Few cars to compete in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb are as iconic as Rod Millen’s Toyota Tacoma and for the 100th running of the event, it screamed up the mountain once again.
Millen originally drove this Tacoma up Pikes Peak in 1998, 1999, and 2000 and this year it competed in the Exhibition category. It has been stored for most of the past 20 years and to get it back up and running, it was recently tuned on the dyno and went through a number of shakedown runs on the racetrack to ensure everything was ready.
Powering the Tacoma is an IMSA-sourced 2.1-liter turbocharged engine that in its day was good for over 1,000 hp at sea level and approximately 750 hp at Pikes Peak. While the engine has lost a few ponies over the years, it is still just as ferocious as ever.
Watch Also: Let The Sound Of Rod Millen’s Pikes Peak Tacoma On A Dyno Take You Back In Time
Onboard footage shows that while Millen wasn’t going all out for his entire run up this year’s hill climb, no doubt in part due to the thick fog and rain that he encountered on his run, the veteran racing driver obviously still has it and remains very handy behind the wheel.
Millen’s skills are no more obvious than at the 2:45 mark of the video when he hits the brakes after a long straight and the rear of the Tacoma kicks out violently. Being the skilled driver he is, Millen catches the slide without issue and continues on his way, showing no signs of slowing down.
A key point of difference between Millen’s original runs at Pikes Peak in the Tacoma and this year is that when he was first competing, the hill climb was dirt but now, it is completely paved.