How A 1968 Road Runner Hit 12 Minutes Up Pikes Peak
In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show
How A 1968 Road Runner Hit 12 Minutes Up Pikes Peak
In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show · Jul 2, 2026
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0:00
30:29
Person
Ben Ryan
A race car driver who specializes in racing up steep mountains, most notably Pikes Peak in Colorado.
Place
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.
Car
1968 Plymouth Road Runner
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.
Car
Mini Cooper
A very small, fun-to-drive British car that is famous for being easy to park and handling corners like a go-kart.
Car
Audi TT RS
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.
Concept
NASCAR chassis
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.
Brand
Kumho Tire
A well-known tire company from South Korea that makes tires for everyday cars as well as high-performance race cars.
Term
treadwear rating
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
racing slicks
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.
Company
Ford Motor Company
A historic American car company that has been making popular cars and trucks for over a century.
Concept
J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
A famous yearly survey that counts how many problems new car buyers have with their vehicles in the first three months of owning them.
Car
Hyundai Ioniq 5
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.
Car
Tesla Model Y
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.
Car
Ford Mustang Mach-E
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.
Car
Jeep Grand Cherokee
A popular mid-sized SUV that is comfortable enough for daily family driving but rugged enough to go off-road on dirt trails.
LIVE
FromourcitystudiosinTexas,USA,it'stheInWheelTimeCarTalkShow.
Justahead.
WehopetotalktoPikePeakHillClimber,driverofthebigbird,BenRyan.
There'salotofbeesinthat.
Yeah.
We'llfindoutifhereallyisnuts.
Jeffhasthemotorminute,andI'llreviewthe2026AllYouSubaruTrailSeekerEV.
Betyoudidn'tknowaboutthatone.
Howdy,alongwithMikeOutofThisWorldMars.
WealwaysneedmoreJeffZekeandChiefEngineerDavidAinsley.
I'mDoddArmstrong.
Hey,thankssomuchforjoiningusonthisfine,fine,hotSaturday.
Mr.
Mars,dowehaveuhdowehaveBen?
Wedon'tevenhaveMr.
Mars.
Allright,wellIdon'tknowwhattodo.
Idon'teither.
Uhyouknow.
What'dyousay,Mike?
Ithinkyourmicrophoneisoff,sir.
IIcan'thearawordthere.
Sorry.
Ihadtounmute.
UhIwasumI'mchasingdownBen,who'sinColorado.
Andhewasonthemountain.
Uhwell,onthemountain,hopefully.
That'syeah.
Andnotdownthemountain.
Oryeah.
Okay,soumyourturn.
Tagyou.
Myturn?
Tagyou.
Well,great.
UhIknowyougotsomethingforus.
Yeah,allright.
HowIgotautomotivehistory.
IgotDon'scarreview.
Doyouhaveyourtapshoeson,Mike?
No,thoseI'mnotno,waitaminute.
No,thosearetheslippers,andthat'snotwhatIwastalkingabout.
Comeon,let'sseeit,tinydancer.
Yeah,buddy,yeah,buddy,yeah,buddy.
Well,well,we'llletwe'llletyougoaheadandtrackhimdown.
Well,Ithinkthatwhatyou'retalkingaboutisjustwhatweweretalkingabout,andthatisthefactthatyouknow,thesecarswiththeiruhalwaysconnectedpoliciesnow.
Mine'sCarPlay.
MineisCarPlay.
Yeah,souhIIthinkthatwhatweneedtodoisweneedtoputoneofthoseonBenRyan'suhcar.
Well,yeah,yeah.
IIknowhe'suhhe'sanhourbehindus,buthe'snotthat'sasfarasheis.
Sowell,haveyoutalkedtohisboss?
Well,IjusttalkedtoRichard.
That'shisboss,hisboss.
Yeah,IjusttalkedtoRichard,andRichardsaidafewexpletivesthatI'mnotgonnarepeatontheair.
Oh,goahead.
Whynot?
Howabouthowaboutjustuhbeepandthenohbeep,how'sthat?
That'sgood.
Beep,beep,beep,beep.
I'llberightback.
Okay,thankyou.
Golly.
Allright,soIIIputthisstoryaway,andthisisn'tgonnainvolveyou.
SowhenwegetBenback,it'sgonnainvolveyou.
Sowhenwhenhegetsback,we'renotgonnahavetimeforit.
Allright.
Youready?
Yeah,fivethingstoknowabouttires.
Ohboy.
Numberone,around.
No,speakthelanguage.
Ohyeah.
Aspectratio,treaddepth.
CodesonpassengercartiresidewallmightaswellbeEgyptianhieroglyphics.
Butyouknowhowtodefinethose.
Sotalktous.
Let'ssee.
There'saDOT.
Uhyouwanttostartoverhere?
Treadwear.
Wehavebins.
Oh,thetreadweartraction,thetemperaturegain.
Youknow,grades.
Thatactuallyisbeingrevised.
Therewasanarticlethatthey'rechangingthat,buttheydon'tknowhowtodoittomakeitmoreuheasyspeak,notlawyerlanguage,butuhthereheisrightthere.
Butuheasiertounderstandfortheconsumer.
Okay,we'regonnacontinuethis.
Absolutely.
Allright.
Allright,Ben,areyouwithus?
Yes,Iam.
Howyouguysdoing?
Wherethehellareyoubeen,Ben?
Sorry,I'mslackingthismorning.
Yeah,uh,I'llsay,youknow,thislisten,wegobytheclock,buddy.
Youweyoucan'tbelate.
AndyougottabeonTexastime,yeah.
Andnotonlythat,butRichRichardsaysyou'reinsomedeepdoo-doonow.
Yeah.
Thatsoundsaboutright.
Yeah,yeah,exactly.
Allright,soum,youknow,IIwhenIknewthatyouweregonnabeonwithus,Ithought,sowe'regoingtotalktothemanthatjustgotoutoftheinsaneasylum.
WhoinhisrightmindwouldgoasfastashecouldpossiblygoupthesidetoamountaintopinColoradocalledPikesPeak?
Whodothat?
Whatatwhatpointinyourlifedidyousay,Iwanttodothat?
Youknow,I'dbeengoingupthereasakidwithmydad,anditwasalwayskindofuhadreamofourstogetupthereonthathill.
Anduh,asyouknow,it'skindofaninviteonlyandkindofahardracetogetinto.
AndsouhIappliedforsevenyearsandwasdeclined.
SoIwasslowlybuildingmyresumeupenoughtofinallygetacceptedinmyeighthyearuhtocompeteupthere,andthenum,aswildasitis,uhthere'snothingelselikeitintheworld.
Soumonceyoudoitonce,you'rejustkindofhooked.
Soit'skindoflikeabaddrug.
Yeah,thatismychoiceofdrugforsure.
Well,IIcanIcancertainlyunderstand.
Uh,Imean,youknow,howhighdoyouwanttoget?
Imean,seriously,though.
So,howatwhatwhatisthetopspeedthatyoucouldgetanywhereonthatcourseuptothetopofPike'sPeak?
What'sthefastestyoucango?
Yeah,Imean,ititvariesonwhatcaryou'redriving,butImeanWell,we'retalkingaboutthebigbirdthatyoujustgotoutof.
Yeah,theroadrunner.
Yeah,bigbird.
Imean,IwouldIwouldn'tbesurprised.
Imean,it'shardtotell.
Ididn'tIdidn'thaveathing,butwe,youknow,Iwouldn'tbesurprisedifweweren'tclocking120,130insomeofthestraightaways.
MyGod.
Alrighty.
Youarecrazy.
Whatdidyourdadsay?
Son,Itoldyou.
No,hisdadsaidfaster.
Apparently.
So,allright,sothatthere,sothere'snoguardrail.
AndIknowthatonthatmountainandsomepointsofthatmountainclimb,thatitisrightstraightdown.
Thereisno,oh,it'syouknow,ifyouifyoulosecontrolandgoovertheedge,it'snotthatbigadeal.
Youonlydropacouplehundredfeet.
No,likeathousandfeet.
Yeah,therearesomeareaswhereuhthere'snomarginforerror,andifyoudomakethatmistake,uhtheconsequencesareprettycatastrophicfornotonlyyou,butdefinitelythecar.
Sookay,soIhavetoaskthis.
Doyouevendoesthateverevenenteryourmindatallwhenyou'redoingthisrace?
No,it'sit'skindofwild.
Thecomfortlevelyougetto,um,themorerunsyoumakeupthathill,themorecomfortableyouget.
Andthat'sjustthat'sjustsomethingthatcan'treallyenteryourmind.
Youreallygottabeveryfocused,verysharp.
Yougottabe,youknow,hittingyourapexes,yougottabehittingyourbreakpoints,andum,yougottaknowwhereyou'reatonthatcourse.
Alotofthosecornerscanblendintoeachother,andit'seasytouhmistakeonewithanother,andthat'swherealotofmistakesgetmade.
Soumyouhavetoreallyknowthecourse,whichishardtodowith156turnsand12milesand5,000feetofelevationchange.
Soum,formedoingitmythirdyearnow,youknow,youkindofgetfamiliarwitheverycrackandeverybumponthatcourse.
So,um,andthat'simportanttohavesothatyoudon'tyoudon'tmakethosetypesofmistakes.
So,thisisyourthirdyear,theprevioustwoyears.
Whatwereyoudriving?
Yeah,sothefirstyearIeverdrove,IdidaMiniCooper,whichwasfront-wheeldrive.
Um,wewentupandtookthatcarup.
WeheldtherecordforfastestMiniCooperupthehill,andthenmysecondyearIdroveanAudiTTRS,whichisanall-wheeldriveplatform,uh,whichwaskindofunique.
AndthenthisyearwedroveBigBird,whichwasarear-wheeldriveplatformandawholenotheranimal.
SoYeah,1968Roadrunner,full-bodiedcar.
Yeah.
AndanNascarchassis.
Yes,yes,andshewasuhshewasahandful.
She'sarowdylittlecar.
RichardandtheteamatApexAutoWorksdidanamazingjobummatingthosetwotogetherumandmakingauh,youknow,it'sabigrocketshipgoingupthathill.
Soit'sgoodbalancegoingup.
Yeah,no,it'sareallycomfortable,reallypredictablecar,youknow,withthatNASCARpowerplantandthatthingscreamingoutto8,500RPMsandyouknow,having800horsepowertothewheelsatmydisposal.
Um,youknow,ititwasafuncar.
WewehadteamedupwithKumotirethisyear,andwewereworkingwiththemondevelopingatire,andumthatwasalotoffunworkingwiththem.
Souhreallyitwasjustuhthrowingthatcararound.
Itkindofbroughtbacktomoreofthedirtdrivingstyle,uhswingingthatrearendaroundtogetittopivotaroundthosethosetightcorners,andthenyouknow,thehighspeedstuff,thatcarumstayedextremelyplantedanduhyouknowgaveustheabilitytotohaveareallygoodfunrunupthathill.
Soyouandandlookingatit,whatdoyoudotoprepare?
Areyouarunner?
Doyoudoanykindoflikeotherathleticthingstogetinshapeforthealtitudechangeandandyouknow,tossingthatbigbirdaroundupthoseupthosehills?
Whatdoyoudotoprepareforthispersonally?
Yeah,perpersonally,youknow,itrequiresalittlebitofsimtime,andwewegetsuchlimitedtime,youknow,upthereonthehill,gettingfamiliarwiththecar.
Soit'skindofoneofthosethingsyoukindoflearnasyougo.
Obviously,youknow,I'maColoradonativehereandIgrewupinthemountains,andsoalotoftheseotherteamsandindividualsthatcometoColorado,theelevationreallybothersthem.
Butbutforme,it'snotabigdeal,itdoesn'tphasemeatall.
SoI'mluckyinthataspectthatIdon'thavetodealwithsomeoftheotherthings,someoftheotherdrivershavetoovercome.
So,youknow,formebeinghere,yeah,it'sjustkeepingmymindsharp.
Um,andandyeah,weyouknow,weweliketostayinshapewiththingsbecauseImeanattheendofthatrun,Iwasmyarmsandeverythingwasprettytoast.
Thatwasuh,youknow,aprettyintenserungoinguptherewiththeconcentrationlevelandthephysicalitybehinddrivingayouknowacarlikethatupthemountain.
Areyouafull-timeracer?
IIIdoracequiteabit,youknow.
I'mnotasheavilyactiveasyouknow,IIwanttobe,RichardandIkindofumnowthatBigBird'stogetherandsorted,youknow,we'retalkingaboutgoingontoyouknowabiggerschedulewiththatcarandtakingitoutalotmore.
Sowe'rereallyexcitedaboutthat.
SoumIIwouldkindofcallmyselfmoreofapart-timedriverracerrightnow,butitlookslikethewaythingsareleadinginhowBigBirdperformeduponthehillthisyear,thatthat'sgonnaleadintoalotmoreopportunitiesanddifferenteventsandthingsthatyouknowwewanttogoconqueraswell.
It'snotwe'renotjustfocusedonahillclimb,that'sabigpartofit,butwewanttogooutthereandstartcheckingsomeboxesatsomeoftheseotherevents.
Sothetherunupthehillthatyouyouwerejusttalkingabout,howlongwasthat?
Howlongdidittakeyoutomakethatrunupthehill?
Yeah,bigbigbirddidauh12-minutetimeupthehillthisyear,whichIIIfeelisprettyremarkableforyouknowthatcarandourfirsttimeoutinitandwhatitdid.
Youknow,obviouslywithanewcar,doesn'tmatterwhatkindofcaritis,youknow,you'regonnahavegrowingpains,especiallywhenthecrazy,thecrazybuildRichardendedupdoingputtingaroadrunnerbodyoveraNASCAR,whichiskindofunheardof.
It'sprettyitwasaprettyremarkablefeat.
SoIthinkwedefinitelylaiddown,youknow,uharespectabletime.
Wastherealotoftimeleftinthatrun?
Uhtherewas,youknow,butuhwewealsodecidedthatweweregonnagoupthereandkindofputafanonfortheshow.
Soumwesacrificedalittlebitofourtime,youknow,doingsomecoolburnoutsanddriftingsomecornersandyouknow,justhavingfunandandbringingbackthatoldschoolmusclebackuptoPike'sPeak.
It'sbeenacategorythat'sbeengoneforsolong.
Andsouhalotofpeoplecouldreallyrelatetothiscarfromtheearlyhistoryofthehillclimbandseeingacarlikethatupthere.
Soumitwasareallyuniqueopportunity,andyouknow,nextyearwe'rereallyexciteduhtogetbackandreallygetafterit.
Whatdidthethetiredcompanytakeawayfromthis?
Yeah,wehelpedthemwithalotoftiredevelopment.
Obviously,BigBirdbeingasbigofacaritwas,ourtireskindofworeanddidthingsdifferentlythanalotofotherteams,andjustoverallthepowerwehadandmydrivingstyleiskindofuniquetogoingupthere.
Soumwewedidalotofresearchwiththem.
Wewereona200treadwaretirethisyear.
Um,sogripwasyouknowumquestionableattimes.
Um,andyou'reyou'realwayswalkingthatfinelineofwhereyourgriplevelwasatwiththat.
Sothey'retalkingabouttakingwhatwelearnedfromthisandthedataandandcarryingitoverandandandbringingaslickouttherenextyearforus,whichImeanIthinkthat'llbeaahugedealforthatcargoingupthehillhavingyouknowsomepropergrip.
12milesonapairofslicks,yeah.
Well,heyeah,hesaidit's12,000feetin12minutes.
Yousaidyouhada12-minuteruninasixmonths.
Yeah,yeah,wedidwedida12-minuterun.
Westartat9,000feetandwefinishatabout14,200feet.
Soyou'reclimbing5,000feetofelevationumoveracourseof156turnsinuhyouknowabout12minutes.
Soin12minutes,yeah.
That'suhthat'sprettythat'sprettyquickinmybook.
Yeah,Imean,normaldriveupthathillifyou'reinapassengercarisanhourandthirtythirtytohourandforty-fiveminutes.
Well,itmaybethatontheclock,butinyourmindyou'regoing,it'sallfivehoursupthere,rightknucklingitlikeIdid.
Youhavetostopandchangeyourclothesandunderwear.
Yeah,youyouhaveacoupleofthosemomentsgoingupthathill.
Ithinkasdrivers,wealldo,it'sjustsounpredictable,andthemountainchangessofastlyitcangetcoldovernight,andthetheyouknow,thedirtunderneaththeroad,likeabumpmightnotbethereoneday,andthenextdayyougorunthatsamelineandthere'sabumpthereallofasudden,youknow.
Sothat'swhatmakesitsounique.
Doteamownersactuallyreachouttoyoubecausethey'relookingforadriver,likeRicharddid,apparently?
Yeah,well,RichardandI,uh,youknow,wehaveauniquerelationship.
WemetuponthehillclimbmyfirstyearIwasracing,andthenweweretalkingonedayaboutlike,youknow,heaskedmeifthere'sanycarIcouldeverbuildtogoupthehill.
Anduhironically,Isaida1968PlymouthRoadrunnerbecauseitwasthefirstcarmydadandIhadbuilt.
AnduhthefirstyearIgotacceptedfortherace,Ihadmydadsettoflyouttowatchusfulfillourdream.
AnduhtheFridaybeforetherace,mydadunfortunatelypassedawaytocancerandnevergottocomeupandseemerace.
Soum,andthenobviouslythetieswithRichardandhisdadhavingthiscarintheirfamily,itbeingtheirfirstkindofcar,andsohimhavingoneumiswhattriggeredallthisafterthatconversationonedayuponthehill,andyouknow,wegotthiswildidea.
Let'slet'stakeadragcarandgodo156turnsandgorunbikespeak.
Soum,that'swhatwedid.
AndRichardandthem,youknow,overthereatApexAutoWorkspulledoffanincrediblefeatinthetimelinewehaduhgettingthatcartogethersothatwecouldrunthatthingupthehill.
Sonowwhat'snextforyou,right?
We'rekindofrunningoutoftimehere.
What'snextforyou?
UhRichardandIaretalkingaboutthatrightnow.
Rightnow,we'relookingatpossiblygoingouttotheVirginiaCityHillClimbinNevadanextwiththecar.
Soumwegotafewthingsweneedtosortoutonthecar,butwehaveafewthingscomingdownthepipeline.
Butthatthat'sonethatlookslikeit'scomingupuhalittlesoonerthanlater,andit'sonourradarrightnowtogorunanotherhillclimbevent.
Well,it'sarealpleasuretotalktoyou.
You'reaverysmartguy,anduhIIseebigthingshappening.
Courageous.
Youknowwhat?
IIIseeNASCARinyourfuture,sir.
AndI'mno,Iknowlaughifyouwill,butIIyouknowyou'vegotthegiftofGab,andyouknowhowtodoit,andyoudoitwell.
Thankssomuchforjoiningustoday.
Weappreciateyou.
Thankyou,gentlemen.
Itwasapleasurebeingontheshowtoday.
Appreciatethetime.
Thankyou.
BenRyanwiththe68PlymouthRoadrunnerBigBirdfromApexAutoWorksmakingitupthemountain.
Allright,justtohaveJeff'shuh?
Courageous.
Justahead,Jeff'smotorminuteandareviewoftheall-newSubaruTrailSeekerwhenthein-wheeltimecartalkshowcontinuesafterthis90-secondbreak.
Staywithus.
TheTexMaxdiningexperienceisdefinedbyLuffyTortilla,yourdestinationforTexas'sbestbeefpetestandfrozenmargaritas.
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Timenowforthemotorminute,Jeffrey.
Yeah,uhthisisthisisamazingbecauseitit'sgoingtokindofbleedintoyourrecalls,butFordjustwentfromrecallnightmaretoAmerica'shighestqualitycarbrand.
Afteryearsofbattlingareputationmarredbyrecord-settingvehiclerecalls,FordMotorCompaniesofficiallysecuredgoldstandardinautomotivereliabilityaccordingtothenewlyreleased2026U.S.
initialqualitystandardsbyJDPower.
Now,thisarticle,it'sit'suhuhwhathappenedthere?
Don'tworryaboutit.
ThisuharticleittalksabouttheJDuhpowermethodologymethodology.
Theytookahundredvehicles,uhthefirst90daysofownership,andtherewerenouhproblemsuhtosecureanyotheraward.
Buttheygothroughthesethings.
Theblueovalcomebackstory:howdidanautomakerthatrecalledover20millionvehiclesbetweenAprilof2025andAprilof2026managesuchadramaticreversal?
Well,it'sallinthenumbers,andthat'sallhowtheyreportthenumbers,thesuccessfulawarenessandallthisgoodstuffthatthey'retalkingabout,thelagindicatorsandgenerationsofFords.
Sothearticletomewasdeceiving,butJDPowersdoesthosekindofthings.
Youkindofhavetopaytoplay.
RightafterthatarticleIreadanddidallthethingsaboutit,therewasanotheronethatsaysFordrecallscontinuetocripplethebrand.
Itwasthenextarticle.
Thereitis.
Thereitis.
Sothey'retalking1.12
1.2
millionvehiclesthisyear,including255,000focusmodelsfailtofixandallthat.
Sothearticlesthatyoureadaboutthesethingstheygoeitherway,anditdependsonwhowritesthemanditdependsonwhothey'reabout.
Yeah,andhowmuchmoneythey'regettingfromotherpeople.
Howmuchtheypaidtogettheaward.
It'skindoflikeasurvey,askthequestiontoelicittheansweryouwant.
Yeah,yeah.
Well,it'slikewewewehadthispersononum,Idon'tknow,acoupleofyearsagoonourshow,andumumitwasuhbasicallyuharundownthelistofallofthepopularcarsanduhwhatyouthinkofthem,whatshethoughtofthem.
Yeah,nobodyelsewasquestioned,yeah,it'sjustwhatshethoughtofthem.
Iwashot.
Well,JDPowersisyouyouhavethemdoasurveyorwhateversurveycompany,uhSurveyMonkeydoesthesethings,andtheygetallthisdataandtheycombineallthedataandtheysaywehavethedata.
Okay,canIhaveit?
Sure,here'sthebillforthedata,andyouhavetopaytogetyourdata.
So,andthenyougetyouraward,soit'sapaytoplay.
That'sright.
Yeah,it'sit'skindoflikeuhuhallthekidsplayingsoccer,andeverybodygetsablueribbon.
Yeah,oryouseeyougointoahotelandyouseealltheselittleJDpowertrophiesonthecounter,it'sapaytoplay.
Theytheydidn'tearnthose,theypaidforthem.
Yeah,well,that'smylittlebeef.
There'sthat.
Timenowforthishour'scarreview.
Ihadtheopportunitytodrivetheall-new2026SubaruTrailSeeker.
You'regoing,what?
It'sallbrandnew.
It'sbuiltinJapan,anditcomesinthesethreetrimlevelspremium,limited,andtouring.
Ihadthepremiumentrylevel,allwheel.
Drive.
Thisisamid-sizeelectricvehicle.
Tworowsofseatingforfivepassengers,includingthedriver.
Exteriorchanges,obviously.
It'sallnewfor2026.
Bodyshapeisgreat.
Bulgingfendersgiveitanoff-roadlook.
Blackplasticwheelopeningsedgeintotheaddtotheboldness,buttheyalsoedgeintothefrontbumper.
I'mnotreallytookeenonthat,butit'soneofthosethingsthatsomepeoplejust,oh,thatmakesnodifferencetome.
Orotherpeoplewillsay,oh,it'snottoobad.
Itdoesn'tappealtome,butwhatever.
Rearlightingrunsacrossthecompletehatchintotherearfenders,whichiskindofcool.
ItdoeshaveatallerstancethanaregularSubaru,anditisnoticeable.
WhatIlikedaboutit,theoveralldesignisspoton.
Again,whatcoulduseimprovement?
Frontwheelopening,blackplasticincorporatednowintopartofthefrontfascia.
Ittomeoverwhelmsthesideviewofit.
IfI'mgoingtobepicky,andIam.
Needstobebigger.
InfotainmentscreenisbigandumitworkswellwiththetechborrowedfromToyota,ofallthings.
Dualphonechargersnexttoeachother,upunderneaththedashinthecenterconsole.
Now,letmejustsaythisaboutthat.
Ifyouhavetohavetwoofthemchargingatthesametime,couldn'tyouputoneonaplugandsavethespaceforsomethingelse?
Onelaydownphonechargerisone,whateverthecasemaybe.
Seatingiscomfortable.
Thesecondrowlegroomcanbealittletight,butit'snotthatbigofadealbecausewhatitdoes,itleadstoahugecargoarea,upto74cubicfeetbacktherewhenyouputthesecondseatdown.
WhatIlikedaboutit,ithasAppleCarPlayandAndroidAuto.
Itisintegratedintothesystem,unlikesomeothercarmakersthatsaid,nah,we'renotgoingtoputthatinthereanymore.
Oranothercarmakerthatsays,whoneedsAMradio?
Uh-oh.
Boo.
Whatcoulduseimprovement?
Fewknobsandorswitchesinsteadofscreencontrolswouldbeniceforthemaster,themajorcomponentsinit.
HVAC,radio,thosesortsofthings.
Now,thisisatwo-motor,375horsepower,allelectric,witharangeof281miles.
Thatdoesn'tseemlikealot,anditreallyisn'tincomparisontosomeoftheothervehiclesoutthere.
But,youknow,whenyoubuyoneofthese,you'regoingtobuyitforitspurpose.
Youlikethewayitlooks,youliketheall-wheeldrive,youliketheelectricpartofit,andyou'lldealwiththe281milesofrangethatitgivesyou.
Toesupto3,500pounds.
Uhmilespergallon.
Well,there'snoneofthat,butmy40-milecommutetoworkused12%ofitsfullcharge,ifthatgivesyouanidea.
Imean,isthatgood?
Umaverage.
12%.
Well,thebatteriesaren'tthatbig.
Soumitiswhatitis.
ButIthinkyourpurpose-drivenisgoodtoo.
Yeah.
Andthefactthat,youknow,ifyoudoittherightway,yougettowork,youplugitin,it'sfullattheendofthedaywhenyou'rereadytocomehome.
Samethingwhenyougethome,youplugitin.
There'salotofplugging.
Andum,ifyou'reintothatsortofthinganditdoesn'tbotheryou,goodforyou.
WhatIlikedaboutit,thepower,plentyofit.
Um,whatcoulduseimprovement?
Howaboutahybridoption?
Yeah,justsayistheresuchathing?
Idon'tknow.
Canyoutakeanall-electricvehicleandmakeitagasolinehybrid?
Idon'tknow.
ButIlikethebodystyle,Ilikethewayitlooks,Ilikeitoverall.
Ridinghandling,rideisexcellent.
Whatcoulduseimprovement?
Uh,didn'ttakeitoff-road,butexpectuhtherearesomelimitationstoit,butwho'stosay?
Imean,I'mnotanoff-roadexpert,sodon'taskme.
Okay.
Uh,basetrimpriceonthis,41,445.
Priceistested41,840.
Basemodelprice39,995.
Competitors,theHyundaiIonic5umis35,000.
Okay.
TeslaModelY,39,900.
AndMustangMachE.
Iwaskindofsurprisedatthis.
37,795istheentrylevel.
It'srightinthemiddlethere.
Yeah.
ButyouknowwhatyougetwiththeTesla.
Youdon'treallyknowyouknowfuturewiththisone.
Youknow,Idon'tknowanybodythatownsaMustangMach-E.
Ithinkthattheyhadthese.
Doyou?
Yeah.
BuddyToddSheldonupinColorado.
He'sgotone.
Doeshelikeit?
Ibelieveso,sure.
I'msurehedoes.
He'saFordguy.
Yeah,hehasto.
Well,hedoesn'thaveto,butyeah,IknowIhearwhatyouknowwhatIlikeaboutthatcar,thatreviewinthosepictures.
Ilovethatsteeringwheel.
Thatsteeringwheelinthatcariscool.
Thatkindofsquaredoff.
Yeah,flattop,flatbottom.
Thatseemstobethetrendthesedays.
SoIwasthinkingwhatyou'redoing.
Iwaslike,howdoIgetoneofthose?
Hey,wecouldretrofititinyourBureck.
Icandoit.
Iknow,yes,youcan.
Let'ssee,acrowbarandahammer.
It'sallweneed.
Yeah,youjustneedacoupleofpipesandmaybeawrench,somethinglikethat.
Yeah.
Uhcomingupnextweek,I'mgonnareviewtheJeepGrandCherokee,Mr.
Mars.
Right.
Iknowthatyou'relookingforwardtothat.
Hasprobablyoneofthemostbeautifulinteriorseverknowntoman.
Wow.
Sostaytunedforthat.
Allright,Mr.
Mars,areareyouinatranceoverthere?
You'rejustkindoflookingoffinthedistance.
Ismythoughtprocessresonatingwithyou?
No,IwasIwaslisteningtoparticularlywhatyouweretalkingabout,maybemakingahybridoutofit.
AndIthoughtthatwouldbeinteresting.
IIcanvisualizeifit'stwomotors,they'reontherearwheels.
Uhyoutalkaboutapaintodo,buttheycouldprobablydoit.
Theycandowhattheywanttodo.
Richardcoulddoit.
Yeah,we'llgetRichardtodoit.
That'sit.
Thereyougo.
Mike,you'lleatit.
Yeah,yeah.
That'sthat'sthenextprojectdownatApexAutoWorks.
Hey,ifyou'dliketogetintouchwithus,sendusanemail.
Theaddressisinfoatnwheeltime.com.
We'rebackafterthisquickbreak.
Staywithus.
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That'sitforthispodcastepisodeoftheInWheelTimeCarShow.
I'mDonArmstrong,invitingyoutojoinusforourliveshoweverySaturdaymorningonFacebook,YouTube,Twitch,andourInWheeltime.com
website.
PodcastsareavailableonApplePodcasts,Spotify,Stitcher,iHeartPodcast,PodcastAddict,TuneIn,Pandora,andAmazonMusic.
Keeplistening,andwe'llseeyousoon.
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.
Original notes
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?
Be sure to subscribe for more In Wheel Time Car Talk!
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In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show
In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan
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