The Goodwood Festival of Speed should see the debut of the latest-generation Ford Supervan.
It’s all being kept top secret for now, but we understand that Supervan 4 will be built around the forthcoming E-Transit, demonstrating that an electric van can be every bit as quick up the infamous Goodwood hill as anything with a petrol or diesel engine.
The van will not only highlight the capabilities of an electric van - albeit one that’s been very heavily modified - but will also demonstrate the Ford Pro division that offers significant benefits to business users.
Ford’s Supervan heritage runs right back to 1971 when the first one-off performance model appeared. Built around the chassis of the iconic Ford GT40 supercar, with the Transit body attached on top, it was powered by a 5.0-litre V8 engine producing well over 400hp.
Ford built another model in 1983, ingeniously called Supervan 2, based on the chassis of the Ford C100, a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed to tackle Le Mans. A 3.9-litre V8 boosted power to 590hp, with speeds approaching 180mph being possible.
For many, the most recent Supervan 3 remains the most iconic model. Built in 1994, it took the same C100 chassis as the second van and had a recently facelifted third-generation Transit bolted on. The engine was switched for a 3.5-litre Ford-Cosworth engine lifted straight from Formula One, producing a hefty 650hp.
Supervan 4 will eschew the petrol power of its forebears and use nothing but electricity to propel it up the hill. With the regular E-Transit able to accelerate from zero to 62mph in just seven seconds, the road-going version is already surprisingly potent.
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