Do not look in the catalog for the price of this minivan with attractive lines. It is out of anyone’s reach and will remain a unique example for a very Ford experience. The American brand, which is tending to reduce its operational presence in Europe, will follow in the footsteps of Audi, Peugeot and Volkswagen, and Romain Dumas in those of Vatanen, Loeb, Unser, the late Ken Block and… himself.

This will be Dumas’ ninth participation in the race to the clouds since 2012, the aptly named since the route of this private and toll road, it should be noted, winds through 156 bends. Competitors have 1,440 meters of elevation to climb, starting at 2,862 meters at Mile 7 to the finish line at 4,300 meters at the top of the mountain. A little Mont Blanc!

A true mercenary for this extraordinary event, the French driver will line up this time on a very special vehicle, designed for this track. It was Ford who came up with the idea, a fitting way to celebrate the 101st edition of the event he has contested since the first race in 1916 with the Ford T. At the time, the Model T succeeded in reach the finish line, which was already a feat in 28 min and 3 s.

Notable fact, the road was entirely in beaten earth, touching the precipices in a vertiginous ballet which brings together from the most diverse vehicles in front of an immense crowd, rushing to Colorado Springs, Colorado. The road was gradually tarmacked to the terminal part, which early enthusiasts regret, delighted to see Nascar and Stock Car vehicles evolve on this unknown terrain. The improvement of the surface has however made it possible to bring track vehicles, single-seaters or sport-prototypes. Until the incredible rise of Sébastien Loeb at the wheel of the 208 T16 specially rigged for this race in 2013.

Ten years later, Romain Dumas, unlike Loeb, will align himself this time with an electric Ford, which he had already done with a Volkswagen prototype in 2018. A technology that has big advantages, especially on this altitude race. There he clocked a stunning time of 7:57.148 with Volkswagen’s ID.R.

“The latest generation of electric vehicles from Ford is perfectly suited to America’s Mountain,” says Romain Dumas. “With high altitudes reducing the power of traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, the SuperVan 4’s electric powertrain suffers no altitude loss and will be a strong contender in this year’s race.” »

Only Renault had previously dared to build an Espace made up of a Formula 1 base that had mainly been used for demonstrations. Built as part of a collaboration between Ford Performance and STARD, a tuner specializing in electrics and rallycross cars, the Van Ford, considerably lightened and modified vis-à-vis the e-Transit to perfect the aerodynamics, seems to roll “belly to earth”. Built around all-wheel drive and an ultra-efficient 50 kWh cell battery, the Ford is made up of a specific steel chassis topped by a carbon composite body.

The powertrain, made up of four engines already used in competition is, with 1,972 hp, one of the most powerful in production. It claims an F1 acceleration of less than 2 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) will take place on Sunday, June 25, 2023.

To experience Pikes Peak, visit https://ppihc.org/.