Ford hopes to set another record at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The automaker beat the previous record by nearly 37 seconds last year in the SuperVan 4.2, and the company is returning with the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck. Ford showed off its wild aerodynamics late last month and now has details about the EV’s powertrain.
The SuperTruck used three STARD UHP 6-Phase Motors that make more than 1,400 horsepower combined, more than the SuperVan 4.2 that Ford campaigned at last year’s event. However, it sounds like it’s below the SuperVan 4.0, which made 1,972 hp. Power comes from an ultra-high-performance Li-Polymer NMC battery.
Ford replaced the truck’s camouflage wrap with a proper red, white, and blue livery, and its design screams extreme aerodynamics. The automaker claims the pickup can generate 6,000 pounds of downforce at 150 miles per hour.
The Ford features prominent aerodynamic features such as its colossal three-piece front splitter and the gigantic, swan-neck rear wing. It also has ducts where the headlights should be, side diffusers, hood ducts and louvers, and a massive rear diffuser that barely hides the fully custom, in-board suspension system. Pirelli P-Zero tires, wrapped around magnesium forged wheels, provide the grip, with carbon-ceramic brakes behind them.
It’s also all business inside the Lightning, where there’s a bare carbon-fiber floor, a racing seat, a steering wheel, a small display, and not much else. A makeshift center console holds two rows of buttons that control various vehicle functions.
Racing driver Romain Dumas will pilot Ford’s entry once again. He drove the SuperVan 4.2 up the course last year, setting the new record in the Open Class with a run of 8 minutes and 47.682 seconds. Ford should set a new record with more power on tap in the SuperTruck. The hillclimb happens on June 23.
