Top Gear was famous for thinking outside the box and using cars for purposes other than those which they were intended, and arguably nothing epitomised this more than the late ‘Nürburgring queen’ Sabine Schmitz’s antics in a Transit van.
Following Jeremy Clarkson’s successful attempt at lapping the shorter bridge-to-gantry Nordschleife in under 10 minutes – in nine minutes and 59 seconds to be precise – behind the wheel of a Jaguar S-Type, Schmitz quipped “I [can] do that lap time in a van”.
With the gauntlet thrown down, she attempted to do so in a Transit but ultimately failed, recording a personal best time of 10 minutes and 8.5 seconds – an impressive feat but not enough to beat Clarkson’s diesel Jag.
Two decades on, and in the wake of losing its fastest US-built car title to Chevrolet, Ford has taken inspiration from Schmitz’s ‘Ring run, and sent out its 1490kW Supervan 4.2, based (albeit very loosely) on the Transit Custom.
Already a lap record holder around Mount Panorama and having previously won the Pikes Peak Hillclimb, the Supervan 4.2 was the prime candidate for Ford to topple the road-legal Corvette ZR1X’s time of six minutes and 49.275 seconds.
And that it did, completing the 20.832km circuit in six minutes and 48.393 seconds with Romain Dumas behind the wheel, placing it in the top 10 of the fastest vehicles ever around the Nürburgring, though it was still way off the pace of the fastest EV, the Volkswagen ID.R (6:05.336).
It’s also the quickest Ford around the track, beating the supercharged V8-powered Mustang GTD’s six-minute and 52.072 second run, however it’s worth remembering the Supervan 4.2 isn’t road legal and was fitted with slick tyres.
The electric van was at a disadvantage though, with its top speed limited to just 262km/h, leaving plenty of time on the table in the longest sections of the track.
Ford has teased a quicker ‘Ring time from its even faster F-150 Lightning SuperTruck, while also paying tribute to Schmitz, who passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer.
“Of course, we are very proud of our remarkable SuperVan but we never rest. There is more to come, not least with the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck that was also at the ‘Ring on the same day,” said Michael Norton, Ford’s demonstrators program manager.
“For now, we will celebrate this achievement and also remember Sabine Schmitz and her part in this amazing story. She will never be forgotten.”
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