Ford already has his fancy new weapon ready for the upcoming Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event. This race consists of an ascending section of Mount Pikes Peak, in Colorado, USA, with a route of almost 20 km where it begins at 2,865 meters above sea level and from there it ascends another 1,440 meters. Cars and drivers face the challenge of the lack of oxygen that takes power from the engines and a winding and dangerous cornice road, but which gave us scenes like Ari Vatanen’s Climb Dance and his Peugeot 406 T16.
For this competition Ford prepared a very special vehicle, the Transit SuperVan. At the time this minivan was a concept, but earlier this year, Ford confirmed that it would be their weapon for Pikes Peak. Now we can see the car ready for extreme competition, and with its modifications it is still amazing.
The first thing that changed is the name, since went from Supervan 4 to 4.2. This evolution is evident in the much more striking new color scheme, and in the new aerodynamic elements.
The SuperVan 4.2 sum increases the size of all lower aerodynamic aids and it adds a colossal double-deck rear wing, which according to the brand, results in a total of more than 1,996kg of downforce at 240km/h.
To power this true hypercar, Ford Performance went from the original four electric motors with 1,490 kW (1,998 HP), to three engines delivering around 1,050 kW (1,408 HP). This doesn’t sound like an evolution, but Ford says it allowed it to achieve optimal weight distribution and better power delivery to the axles.
On the other hand, the most extreme Transit in history has carbon brakes, forged magnesium wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero race tires and upgraded driveshafts.
Ford will try to climb the mountain this weekend using the expertise of the French driver Romain Dumas and a vehicle that will undoubtedly not go unnoticed.
