VW I.D. R on display at the Petersen

Volkswagen’s electric racer moves into the Petersen Automotive Museum until February 1st

Volkswagen was one of the stars of the LA Auto Show. The combination of their record-setting I.D. R Pikes Peak race car and their close-to-production I.D. Buzz Cargo van done up as a support van hit the sweet spot. Nothing  gets me like race cars and motorsports liveries. Oh and the future of transportation, yeah that gets me too.

Fans of Pikes Peak know it as one of the world’s most treacherous races. One false move and it’s lights out. Formally known as the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the race started in 1916 and covers 12.42 miles with 156 turns. May I remind you that any one of those turns can be hazardous to your health, especially as you get higher and higher into the 4,720 foot elevation change. Guard rails are for wimps.

That makes what the VW Motorsports team did in June so much more impressive. They didn’t just beat the previous electric vehicle record — a time of 8:57.118 set by Rhys Millen, they literally shattered the overall record of 8:13:878 held by rally-god Sebastian Loeb. Driver Romain Dumas piloted the all-electric I.D. R to a record-setting  time of 7:57.148, putting (a relatively quiet and eco-friendly) exclamation point on the potential for electric drivetrains in motorsports and by extension, the “real world.”

Racing fans will get a chance to see the I.D. R up close at the Petersen Automotive Museum outside of the Mullin Design Studio as part of the museum’s future-of-mobility exhibit “Driving Toward Tomorrow.” The exhibit showcases the automobile industry’s work in transportation design, engineering and infrastructure.

As we inch closer  and closer to a new decade, cars like the I.D. R and ID Buzz help old codgers like me feel excited that the future of mobility will still have race cars and motorsports liveries.

The I.D. R is on display through February 1st, 2019. For more information visit the Petersen’s website.