Located on the Dunsfold Aerodrome just an hour’s drive southwest of London, the Top Gear test track isn’t exactly what you’d consider ‘typical’ for a
performance car proving ground
. Even still, the show transformed the venue from an old WWII airstrip into a place of automotive renown — everyone wants to see how long it takes for the industry’s latest and greatest to go round a lap.
In the most recent installment of “Stig Laps,” the masked racing driver eschews his usual exotic in favor of something a bit more shocking: the all-electric, 2,000-horsepower Ford
SuperVan 4.2.
Ford
Ford is one of the most recognizable vehicle brands on the planet, and has revolutionized the industry with some incredible cars over the years, including the Mustang, GT40, Maverick, and a lot more.
- Divisions
-
Ford Model e, Ford Blue
- Founded
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1903
- Founder
-
Henry Ford
- Headquarters
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Dearborn, Michigan
- Current CEO
-
- Status
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- Total Vehicles Sold In 2022
-
Aiming For An All-Time Top Gear Lap Record
Over the years,
the Stig
has driven no shortage of seriously quick cars, with everything from lightweights like the Ariel Atom to horsepower heavy hitters like the Bugatti Veyron vying for the honor of fastest Top Gear lap. To keep comparisons fair, the times have always been categorized by road legality — you don’t get race purebreds going up against consumer vehicles.
Related
Looking Back At The Coolest Cars Ever Driven In Anger At The Top Gear Test Track
The Top Gear test track will soon be gone! However, we’ll always remember the coolest cars driven around the track in anger by the Stig.
Having been built for events like Pikes Peak and the Goodwood Shootout, the SuperVan 4.2 is far from a mass-market offering. As such, the Stig was tasked with breaking the non-road-legal record — 59 seconds — set by Renault’s R24 Formula 1 car way back in 2004.
As was the case with the Renault, the test track conditions weren’t exactly favorable for fast lap times; between light rain and overcast skies, it was slick and low contrast. Nevertheless, the SuperVan manages an extremely quick (and eerily whining) time of 1:05.3. While that’s a long way off from an F1 car, it’s incredibly quick for a nearly 4,000-lb electric van. For perspective, the
Koenigsegg Jesko
and
Ferrari SF90 Stradale
are each “slower” at 1:10.9 and 1:11.3 respectively.
Related
10 Things You Need To Know About The Ford Supervan 4
The 2000-hp minivan arrived at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 23 and immediately became a sensation.
Ford’s SuperVan Is One Seriously Quick EV
Ford has a history of
high-performance Transits
that started with a mid-engined, GT40-framed Mark I all the way back in 1971, so it knows a thing or two about building fast vans.
The SuperVan 4.2 featured here is the latest in the lineage, though it’s actually the second installation in the electric SuperVan series. Its predecessor — the Ford Pro Electric SuperVan — debuted back at Goodwood in 2022. In each case, Ford Performance collaborated with STARD, and it’s interesting to see how the concept has evolved in such a short time.
With the 4.2, Ford and STARD fitted a revised three-motor drivetrain, a more advanced regenerative braking system, a lighter frame, and an all-new high-performance battery. Beyond the changes under the hood, the redesign also included improved aerodynamics with even larger spoilers. And it clearly works in practice: with over 2,000 horsepower on tap and almost 4,400 lbs of downforce at 150mph, the SuperVan 4.2 broke the Bathurst lap record and won the 2024
Goodwood Hill Climb
. Now, it’s the holder of the second-fastest time at the Top Gear test track.
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