Ford is expected to run its latest generation Supervan up the famous Goodwood hill at the Festival of Speed.

While Ford is keeping tight-lipped about what it will be running, Professional Van understands that it will be running the Supervan 4 up the famous hill. The latest in a line of iconic high-performance vans, this fourth-generation iteration will be built around the forthcoming E-Transit Custom electric van, marking a move away from powerful petrol engines.

Little is known about the Supervan 4, but the Ford Pro division will be working from an already potent base; the regular road-going E-Transit Custom will accelerate to 62mph in just seven seconds.

Ford Supervan Heritage

Ford has been building high-performance vans since 1971 when the original Supervan was revealed. The original van was little more than a Transit body bolted onto the chassis of a GT40 supercar. Powered by a 5.0-litre V8 engine producing over 400hp, performance was unlike anything that had been seen at that point.

Another track-based Transit was built in 1983, ingeniously called Supervan 2. This time the chassis was that of a Ford C100, the manufacturers’ Group C sports-prototype racing car designed to tackle Le Mans. Speeds of up to 180mph were possible thanks to a 3.9-litre V8 developing 590hp.

Ford Supervan 1 1971
1983 Ford Supervan 2

For those of a certain age (i.e. the team at Professional Van) the third iteration of the performance focussed LCV remains the most iconic. Supervan 3 retained the C100 chassis as its starting point, this time with a third-generation Transit body in place. However, the engine was swapped for a 3.5-litre V8 Ford-Cosworth engine taken straight from the Formula One programme. With 650hp on offer and genuine racecar underpinnings, the 1994 model was a sight to behold.

Phil Huff
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