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Downright nasty weather couldn’t stop the 100th Pikes Peak hill climb

    A 1967 Chevrolet Camaro at the start line of the peaks peak hill climb
    enlarge † Tommy Boileau’s 1967 Chevrolet Camaro is undeniably fast, but he’d never driven it in the rain prior to its 2022 hill climb.

    Gregory Leporatic

    Tommy Boileau is a little nervous. The 28-year-old rider from Colorado Springs is about to compete in the historic 100th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – a perilous 20km sprint to one of the highest peaks in the Rockies – under a thick fog and rain have descended on the mountain. His 1967 Chevrolet Camaro is undeniably fast, but there’s one problem: he’s never driven it.

    “The owner and builder of the car say it handles very well in the rain,” Boileau says with a laugh. “I’ll have to take them at their word!”

    Boileau’s car is technically the second oldest in the field, which is exactly what makes Pikes Peak such a unique phenomenon: While it has become a testing ground for innovative technology over the past 100 years, modified vintage cars and creations in the backyard still vying for class wins.

    “It’s one of the last events where you can build whatever you want,” Boileau says. “A ridiculous electric car, a crazy ’67 Camaro or a VW bug: it doesn’t matter. Whatever you have, you can compete and have the time of your life.” Founded in 1916 by entrepreneur Spencer Penrose – and originally conceived as a tourist attraction for his hotel, the Broadmoor – the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has emerged as a destination for world-class rally drivers, the ultimate test for both driver and machine. And in recent years, it’s become a hotbed for electrical innovation: Combustion engines typically lose at least 30 percent of their power at higher altitudes as oxygen levels drop, while electric motors can handle the 1,440-meter climb more easily. †

    Tommy Boileau poses with his 1967 Chevy Camaro. Aside from the car's original roof panel - the only all-original part - the vehicle is a highly modified beast, with a twin-turbo LS engine producing approximately 1,000 horsepower.
    enlarge † Tommy Boileau poses with his 1967 Chevy Camaro. Aside from the car’s original roof panel – the only all-original part – the vehicle is a highly modified beast, with a twin-turbo LS engine producing approximately 1,000 horsepower.

    Gregory Leporatic

    Romain Dumas knocked that point home, setting the overall record of 7,57,148 in an all-electric Volkswagen ID R in 2018 – a time Boileau calls “ridiculous” – and the general consensus among drivers is that this record may never be surpassed.

    But some remain committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for custom vintage cars, despite the obvious benefit to electric vehicles. In a 2021 weather-shortened race, Boileau drove his ’67 Camaro to a 12e-place overall finish, less than 30 seconds from second place.

    And despite the inclement weather in 2022, he was eager to push his car to its limits.

    “You look at it and you see a ’67 Camaro and you think, oh, it’s just a vintage car,” he says. “But this thing can go from 0 to 100 faster than you can blink — it’s the most visceral, violent thing I’ve ever ridden.”

    Aside from the car’s original roof panel (the only all-original part), the vehicle is a highly modified beast: a custom tubular frame chassis with modern racecar suspension geometry; a twin-turbocharged LS engine producing approximately 1,000 horsepower (745 kW); and full paddle shifters.

    “A real race car,” he says.