Is it a car, is it a plane? No, it's the Ford Transit SuperVan!
The Ford Transit is 60-years old and in that time the iconic van has taken many forms, whether that’s as a dependable no-nonsense workhorse or an eye-wateringly fast performance vehicle, not to mention everything else in between.
Indeed, while an extraordinary nine million Ford Transits have rolled off the Blue Oval’s production line over the past six decades, an exclusive handful of those wouldn’t go on to be committed to a productive working life. Well, not in the traditional sense, anyway.
Put another way, not all Ford Transits have been born equal, as demonstrated by the superbly-titled Ford SuperVan, which – as the chest-thumping name suggests – are models that from humble origins went on to have a very different purpose in life.
What began as a publicity stunt to show the adaptability of the Ford Transit way back in 1971 has evolved into a line of five models stretching right up to the latest creation – the Ford SuperVan 4.2 – revealed in 2023.
With each proving more bonkers and outrageous than the last, here is a rundown of the only vans in the world that are less ‘white van man’ and more ‘Superman Van’.
Ford SuperVan Mk.I [1971]
Engine: 4.7 V8
Power: 400bhp
Max Speed: 150mph
Layout: Mid-engine, RWD
Features: Iconic white and blue Ford livery, flared wheelarches, wider wheels
The Ford Transit Mk.1 was mid-way through its shelf life when Terry Drury Racing had the bright idea to transform it from ordinary van into what at the time was potentially the most surprising performance vehicle ever conceived.
The SuperVan, as it would become known, wasn’t exactly holding back either. In fact, its underpinnings were an unlikely mix of a chassis from a Cooper Monaco racing sports car and a thumping 4.7-litre V8 borrowed from the Ford GT40.
Essentially, the ‘Transit’ part of the creation was largely reserved for the frame, though even this betrayed its extreme engineering thanks to the wider track and bigger wheel rims protruding from the boxy body.
With 400bhp – a significant upgrade from the standard Transit’s mere 45-65bhp – the SuperVan looked and sounded the part and though it had plenty of inspiration from drag racers of the time, it struggled to contain some wild body lift.
Ford SuperVan 2 [1984]
Engine: 4.0 Cosworth V8
Power: 590bhp
Max Speed: 176mph
Layout: Mid-engine, RWD
Features: Replica bodyshell, lowered suspension, front airdam, high-mounted rear spoiler
Thirteen years after the Mk.1 SuperVan, the Ford SuperVan 2 arrived to give the soon-to-be-discontinued Ford Transit Mk.II a fitting send-off.
Indeed, while an all-new Transit was around the corner, Auto Racing Technology ensured the Mk.II went out with a big bang by fitting it with a 4.0-litre Cosworth-sourced V8 generating a mind-melding 590bhp and giving it bodywork to match.
Fitting a front airdam and a high-mounted rear spoiler helped root the SuperVan 2 to the asphalt, while the large air intakes fed cool air into that V8 block. With an updated white and blue livery, the SuperVan certainly looked the part too.
Ford SuperVan 3 [1994]
Engine: 3.5 Ford HB V6
Power: 650bhp
Max Speed: 150mph
Layout: Mid-engine, RWD
Features: New Ford-sourced engine, adapted bodyshell, updated nose and shell
When the second-generation Ford Transit landed in 1986, it marked a whole new era for the popular model with its ‘one-box’ bodyshell design.
While bigger and – in performance vehicle terms – more unwieldy than its predecessor, it didn’t stop Ford investing in a third iteration of the SuperVan, timed to coincide with the launch of the facelifted Transit in 1994.
This time close attention to detail was paid to integrating the new-look Transit into the overall design of the SuperVan 3, leading to it being a seven-eights scale reduced replica of the original model.
The bodyshell was then amplified with scooped front wing, modified wheelarches, a large side air intake, a vast benched rear spoiler and twin exhausts. Under the skin was a new 3.5-litre V8 engine generating a whopping 650bhp for what would turn out to be the last ICE-equipped SuperVan.
While Ford’s familiar colours were also present in the original livery, the SuperVan 3 – which remained on promotional duty until 2001 – bowed out with a special Royal Mail inspired look to celebrate Ford’s new contract to supply the company’s vans.
Ford SuperVan 4 [2022]
Engine: 50kWh 4 Electric Motors
Power: 1877bhp
Max Speed: 200mph+
Layout: Mid-engine, RWD
Features: Electric powertrain, four electric motors, purpose-built chassis
More than 20 years after the SuperVan 3 was put to pasture, the Ford SuperVan 4 arrived – and this time, it was electric.
Arriving in 2022 to coincide with the launch of the new electric Ford E-Transit, the SuperVan 4 went to extreme lengths to show what could be unleashed using the alternative form of power.
With four electric motors doing the heavy lifting, the SuperVan 4 produces extraordinary instant power delivery from a mammoth 1877bhp being generated thanks to a bespoke control system developed by Ford and Austrian firm STARD.
Debuting at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the SuperVan 4 can accelerate to 62mph in less than two seconds.
And this was all done using many components from the standard E-Transit.
Ford SuperVan 4.2 [2022]
Engine: 50kWh 3 Electric Motors
Power: 2040bhp
Max Speed: 200mph+
Layout: Mid-engine, AWD
Features: Revised motor, all-wheel drive, 600kW regenerative braking, high performance battery
Having conquered Goodwood with the SuperVan 4, Ford decided not to wait another couple of decades before getting to work on the newest iteration of the line: the Ford SuperVan 4.2.
Developed for the purpose of conquering the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – which comprises a high-speed point-to-point time trial blast up a mountain in Colorado – the SuperVan 4 was specifically modified for hill climbing in a high altitude atmosphere.
Swapping out to three motors, the SuperVan 4.2 gained all-wheel drive this time around and the bodywork was overhauled to include larger front and rear spoilers and a more tapered rear-end.
Thanks to a new high-performance Li-Po NCM battery, the SuperVan 4.2’s power output rose to an enormous 2040bhp, while 600kW regenerative braking and the rebuilt frame ensured this was more than just a mere update over the SuperVan 4.
In June 2023, the SuperVan 4.2 went on to finish first in its division at Pikes Peak (and second overall) in a record-breaking time of 8mins 47.682secs.
In Australia’s Bathurst, the SuperVan 4.2 lapped the Mount Panorama circuit faster than the regular V8 Supercars (including the race-spec version of Ford’s own Mustang), with only F1 cars having traversed the iconic venue quicker.
Finally, SuperVan 4.2 topped the timesheets during its run at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, stopping the clock at 43.98secs. It was only bettered a year later by the 1600bhp Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck.
Special Mention: Ford Transit XJ220 Mule
Here’s a question for you: How do you test a brand-new car away from the prying eyes of the motoring paparazzi?
Simple. You put the engine in a Ford Transit!
This isn’t just any car though. This was the Jaguar XJ220, which at launch would go on to hold the title of the world’s fastest production car when it went on sale in 1992.
Naturally, such a significant new model was always going to attract attention, so to keep the media guessing, Jaguar found a novel way of putting development miles on its 540bhp 3.5-litre V6 without revealing the XJ220 design itself.
The result was an unassuming-looking Ford Transit hiding an exciting secret and people were none the wiser
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