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Ford RV With Tesla Model S Plaid Swap Conquers Virtual Pikes Peak in 806 Seconds

How are you enjoying RV Month on autoevolution so far? We're sure having a blast swapping engines in our virtual Ford Motorhome and doing all kinds of crazy things with it. It all started with the drift attack on Tsukuba a few days ago, and yesterday we gave the Nürburgring Nordschleife a go. Trying to think of a new interesting matchup for the Assetto Corsa RV, we thought we'd try a late 4th of July Celebration.
Ford RV With Tesla Model S Plaid Swap Conquers Virtual Pikes Peak in 806 Seconds 38 photos
Photo: autoevolution
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That being said, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is, without a doubt, one of the most iconic motorsport events on American soil. And we've always wanted to check it out for ourselves.

The 100th running edition concluded just recently, and we were curious to see how fast the Ford RV would be going up the mountain. Now, the fastest car to ever challenge this race is the Volkswagen I.D.R driven by Romain Dumas. It went from start to finish in just a bit over 7 minutes and 57 seconds.

If the Nordschleife felt like a major challenge, today's task was going to be even more difficult. Looking at the stats for both tracks, they are similar in some ways. They're both over 12 miles (19.31 km) long, and both have more than 150 turns to go through.

Whereas the German race track has an elevation of slightly over 1,000 feet (300 meters), the North American one climbs over 4,700 feet (1,432 meters). Now, with the Sauber C9 turbocharged V8 engine inside, our virtual RV needed 10 minutes and 59 seconds to run a lap of the Nordschleife.

Ford RV With Tesla Model S Plaid Swap Conquers Virtual Pikes Peak in 806 Seconds
Photo: autoevolution
We thought we'd shake things up a bit and opt for a non-ICE solution this time. Naturally, the I.D.R drivetrain seemed to be a perfect choice. As we opened Assetto Corsa Tuner, we once again lowered the weight down to 4,409 lbs (2,000 kg). Upon entering the game, we quickly realized that the car won't go faster than 43 mph (70 kph).

At first, we thought it was because of the stability control. After disposing of all driver aids, we took the weight down to 2,204 lbs (1,000 kg) and also changed the layout to AWD. Even so, we couldn't get the RV up to speed, and we decided it was time for a different solution.

A Group B engine might do the trick. So we brought in an Audi Sport Quattro S1 unit, but after a few minutes of driving, we went back to the drawing board. The Porsche 919 Hybrid is a real monster on the track, so its engine should perform well in the Motorhome too, right?

After managing the swap, we also used the wheels from the LMP car to provide adequate grip levels. We were greeted by massive wheelspin right off the bat, maybe because of the lack of downforce? Using second gear did help, and going up the mountain felt both exciting and scary at the same time.

Ford RV With Tesla Model S Plaid Swap Conquers Virtual Pikes Peak in 806 Seconds
Photo: autoevolution
We needed 13 minutes and 43 seconds to cross the finish line. But we had drifted away from the idea of going for an American theme. So we decided to go for another engine swap. There aren't that many fast Fords included in Assetto Corsa, so we tried some mods as well. A Shelby Cobra V8 was first, then a Fox Body Mustang that was built for drifting.

But then we turned our attention towards the 2017 Ford GT. After several hours of trying different setups, including an old Lotus F1 car, we decided to go back to an EV. The Tesla Model S Plaid was going to be a perfect choice!

Right off the bat, it felt swift. But a few minutes into the run, it felt like drift mode had suddenly engaged. It was just as the tires were shot, or that the tarmac had become dirt. Drifting through a few turns was funny at first, but then we realized we won't be setting a fast lap that way.

Some 13 minutes later, we lost control of the RV and fell off the side of the mountain. That was a big "Noooo!!" moment. We figured that the key to success would be finding some much-needed grip.

Ford RV With Tesla Model S Plaid Swap Conquers Virtual Pikes Peak in 806 Seconds
Photo: autoevolution
We tried a set of Ford GT tires at first and then the ones that came with the Tesla vehicle we had swapped the engine from. We also increased the weight to 5,511 lbs (2,500 kg). For added safety, we also ticked the Stability Control Box, setting it at 20%. Going back to the track, the RV felt undrivable.

Back to the Content Manager, we opted for Maserati MC12 GT1 tires: 310/20/R19 up front and 345/20/R20 on the rear axle. Launching off the line felt amazing! There was so much grip! Still, despite the formidable acceleration, controlling the car at high speeds proved to be just as difficult.

We weren't going to settle for a time of 14 minutes and 27 seconds. We downloaded another car: the legendary Pikes Peak Suzuki SX4. With 330/35/R16.4 tires on all corners, the situation was now a bit better. After a few runs, we went in for the main event.

It took us 13 minutes and 26 seconds to go up the mountain. You get used to the driving style after a while, but that doesn't make it any less nerve-wracking. With more practice, getting the time down to 12 minutes seems feasible. Who wants to give it a go?

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About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
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