Ford’s performance arm, Ford Performance, has confirmed that it will be bringing its all-electric SuperVan 4 to the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event that takes place in June.
The 2023 edition marks the 101st time the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event has taken place, with Ford entering a vehicle every year since its inception when a Ford Model T set a time of 28 minutes in 1916.
Fast-forward one hundred years and times have dropped below the eight-minute mark, with Ford hoping to enlist the man responsible for the current outright record in a VW I.D R, Romain Dumas, to get behind the wheel of its SuperVan 4. A quick tease video has surfaced on the division’s Facebook page (see below).
Unveiled late last year, Ford Performance’s SuperVan 4 is a throwback to its previous SuperVans, the first of which was created back in 1971 by Terry Drury Racing, which paired a 1965 Transit body with a chassis and 5.0-litre V8 engine snatched from the GT-40.
The latest SuperVan 4 comes powered by no less than for electric motors producing around 1491kW combined, which hurtles it from 0-100km/h in under 2.0 seconds, according to Ford.
Power is supplied by a 50kWh battery that offers 35km of range at full power, which is enough to see the SuperVan 4 conquer all of the 156 turns of the 20km Pikes Peak climb that gains 1440m of elevation. It’s so high it can cause performance issues in internal combustion-engined vehicles. Dumas said:
“Ford’s latest generation of electric vehicle technology is the perfect match for America’s Mountain. With high altitudes cutting power in traditional ICE powered vehicles, the electric powertrain of SuperVan 4 has no loss at elevation and will be healthy competitor in this year’s race.”
