Watch The 1,428bhp Ford Supervan 4.2 Break A Pikes Peak Record
Among this year's entries at the gruelling Pikes Peak Hillclimb was a van, which wouldn’t be much to shout about. However, it was no ordinary van, rather a reworked version of the absolutely bonkers Ford Supervan, which the manufacturer aimed to smash the Open class record with. Now, a cinematic take on its run has been released- and it makes for a tense watch.
In Supervan 4.0 trim, with four motors equipped, the van is capable of producing 2,039bhp. However, to cope with the extremities of Pikes Peak, one of the front axle’s motors was removed for this ‘4.2’ version, resulting in a dip to ‘just’ 1,428bhp.
A trade-off for that is reduced weight of course which, combined with an extreme reworking of the aerodynamics to allow for 1,996kg for downforce at 150mph, positioned the Supervan for a crack at breaking the Open class record. Before its run, that stood at 9:24.433 - set by Peter Cunningham in an Acura TLX GT.
Other revisions to the Supervan included a revised regenerative braking system, upgraded driveshafts and new forged magnesium wheels wrapped in a set of Pirelli P Zeros. Romain Dumas was the man behind the wheel, and who better - having won the event four times including a 7:57.148 run in a Volkswagen ID.R.
Spoilers ahead in case you wanted to find out for yourself by how much the Supervan was able to break the record. It smashed it out of the park, recording 8 minutes, 47.682 on the leaderboard. It didn’t take an overall victory, however, with that honour going to a Wolf TSC-FS running in the Unlimited class setting an 8:40.080 run.
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