The Goodwood Festival of Speed wasn’t the only iconic hill climb even this past weekend, as the 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb also ran, on the other side of the Atlantic. One of the drivers partaking in the legendary Pikes Peak hill climb was James Clay, who ran heavily modified E36 BMW M3 race car. In this new video, you get an on-board look at what that felt like.
As special as Goodwood is, Pikes Peak is far more of a thrill, with it being a 12.42 mile mountain pass that extends 4,720 feet to a peak elevation of 14,115 feet above sea level, with 156 turns along the way. Some of those turns lack any sort of barrier and have drop0offs of over 1,000 feet. Sounds pretty scary, right? Well imagine doing it in a modified E36 M3 with over 1,000 horsepower from a twin-turbocharged S63 V8.
Clay’s E36 M3 is nor ordinary E36 M3. It’s essentially just an E36 M3 chassis, with a heavily modified body, an S63 engine swap, a Holinger six-speed transaxle transmission, an absolutely crazy aerodynamic body kit, and a rear wing large enough to act as a kitchen table.
In the video, Clay’s E36 M3 looks to be going insanely fast, as it absolutely flies through corners. What’s even more impressive than the speed, though, was the grip. It’s incredibly impressive just how well the car was able to stick to the road, especially knowing the ground was a bit slick on Sunday, when it has all that power.
The E36 M3 would not be my first car of choice when thinking of a Pikes Peak racer but, apparently James Clay and the crew that built the car feel otherwise. There’s no denying the results, though, as Clay’s car is bonkers quick and seems to look pretty good, too. Check it out.
