VW I.D. R Pikes Peak electric race car is headed for the hill climb

Volkswagen is headed to Pikes Peak this year, and it's going to compete with an electric car. The car is called the I.D. R Pikes Peak, which is an obvious nod to the line of VW EVs that have previewed production models. The company hasn't shown photos of the actual car yet, but it has released the renderings shown here.

VW hasn't given many specifications of the I.D. R Pikes Peak, either. In fact, all we know for sure is that it's electric and it has all-wheel-drive. The company does say that the car  "shows sporting potential of the MEB powertrain." MEB references the platform that all of VW's future electric cars will use. Of the I.D. concepts shown with the MEB platform, the Crozz crossover, Buzz microbus and Vizzion sedan all have all-wheel drive. The Crozz and Vizzion have two motors, one in front and one in rear, producing 302 horsepower. The Buzz adds a second motor to the rear for 369 horsepower. But if VW is indeed looking to break the existing electric car record of 8:57, those numbers seem far too low. The car that set that record, a Drive eO PP100 driven by Rhys Millen, made 1,596 peak horsepower.

We look forward to hearing more about what exactly is powering this race car. We'll also be curious if anything on it is applicable to future road-going electric VWs. And, even if VW doesn't win anything or set any records, it will still be a momentous day since it will be the first time the company has competed on the mountain since 1987. Apparently VW brought a twin-engine Golf that year. We wouldn't mind seeing a modern rendition of that car, either.