Ford sets a new record on the Pikes Peak climb with its SuperVan 4.2

Normally, the legendary Pikes Peak climb features very low supercars with little ground clearance. This year, however, Ford has chosen a different route, aiming to shave the just over 9 minutes of the current record in the Open Class competition.Using the SuperVan 4.0 as a starting point, the American manufacturer has gone to work modifying this electric van in order to achieve better performance over the 20.2 km course.

As a result, the SuperVan 4.2 is 400 kg lighter, tipping the scales at just under 1,996 kg. This weight reduction will be reflected in its performance, aided by the revised suspension tuning and the integration of a new braking system.

The technical specifications of the SuperVan 4.2 seem almost otherworldly, with just over 1,000 kW of power thanks to the three electric motors it features. Ford has, however, reduced the number of electric motors, as the SuperVan 4.0 had four of them instead of three, which together delivered more than 1,400 kW.

Great work, guys!

All these adaptation tasks were also carried out in less than six weeks. The engineering team at Ford had to work against the clock, and some things did not go as expected at first. For example, during the first test runs of the SuperVan 4.2, some drivetrain components broke, forcing last-minute changes.

Finally, on competition day, Ford set a time of 8 minutes and 47.682 seconds, dipping below 9 minutes for the first time and beating the current record in this category, which stood at 9 minutes and 24.433 seconds.

Competition driver Romain Dumas, the current holder of the fastest Pikes Peak climb record, was entrusted with the wheel of the SuperVan 4.2. Dumas won this competition in 2014 and 2016, tackling the course’s 156 corners and climbing the 1,440 m of elevation gain faster than anyone else.