Volkswagen is hell bent on claiming the crown for electric vehicles at the 2018 Pikes Peak Hillclimb, crafting a bespoke EV from what is essentially a repurposed Le Mans LMP1 single-seat racer and adding some bonkers aero.
The hillclimb event is due to start on June 24th, but VW has already been testing their I.D R Pikes Peak contender on location in Colorado, hoping to perfect the racer’s setup in time for the potentially record-breaking run up the 19.99km, 156-corner course that ends at 1,500 metres above sea level.
“Before we actually assembled the I.D. R Pikes Peak, we used computers to analyse a multitude of different configurations,” said Willy Rampf, technical advisor to the project. “It was clear to us that we would not have time to build multiple test vehicles. We had to get it right at the first attempt.”
Currently, the overall title belongs to the Peugeot 208 T16, a 652kW twin-turbo V6-powered racing hatch that looks like a nightmarish cross between WRC and Mad Max in a wind tunnel, claiming a time of 8 minutes 13.878 seconds in 2013. However, the EV record so far stands at 8 minutes 57.118 seconds.
By comparison, Volkswagen’s I.D R Pikes Peak produces 500kW and 650Nm from two electric motors, but weighs in at a featherweight 1,100kg. The team claims that the car can reach 100km/h from rest in 2.25 seconds. It certainly looks mighty fast.
On the day of, it will be up to veteran driver Romain Dumas to pilot the car up Pikes Peak, an event in which he has already taken class victories in 2014, 2016, and 2017 in addition his two wins at Le Mans.
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