Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


VW races for the clouds with I.D. R hillclimb special. Image by Volkswagen.

VW races for the clouds with I.D. R hillclimb special
Volkswagen wants to smash the Pikes Peak electric car record.
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

What's this then?

This is the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak.

Hang on, I.D. means it's electric, right?

That's right. It's the fifth in the series of VW's I.D. electric car concept family (following on from the I.D. hatch, I.D. Buzz microbus, I.D. Crozz crossover and I.D. Vizzion executive saloon), only this one is intended for the toughest hillclimb in the world, not the motor show stage.

Well, there's a pretty steep hill outside my mum's house...

Not like this, we bet. This is the Pikes Peak hillclimb in Colorado, home of the legendary Race To The Clouds, where motorsport legends such as Mario Andretti, Ari Vatanen, and Sebastian Loeb have previously come out to play with their monster machines. The current Pikes Peak record for an electric car is held by New Zealander Rhys Millen, who took his e0 PP100 prototype machine to the Peak in 2016 in just 8 minutes 57 seconds. To put that into context, Sebastian Loeb, in his Peugeot 208 T16, took 8 minutes 15 seconds to cover the same 19.9km long, 4,300-metre high course in 2013.

Former Audi Le Mans driver and 24hrs winner Romain Dumas will be the man to hurl the I.D. up the Pikes' twisty and dangerous course, and we reckon VW is out for the overall record, not just the electric car one.

"We want to be at the forefront of electromobility with Volkswagen and the I.D. family," explained Volkswagen Member of the Board of Management with responsibility for Development, Dr Frank Welsch. "Competing in the most famous hillclimb in the world with the I.D. R Pikes Peak not only has symbolic meaning, but is also a valuable test for the general development of electric cars."

Jurgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management with responsibility for Sales, Marketing and After Sales, added: "Pikes Peak is without question the most iconic hillclimb in the world. For Volkswagen, it represents a fantastic opportunity to charge the topic of E mobility, both emotionally and from a sporting perspective, thanks to the I.D. R project."

Has VW been to Pikes Peak before?

Yup, way back in 1987 with a mental twin-engined, 652hp Golf Mk2. That car failed, but you can sense the hunger for a return game in the VW air. "It is about time we settled the score," said Volkswagen Motorsport Director, Sven Smeets. "The I.D. R Pikes Peak represents an extremely exciting challenge for us, to show what is possible with an electric motor in motorsport. The entire team behind Romain is highly motivated to set a new record for electric cars."



Neil Briscoe - 19 Mar 2018

Earlier articles featuring 2018 Volkswagen I.D.

2018-03-05: Volkswagen unveils fourth ID model, the Vizzion


2018 Volkswagen IDR Pikes Peak. Image by Volkswagen.    








www.volkswagen.co.uk    - Volkswagen road tests
- Volkswagen news
- I.D. images






Land Rover teases new flagship Defender Octa. Image by Land Rover.
Land Rover Defender Octa teaser
The forthcoming, high-performance, top-of-the-range Defender takes its name from the shape of a diamond, apparently.
 
Volkswagen unveils hot ID.3 GTX models. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.3 GTX reveal
High-performance electric hatchback will be offered in ‘standard’ and Performance guises.
VW adds go-faster GTX model to ID.7 range. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.7 GTX reveal
The hot ID.7 GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive, and it’ll be offered in saloon and estate body styles.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©