Ford Built a Supervan That Can Beat Supercars

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is an annual event held in the English countryside that’s become one of the most significant automotive gatherings in the world.It was first organized in 1993 by the Earl of March, Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, who owns the Goodwood Estate in Sussex. Its centerpiece is a hillclimb time trial on a 1.16-mile stretch of driveway on the property, but four-day festival is primarily a showcase for old and new cars that aren’t there to race, but to be driven in front of enthusiasts who would rather see them in motion than in a museum.More than 100,000 people turn out to watch multi-million-dollar classics and supercars strut their stuff alongside vehicles of all kinds, including modern racing cars and even a Tesla Cybertruck that took part this year. Automakers have come to use it as a venue for debuting new models and special vehicles they are working on.A few dozen cars do officially compete against the clock for a win in the hillclimb, however, and the entry list is always eclectic. This year there was a pre-war Bugatti Type 35B, a Ferrari Roma, a 1977 Lotus Formula One car and a Ford van.The Ford SuperVan 4.2 at Pike’s Peak. Courtesy FordIt wasn’t any old delivery truck, though. The Ford SuperVan 4.2 is a purpose-built vehicle designed by Ford to show off its electric vehicle technology and promote its E-Transit line of trucks. As the number in the name suggests, it is the latest in a line of SuperVans that dates back to 1971.It has a 2,000 horsepower all-wheel-drive system and a streamlined body with a giant rear wing shaped to generate up to 4,400 pounds of downforce, which is about how much the vehicle weighs and keeps it stuck to the pavement.With sports car racing driver Romain Dumas behind the wheel, it finished the course in 43.88 seconds to win the event by more than two seconds over its closest competitor and left the Lotus F1 car six seconds in arrears.I had the opportunity to go for a ride in it on the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s infield road course earlier this year, with none other than Ford CEO Jim Farley behind the wheel. The executive is an avid amateur race car driver and definitely knows his way around a track. The acceleration was otherworldly and in Farley’s hands it took turns more like a Ford Mustang than a U-Haul, but sounded more like a power drill than a muscle car.The Ford SuperVan 4.2 shows off its wing. Courtesy FordFarley told me projects like this are largely about creating viral moments that bring attention to the brand, but that they also challenge Ford’s designers and engineers. Ford has slowed the rollout of its new production electric vehicles as demand for EVs has started to cool off, but it hasn’t stopped working on the next generation. The aerodynamic lessons learned from something like the SuperVan 4.2 are particularly important, as EVs need to be as sleek as possible to extend their range between battery charges.One of the new models coming in 2026 is an electric pickup that Farley has described as a “Millennium Falcon with a Back Porch,” referencing Han Solo’s ship from the “Star Wars” film saga. Images of it haven’t been released, but Ford already has a SuperTruck that can reach warp speed.It’s an evolution of the SuperVan 4.2 that’s modeled on the Ford F-150 Lighting for the U.S audience and features a 1,600 horsepower drivetrain and an even bigger wing than the van’s. The Ford SuperVan 4.2 at the Pike’s Peak event. Courtesy FordDumas drove it to an overall victory in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, despite the fact that it stalled part way up the track and needed to be rebooted during his run.Unfortunately, his time up the 12.42-mile course of eight minutes, 53 seconds was about six seconds short of a class record … which he set in the SuperVan 4.2 last year.

Ford Built a Supervan That Can Beat Supercars

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