The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPHIC) took place over the weekend. A lack of clouds, rain, and snow meant conditions were perfect for records to fall, and that's precisely what happened on that massive mountain in Colorado.
One of the most impressive records to fall occurred in a class that's not actually an official PPHIC class. The production-car record, previously set by a 2022 Porsche 911 Turbo S, has fallen.
The new production car king of the hill? It's The 2027 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X.
Gallery: 2027 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X Breaks Production Car Record At Pikes Peak
Driver JR Hildebrand drove the stock ZR1X up to the finish line at 14,115 feet above sea level and crossed the line in just 9:30.104. The previous record, held by David Donner, was 9:53.541. Donner set that time under non-race-day conditions; however, his previous race-day record was 10:34.053.
Donner managed a 9:53.740 during this year's PPHIC, but just two runs later, that time was smashed by the Hildebrand and the ZR1X.
Chevrolet says that this ZR1X wore Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires on the stock carbon wheels. The only items added to the car were all the various safety items required to enter the race, such as the roll cage, harness, and fuel cell.
Motor1's Take: It wasn't that long ago that a sub-ten-minute time was the goal on the mountain. And it took wildly powerful race cars to get near that time. Now, you can achieve it with a production sports car.
Sure, the dirt portion at the top is gone, but the sub-ten-minute times were still a goal even after the road was fully paved.
