THE MORNING of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (June 24) in central Colorado, there was drama on the mountain. Yes, a motorcycle racer had high-sided into the rocks above the tree line and catastrophe-dealing mists were closing in on the summit. But this was serious: Volkswagen’s camera helicopter was behind schedule.
After months of preparation, zero-hour had arrived for VW Motorsport’s future-shock hillclimber. The I.D. R Pikes Peak is essentially an all-electric Le Mans prototype, with fore and aft motors...