How A 1968 Road Runner Hit 12 Minutes Up Pikes Peak
About this episode
Pikes Peak racer Ben Ryan joins the show to share the thrilling story of piloting "Big Bird"—a wild 1968 Plymouth Road Runner body mated to an 800-horsepower NASCAR chassis—up the legendary mountain in just 12 minutes. Ryan discusses the intense physical demands of the 156-turn climb, his transition from all-wheel drive to a rowdy rear-wheel-drive setup, and his partnership with Kumho Tire for development. He also opens up about the deeply personal family history that inspired this unique build and his plans for future events with this iconic muscle car.
A 12-mile road, 156 turns, and stretches with no guardrail is a different kind of “car review” of the human brain. We sit down with Pikes Peak Hill Climb driver Ben Ryan to hear what it’s really like to aim a purpose-built monster at the summit and keep your eyes on the next apex instead of the thousand-foot drop beside you.
Ben breaks down his journey from watching the mountain as a kid to finally earning a spot after years of applying, then going back again and again because nothing else compares. We get into the details of Big Bird, an unforgettable build that pairs a 1968 Plymouth Road Runner body with a NASCAR chassis and roughly 800 horsepower to the wheels. Ben explains how he manages focus at altitude, why course familiarity matters when corners blend together, and how tire development data can change everything when you’re pushing hard on a narrow mountain road.
After the hill climb, we pivot to the headlines drivers see every week. Jeff’s Motor Minute digs into Ford reliability news, JD Power initial quality rankings, and why “award” stories can look very different next to recall reports. Don also reviews the all-new 2026 Subaru Trailseeker EV, covering design, cabin tech, real-world charging habits, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, range expectations, and where it sits against electric SUV competitors.
Subscribe for more real car talk, share this with a friend who loves motorsports or EVs, and leave a review so more listeners can find us. What’s the most extreme drive you’d try, Pikes Peak or an EV road trip?
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Ben Ryan
"All right, Ben, are you with us? Yes, I am. How you guys doing? Where the hell are you been, Ben?"
A race car driver who specializes in racing up steep mountains, most notably Pikes Peak in Colorado.
An American hill climb racer and Colorado native who competes in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He is famous for driving 'Big Bird,' a custom-built 1968 Plymouth Road Runner body mated to a NASCAR chassis.
Pikes Peak
"Who in his right mind would go as fast as he could possibly go up the side to a mountain top in Colorado called Pikes Peak?"
A famous, very tall mountain in Colorado where race car drivers compete once a year to see who can drive up the twisty, dangerous road to the top the fastest.
A 14,115-foot mountain in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, famous in the automotive world for hosting the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb ('The Race to the Clouds') since 1916. The 12.42-mile paved course features 156 turns and no guardrails in many sections.
1968 Plymouth Road Runner
"Well, we're talking about the big bird that you just got out of. Yeah, the roadrunner. Yeah, big bird. I mean, I would I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, it's hard to tell. I didn't I didn't have a thing, but we, you know, I wouldn't be surprised if we weren't clocking 120, 130 in some of the straightaways."
A famous, powerful old-school American muscle car from the late 1960s. It was built to be fast and affordable, and it even made the same 'beep-beep' sound as the cartoon Road Runner bird.
A classic American muscle car built by Plymouth between 1968 and 1980. Designed as a back-to-basics, high-performance package, the 1968 model focused on raw power and affordability, famously licensing the Warner Bros. cartoon character's name and 'beep-beep' horn.
Mini Cooper
"Yeah, so the first year I ever drove, I did a Mini Cooper, which was front-wheel drive. Um, we went up and took that car up."
A very small, fun-to-drive British car that is famous for being easy to park and handling corners like a go-kart.
A compact, front-wheel-drive car originally designed by the British Motor Corporation and later revived by BMW. Known for its 'go-kart' handling, space-efficient design, and rally racing heritage.
Audi TT RS
"We held the record for fastest Mini Cooper up the hill, and then my second year I drove an Audi TTRS, which is an all-wheel drive platform, uh, which was kind of unique."
A very fast, sporty two-door car made by Audi. It uses a special five-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive to grip the road and accelerate incredibly quickly.
The high-performance variant of Audi's compact TT sports car, featuring a distinctive 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five engine and Quattro all-wheel drive. It delivers supercar-baiting acceleration in a small, daily-driver package.
NASCAR chassis
"Yeah, 1968 Roadrunner, full-bodied car. Yeah. And an Nascarchassis. Yes, yes, and she was uh she was a handful."
A super-strong metal safety cage and frame used in professional stock car racing. It keeps the driver safe in crashes and helps the car handle high speeds extremely well.
A highly specialized, hand-fabricated steel tube-frame safety cage designed to withstand high-speed impacts in stock car racing. Mating a vintage car body to a NASCAR chassis provides extreme structural rigidity and racing-grade suspension geometry.
Apex Auto Works
"Richard and the team at Apex Auto Works did an amazing job um mating those two together um and making a uh, you know, it's a big rocket ship going up that hill."
A specialized car shop that builds and modifies high-performance race cars.
A custom automotive fabrication and performance shop known for building high-end race cars, restomods, and specialized track vehicles, such as the NASCAR-chassised Plymouth Road Runner driven by Ben Ryan.
Kumho Tire
"We we had teamed up with Kumotire this year, and we were working with them on developing a tire, and um that was a lot of fun working with them."
A well-known tire company from South Korea that makes tires for everyday cars as well as high-performance race cars.
A major South Korean tire manufacturer founded in 1960, producing a wide range of tires for passenger cars, racing, and commercial vehicles. They are active in motorsport tire development and sponsorship.
treadwear rating
"We were on a 200 treadware tire this year. Um, so grip was you know um questionable at times."
A number printed on the side of a tire that tells you how long the tire's rubber will last. Lower numbers mean the tire is sticky and grips the road well but wears out fast, while higher numbers mean it lasts a long time but has less grip.
Part of the Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG) system, it is a comparative rating of a tire's wear rate under controlled testing conditions. A lower number (e.g., 200) indicates a softer, stickier compound that wears out quickly, while a higher number (e.g., 600) indicates a harder, longer-lasting tire.
racing slicks
"So they're talking about taking what we learned from this and the data and and carrying it over and and and bringing a slick out there next year for us, which I mean I think that'll be a a huge deal for that car going up the hill having you know some proper grip."
Special racing tires that have no grooves or patterns on them. They are completely smooth to get the maximum amount of rubber touching the dry road for ultimate grip, but they slip easily if the road is wet.
Tires with a completely smooth tread pattern designed exclusively for racing on dry tracks. By maximizing the contact patch (the amount of rubber touching the road), they provide the highest possible grip but are highly dangerous in wet conditions.
Ford Motor Company
"Yeah, uh this is this is amazing because it it's going to kind of bleed into your recalls, but Ford just went from recall nightmare to America's highest quality car brand."
A historic American car company that has been making popular cars and trucks for over a century.
One of the oldest and largest American automakers, founded by Henry Ford in 1903. The company is famous for pioneering assembly line mass production and producing iconic vehicles like the F-150 and Mustang.
J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
"Ford Motor Companies officially secured gold standard in automotive reliability according to the newly released 2026 U.S. initial quality standards by JDPower."
A famous yearly survey that counts how many problems new car buyers have with their vehicles in the first three months of owning them.
An annual automotive industry benchmark that measures the number of problems experienced by vehicle owners per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of ownership. It is highly watched by manufacturers but often criticized for treating minor infotainment glitches the same as major mechanical failures.
Hyundai Ioniq 5
"Competitors, the Hyundai Ionic 5 um is 35,000. Okay."
A modern, fully electric SUV from Hyundai that looks like a futuristic hatchback from a sci-fi movie. It charges incredibly fast compared to many other electric cars.
An all-electric compact crossover SUV produced by Hyundai, built on the dedicated E-GMP platform. It is highly praised for its retro-futuristic 80s-inspired styling, ultra-fast 800V charging capability, and spacious cabin.
Tesla Model Y
"Tesla Model Y, 39,900. And Mustang Mach E."
A very popular electric SUV made by Tesla. It looks like a taller version of the Model 3 sedan and is known for its high-tech interior, long battery range, and access to Tesla's Supercharger network.
A fully electric compact crossover utility vehicle produced by Tesla since 2020. It shares its platform and most parts with the Model 3 sedan, offering a spacious cabin, optional third-row seating, and class-leading efficiency and range.
Ford Mustang Mach-E
"Tesla Model Y, 39,900. And Mustang Mach E. I was kind of surprised at this. 37,795 is the entry level."
An electric SUV made by Ford that uses the famous 'Mustang' name and styling, but runs entirely on battery power instead of a gas engine.
An all-electric compact crossover SUV produced by Ford, bearing the iconic Mustang nameplate. It combines sporty driving dynamics and aggressive styling cues with the practicality of a five-door electric family vehicle.
Jeep Grand Cherokee
"Uh coming up next week, I'm gonna review the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mr. Mars."
A popular mid-sized SUV that is comfortable enough for daily family driving but rugged enough to go off-road on dirt trails.
A mid-size SUV produced by the American manufacturer Jeep, known for combining luxury and daily comfort with genuine off-road capability. It has been a cornerstone of the SUV market since its introduction in 1992.
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