Ford Transit SuperSportVan One-Off

Ford has come up with something rather unusual at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham. It’s a one-off version of the legendary Transit van powered by the biggest diesel engine ever fitted to this van. The word Supersport might sound a bit excessive for this car because its five-cylinder 3.2-litre, Duratorq TDCi engine makes a dismal 200PS and 470 Nm of torque. But it does get a striking body with Le Mans-style bonnet stripes, twin exhausts, alloy wheels, low profile 235/45 tyres, front and rear lower spoilers, side skirts and extended wheel arches so at least it looks the part! Throughout the years there has been a  couple of racing and rally versions of the Transit. But this one is more of a show car, a tribute to those actual racing cars if you will. It is based on the SportVan edition and features all its safety features and equipments. More details on the car’s standard features and a little bit more history on the Transit itself in the press release below: Ford has taken the wraps off the next evolution of its iconic SportVan bloodline – the one-off Transit SuperSportVan (SSV). For this special project, the largest has been partnered with the smallest – Ford’s range-topping, five-cylinder 3.2-litre, 200PS Duratorq TDCi engine has been shoehorned into a short wheelbase Transit, for maximum power-to-weight ratio.  The engine, normally to be found in bigger Transit models like the 4.25 tonnes Transit Jumbo, delivers 470Nm at 1700-2500 rpm and mates with a six speed gearbox. Under the striking livery, the rest is fundamentally the base SportVan. The regular Transit SportVan is based on the popular 260, short wheelbase model with front wheel drive, the 140PS 2.2-litre TDCi diesel engine and a six-speed transmission. The exterior features Le Mans-style bonnet stripes, twin exhausts, alloy wheels, low profile 235/45 tyres, front and rear lower spoilers, side skirts and extended wheel arches. Standard safety features include ABS, ESP and driver and passenger airbags. Power deadlocks, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlights, front fog lights and a load area protection kit similarly come on every SportVan. Optional are leather seats, Satellite Navigation FX system with 5in colour screen, LED cargo lights in rear and LED daytime running lights. The SuperSportVan takes centre stage at this year’s Commercial Vehicle Show, at the NEC, Birmingham, but is strictly a limited production of one. Steve Clary, commercial vehicles director, Ford of Britain, explained: “Transit has a strong reputation for its robustness and practicality.  We wanted to add some contemporary fun and also showcase our engineers’ skill and enthusiasm. SuperSportVan demonstrates just how far you can go with a white Transit van by mixing and matching regular technology in a different way.” The creation of the SuperSportVan is the latest chapter in the story of fast Transits, which began in 1971, with the creation of the GT40-based Supervan 1.

• 1971 Transit Supervan I made its debut at Brands Hatch It was based on a Ford GT40 sports racing car and, powered by a 5.0 litre V8 engine, could reach 150mph.
• 1984 Supervan II, based on another Ford ex-Le Mans car, the C100 and powered by a DFY Cosworth V8, was clocked at 178mph at Silverstone.
• 1995 Supervan III appears with a totally new bodyshell and powered by a 3.5-litre, Cosworth HB F1 V8 engine producing 650bhp at 13,000 rpm.
• 2000 The Ford World Rally Transit is built with a carbon-fibre front air splitter and rear aerofoil, a rally interior featuring steel tubular roll cage, carbon-fibre bucket seats, racing harnesses, internal fire extinguisher system and Pi System 2 on-board data-logging system.  It has an uprated version of Transit’s acclaimed 2.4-litre Duratorq DI.  With an available 165PS and 410Nm of torque, Ford Rally Transit can reach 60mph in less than eight seconds, onto a maximum speed of 130mph. A revised exhaust system, revised brakes and lowered McPherson strut suspension complete the Ford World Rally Transit package, finished in striking Ford Martini World Rally colours for maximum visual impact.