The Only Modern GM Race Car At Pikes Peak Hill Climb Is A 5th Gen Camaro

Behold the #77 Dark Horse Customs Camaro — the only 5th-gen Camaro to conquer the perilous twisties of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC).

Contrary to what you may have expected, this valorous bow tie-wielding pony car is a very close-to-stock LS3-powered 2SS. The only changes include a cold air intake, a roll cage, and TSW alloys, as well as the removal of the catalytic converts, roof liner, and rear seats… meaning that you won’t see any forced-induction tech here (more on that, later). And to my surprise, this Zeta-based beast still has the HVAC in place!

A few minutes before their heat at the PPIHC, I had the pleasure of meeting the great folks of the Montana-based Dark Horse Customs team, including driver Jared Voight (pictured with me below) and Dark Horse Customs owner Scott Schintzius. The team is extremely enthusiastic about racing in the Time Attack class at Pikes Peak, especially when they’re racing the only modern GM vehicle in an event dominated by Fords, Subarus, Audis, Hyundais, and even Dacias (yup, a Duster competed).

At this point, the Dark Horse Camaro is tearing it up with approximately 450 HP and comes in at roughly 4,200 lbs. on the scale. The team plans on adding some forced induction by way of a GMPP supercharger, which would add somewhere in the vicinity of 150-200 horses while shutting up all the trash talkers who’ve been bashing the Camaro for its somewhat uninspiring power-to-weight ratio.

Even though GM doesn’t currently sponsor races like Pikes Peak, “GM support at any level would be nice,” says Voight.

Check out the gallery of the 77 Dark Horse Camaro as well as its tow rig — a matching Chevy Silverado 3500 HD dually — in the gallery below. We’ll have an update on how Jared and Team Dark Horse performed at the hill climb shortly.