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<\/p>\nIt’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s . . . Supertruck.<\/p>\n
Colorado\u2019s famed Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has a new King of the Mountain: the bonkers, slammed, winged, 1,600-horsepower Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck with more aerodynamic downforce than an IndyCar. So modified is the ferocious pickup to achieve its mission of conquering the Colorado hill\u2019s 12.4-mile, 156-turn course that it looks more like something out of the latest Mad Max movie, \u201cFuriosa,\u201d than its production parent.<\/p>\n
Driven by French race driver Romain Dumas, the Ford-badged beast made the fastest pass of the 61-car field at Pikes Peak\u2019s 102nd running in a time of 8:53.6 minutes on Sunday.<\/p>\n
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The wicked-looking Ford\u2019s feat was the latest performance mark set by the Blue Oval\u2019s lineup of so-called \u00a0EV Demonstrators developed by its Ford Performance division. EVs are especially well-suited to high-altitude hill-climb events like the 14,115-foot Pike\u2019s Peak. Where internal combustion engines \u2014 which light off air and fuel in a combustion chamber \u2014 are starved for power in high-altitude thin air, electric motors just keep on humming.<\/p>\n
The lap was well off the Hill Climb record \u2014 also set by Dumas in an electric VW supercar \u2014 which is just under 8 minutes. Part of that gap involved a 26-second delay on course when the SuperTruck came to a complete stop and had to be rebooted by the driver. The truck\u2019s improbable feat follows the debut of the 1,400-horse SuperVan 4.2 at the 2023 Hill Climb event.<\/p>\n \u201cThe progression of Ford EV\u2019s taking on and completing the toughest challenges is a major testament to the hard work and dedication our teams have put into the program,\u201d said Ford Performance boss Mark Rushbrook. \u201cWe learned a great deal from SuperVan 4.2 in last year\u2019s Pikes Peak International Hill climb and were able to apply that knowledge to this year\u2019s run.\u201d<\/p>\n SuperVan recorded a slightly-quicker time of 8.47.7 in the same Open Class. In addition to horsepower, the SuperTruck\u2019s 6,000 pounds of downforce was key to a fast time on the uphill circuit, given its high-speed corners and harrowing drop-offs at road\u2019s edge.<\/p>\n Ford has touted the speed of its battery-powered models with a series of EV Demonstrator vehicles. Its electric dragster, the Cobra Ket 1800, holds the National Hot Rod Association record for the fastest quarter-mile record: 7.76 seconds at 180 mph. Race shop RTR Vehicles helped Ford Performance develop the drifting, all-wheel-drive, seven-motor, Mustang Mach-E 1400 and mud-slinging Lightning Switchgear off-road truck.<\/p>\n Supertruck\u2019s feat comes in the wake of slowing sales for EVs like the F-150 Lightning. Ford last year planned to produced 3,200 Lightnings per week but has slowed that to 1,600 on softening demand. Ford reduced production to one shift at its Michigan Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in April.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/24\/PDTN\/74198677007-ford-f-150-lightning-super-truck-mtn.jpg?width=990&height=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/figure>\n\nThe Ford F-150 Lightning SupetrTuck EV Demonstrator performs well at 14,000 feet where ICE racers strain for air. Ford, Ford<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2024\/06\/24\/PDTN\/74198668007-ford-f-150-lightning-super-truck-dumas.jpg?width=990&height=660&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/figure>\n\nPro race driver Romain Dumas piloted the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck EV Demonstrator up Pikes Peak. He also holds the course record in a VW EV. Ford<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n