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Watch Ford CEO Jim Farley pilot the 2,000-horsepower electric SuperVan: ‘Crazy, isn’t it?
Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024
Charlotte, N.C. — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley has a need for speed. He races a 1965 Shelby Cobra, 1978 Lola T298 sports racer, Mustang GT4 in the 2024 SRO Series, and has even competed at Le Mans in his historic 1968 GT40.
But perhaps the fastest car he has driven is a Ford Transit van.
Not just any Transit van, but a heavily modified, 2,000-horsepower, four-motor, all-wheel-drive electric hellion developed by the Ford Performance division called the SuperVan 4.0.
Ford CEO Jim Farley and his new toy, the Ford SuperVan 4.0. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Crazy isn’t it?!” grinned Farley through his helmet visor after he had just destroyed the 1.5-mile infield track at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the SuperVan with your humble scribe riding shotgun. “This thing really shows what electric power can do.”
The SuperVan 4.0 is part of stable-full of electric Ford Demonstrator projects designed to explore the envelope of electric performance as the Blue Oval invests big bucks in electric vehicles. Demonstrator toys include the 1,400-horsepower, seven-motor Mustang Mach-E 1400, the CobraJet 14000 dragster, and F-150 Lightning SwitchGear off-road beast. But the SuperVan may be the most jaw-dropping of the lot.
Ready to rumble. Ford CEO Jim Farley at the controls of the Ford SuperVan 4.0.Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Built on the same chassis as Ford’s commercial, electric Transit van, SuperVan looks like a breadbox on wheels. Under the breadbox’s Ford Performance logos, SuperVan is packed with some serious meat. A 50 kWh battery feeds juice to four high performance motors developed by STARD, an Austrian-base motorsports shop.
Where cargo would normally be housed, the van is crisscrossed with a tabular frame for chassis stiffening. Up front are race seats and five-point seatbelts to hold passengers in place through excruciating corner g-force loads. And the whole package is slammed to the ground for maximum downforce on 12.8-inch-wide, slick racing tires.
Put the CEO of one of the world’s largest automakers behind the wheel, and it’s a treat.
Ford SuperVan 4.0 is a 2,000-horsepower, track-focused breadbox. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Hold on!” Farley says and then jammed the gas — er throttle — pedal to the floor. SuperVan laid rubber down CMS’s pit lane, leaving a cloud of black dust in its wake. Tires dust, not exhaust dust. The acceleration crushed our spines into the seatbacks, the electric motors screaming under duress like an overgrown slot car.
Zero-60 mph went by in a blistering 1.8 seconds — on par with a Formula One car — before Farley hauled the 4,000-pound van back to earth for a lefthander onto the infield course. A skilled race driver who has competed on some of the world’s greatest tracks, Farley attacked the nine-turn course with gusto in the flying shoebox.
“It definitely pushes into the corners because of the weight,” Farley said afterwards of the SuperVan which sports a 186 mph top speed, “but it has good weight transfer so you can really go deep on the brakes. Then you can rotate the car on throttle.”
Ford CEO Jim Farley completes a lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Ford SuperVan 4.0. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Over the infield course’s diabolical Turn 6 — a fast, uphill, blind, off-camber corner — Farley used quick hands to keep the SueprVan on line, then — ZOT! — exploded off the exit into the long, 180-degree Turn 7.
Back into pit lane at the end of the run, Farley yanked the “Hoon stick” parking brake and the van did an instant, 180-degre U-turn into the pit box. Every 10 laps, Farley would return to the infield paddock garage for a fast charge of the battery and a change of tires. The ferocious acceleration and g-loads from the two-ton van are hell on tire wear.
Ready to launch 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds with Jim Farley in the 2,000-horse Ford SuperVan 4.0. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
How does Ford top the SuperVan 4,0? Well, with the SuperVan 4.2, of course. With a bespoke chassis and giant rear wing out back like Superman’s cape, the 4.2 model generates an IndyCar-like 4,000 pounds of downforce with an eye on setting track records. Look for it at the famed Pike’s Peak, Colorado, hill climb event in June.
Maybe you’ll find Ford’s CEO behind the wheel.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.