Race to the Clouds – Van vs. Pikes Peak

Known to motorsport fans as “The Race to the Clouds”, the legendary Pikes Peak International Hillclimb sees competitors take on 12.5 miles of twisting mountain road with menacingly-named corners like Bottomless Pit, Ragged Edge and the Devil’s Playground.

We’ve been racing our vehicles to the top of Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, US, since the first organised event back in 1916 – but for the 101^st running earlier this year, we decided to go in a completely new direction.

We entered a Transit van.

The SuperVan 4.2 is a wild hillclimb monster that blends 1,400 PS of high-tech electric power, ¹ born from three electric motors, with a body inspired by Ford Pro’s latest E-Transit Custom van. It’s an update of the crowd-wowing Ford Pro Electric SuperVan 4.0 that debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2022, but fresh from a 400 kg weight reduction and super-charged with an enhanced battery and electric motors. It’s also had an aerodynamic redesign to create two tonnes of downforce at 240 km/h for maximum cornering grip.

With racing driver Romain Dumas – holder of the record for the fastest-ever Pikes Peak hillclimb – strapped into the driver’s seat, we were ready to race into the sky. Watch the video to discover how this epic adventure unfolded.

¹ Calculated via peak performance of the electric motor(s) at peak battery power. Your results may vary.

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