Earlier this year, much ado was made about the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD and its multiple trips to Germany's famous Nurburgring, where the pony car ultimately bested its first lap time of 6:57:685 with an even better 6:52.072. That was good enough to place the GTD in a very small group of production vehicles that have ever lapped the 'Ring in less than seven minutes, making it a historic feat, indeed. However, the all-electric Ford Transit SuperVan 4.2 recently managed to beat that lap time.
We've already seen the Ford Transit SuperVan 4.2 dominate the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Top Gear's test track, and the Goodwood Festival of Speed Hill Climb, so perhaps it should come as no surprise to learn that it was quite impressive at one of the world's most famous tracks, too. With driver Romain Dumas behind the wheel, the Ford Transit SuperVan 4.2 managed to post a best lap time at the Nurburgring of 6:48.393, in fact.
That number is good enough to make the SuperVan the ninth fastest vehicle to ever tackle the Nurburgring, beating out production models like the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Corvette ZR1X, which just topped the Mustang GTD at what's affectionately known as "Green Hell." Of course, the SuperVan isn't a production model - rather, it's a one-off EV demonstrator with bespoke race car goodies and 2,000 horsepower on tap - but it's also a literal van, to boot.
What makes this feat even more notable is the fact that it was inspired by an episode of the original Top Gear, in which host Jeremy Clarkson managed to lap the Nurburgring in a Jaguar S-Type in less than 10 minutes. The late race car driver Sabine Schmitz then famously told him "I can go faster than that in a Ford Transit." That didn't quite happen, but Schmitz's intense efforts resulted in a best lap time of 10:12, not to mention a memorable scene that many of us still recall to this day.
Comments
How many laps before the battery dies?
If you were behind the wheel the battery wouldn’t be the first thing to go, impressive run, great driving.
All that effort by GM/Chevy undone by Ford Transit SuperVan 4.2 just like that.
Means nothing.
It’s not a production car !
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How about Chevy borrows a Caddy F1 and sets a new record?
That wouldn’t mean anything, either.
An EV van is a little bit of a slap in GM’s face no matter how you slice it!
Why is it limited to 262 kms on the straights?
I’m thinking it could do better than that.
Indeed.
Imagine that, a full-on racecar beats a street car, and before anybody starts that bunk about how the GTD is a street legal GT3 you haven’t been paying attention (the GTD has more in common with the regular S650 than it does the GT3 racecar). Ford seems to be hinting at taking the **final** evolution of the 2nd gen GT Mark IV (shouldn’t it be third since the 64-67 cars are the first gen, 2005-2006 cars the second gen, and the 2016+ cars the third gen – but I digress) itself another track only variant of the 2nd gen GT to Nürburgring, this time with 820hp and 1300 pounds lighter than the record setting ZR1X. Now for all the kiddies screaming that Ford took the GT3 Mustang and made it street legal, that is exactly the case with the Ford GT. In 2016 there was a homologation requirement, so they did indeed take the racecar and make it street car. The current rules under which the GT3 Mustang was developed didn’t require that. S650 Mustang production was enough to satisfy the entry requirements even though about the only thing the two have in common sits between the A and B pillars. It will be interesting if they do show up with the Mark IV, but it doesn’t qualify as a street car and like the Super Van largely irrelevant to the pissing contest Farley has with Team Corvette. If He wants to prove something, then get a sub 6:49.275 time with the GTD. Larry Holt of Multimatic has said the GTD can run faster than the GT3 RS with its 6:49.328 time so the potential is there. Maybe take Verstappen up on his boast of knocking 5 seconds off the GTD’s time at the ‘ring which would be a 6:47.xxx time and about where Holt suggests the GTD can run.
If it means nothing, then why are you upset?