First of all, wow. Who knew this gem existed? Mike Bumbeck at Clunkbucket, that’s who. This open wheel Pikes Peak racer was Bruce Canepa’s entry in the 1981 Pikes Peak Hillclimb. Seriously, a chassis/engine combination couldn’t be more kick ass—nice find, Bumbeck.

According to Clunkbucket the back story goes as follows:

The original version sported a Porsche 911 naturally aspirated mill, but the upward transition to 14,110 feet played devils games with the carburetors. The solution? Swap out the normal breathing Porsche 911 unit with a twin-turbo fuel injected Porsche 930 powerplant. It worked. Canepa motored up the peak for an on the pole qualifying time. On the race to the top a spectator crossed the course and Canepa as he rounded a corner. Canepa avoided hitting the hapless fan, but the engine stalled in the mayhem. The good news? He got it started again and ran up the rest of the hill for a second place finish in the Open Wheel Division.

(Source: clunkbucket)