade later and the midlife refresh of the Mark 3 Transit gave Ford UK reason to dust off the Supervan chassis for yet another version. Supervan 3 still used a seven-eighths-scale body but swapped the DFL engine for a Ford HB. This 3.5 L V8 generated 650 hp (485 kW) and might be more familiar as the engine that took Michael Schumacher to his first Formula 1 championship. Sadly, a mid-90s F1 powertrain is horrifically expensive to run, and in 2001 Supervan 3 was parked for good.