Even with the amazing machines built to ascend it, the Pikes Peak hillclimb remains known as one of the greatest challenges any driver can face. But why not just remove the pesky driver altogether?
So goes the thinking of a group of researchers from Stanford University, who are collaborating with Volkswagen to build an Audi TT that will drive itself up the Pikes Peak course, totally autonomously.
The project is the result of research being done at the lab VW has recently set up at Stanford's Californian campus to research the future of driving, but it's not the sort of gentle autonomous driving seen in ideas like Project SARTRE. The car being used here is based on an Audi TT-S, and is designed to run at full rally pace.
The car has already been tested at full-pelt at the Bonneville Salt Flats - presumably due to its attractive lack of things to bump into - but the project will, er, peak, with a run up the twisting, undulating Pikes Peak hillclimb.
The team behind the project have released a video (shown below) of the car being tested, showing off by drawing an Audi logo in the sand. But rather more importantly, they've also included some clips of the 1987 Audi Quattro Pikes Peak rally car in action - and making noises that really shouldn't be allowed pre-watershed...