SPY PICS: Ford SuperVan takes to the Nurburgring

The 1471kW Ford SuperVan has just been spotted testing on the Nurburgring – three months after its Goodwood Festival of Speed debut – adding yet more weight to the likelihood of a production version being in the pipeline.

The SuperVan concept was designed and built to muster up hype for the forthcoming Ford E-Transit and smaller Ford E-Transit Custom electric vans.

But the chances of the Ford SuperVan making it to production were given a booster shot in the arm in July, when carsales discovered Ford had applied to trademark the ‘Ford SuperVan’ nameplate with IP Australia.

Instead of filing the application under the concept car sub-class, the nameplate was submitted under Class 12, specifically “motor vehicles, namely, electrically powered motor vehicles, passenger automobiles, four-wheeled motor vehicles, vans, trucks, off-road vehicles, structural parts and fittings therefor”.

These latest spy shots now all but prove there’s more to the SuperVan than just a technology showcase and hype-generator.

Instead of a camouflage wrap, the prototype vehicle is still wearing all of its outlandish Ford Performance decals and obviously its massively track-focussed body, but there’s no way the production version will feature this aero-heavy sheetmetal since it still needs to be able to haul at least some cargo.

But the platform and the mechanicals are a different story. The SuperVan rides on an enhanced version of the standard E-Transit’s platform, which proves it’s compatible with a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain.

Indeed the drive system would likely be the focal point of this latest development test and underneath that motorsport skin we anticipate Ford is working on a road-going but still track-capable high-performance electric drivetrain for either the E-Transit or E-Transit Custom.

The Blue Oval has form in this department too, with a long list of performance commercial vehicles including the Ford F-150 Raptor family, the new Ford Ranger Raptor and, perhaps most relevantly, the Ford F-150 Lightning.

American publication Car and Driver recently launched a top-spec Lightning to 100mph (97km/h) in four seconds flat and recorded a 12.7-second quarter-mile time, proving that high-performance electric vans can work and play.

Lighter and lower to the ground than an F-150, a hi-po E-Transit or E-Transit Custom (especially) would bolster Ford’s performance ranks and add yet another niche to its commercial vehicle portfolio, not to mention act as an intriguing drawcard for cashed-up business owners and fleet managers with a bent for motorsport.

If the Ford SuperVan does indeed grace showrooms and roads in future, it seems no motorist will be safe from the tailgating wrath of a late courier driver…