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100th Pikes Peak Hill Climb brings bad weather, heartbreak

Hill climb? Please. While Europeans spent the weekend driving up a nobleman's driveway at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we in 'Murica got down and dirty with the 100th running up Pikes Peak. In a reversal of stereotypes, it is we who have understated. The "hill" climb ascends one of the tallest peaks in the Rockies, to a finish line that's 14,115 feet above sea level. To get there, it takes 156 turns over 12.42 miles, some of which just look like paved sky, because they have have no guardrails between the asphalt's edge and sheer dropoffs. In reality, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is even older than 100 years. The first event took place in 1916, but in 1917-19 and 1942-45, the so-called Race to the Clouds was put on hiatus due to a couple of world wars. This year's event was marked by damp weather that dashed the hopes of several teams' efforts to break new records. David Donner's Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight Package, for example, was widely expected to reclaim the production car record this year. Donner is a three-time PPIHC champ, and set the 2014 production car record in a 991-generation Turbo S.  A Bentley Continental GT piloted by Rhys Millen beat it in 2019, so Porsche was keen on taking it back. Donner broke the production qualifying time earlier in the week, but even the seasoned pro couldn't put his skills to tarmac due to moisture-laden surfaces and low-visibility from thick fog on race day. The result was 10:34.053, over 15 seconds slower than Millen's 10:18.488, still good enough to land the class's top spot and second overall. Acura arrived in Colorado to conduct its much-touted motorsports debut of the 2023 Integra. While the entry-level sports sedan, equipped with a stock engine but modified with a slew of HPD goodies, came in ninth in the production class, Acura didn't go home emptyhanded. A 2022 NSX Type S driven by Nick Robinson took the category's third spot. Taking second was Daijiro Yoshihara with a Tesla Model S. In recent years, electric cars have become a force to be reckoned with, especially since they are immune to high altitudes that negatively impact internal combustion cars. Poor conditions sent newcomer Levi Shirley's Ultra 4 buggy off course. Fortunately, it was near the lower sections, where there's still a significant amount of runoff past the pavement's end. Amazingly, Shirley landed wheels down in the video above, and simply continued driving through the pea soup haze.

eBay Find of the Day: Your choice of new, unregistered mid-2000s supercars

If you didn't quite find what you were hoping to see under the tree this year, maybe it's about time you buy yourself something nice. Something like an unregistered 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. The car has never been titled and has just 83 miles on the odometer. With one owner since new, the Carrera GT is likely to be as nice an example as you're likely to find outside of a museum. Porsche only built 340 of these machines back in 2005, and with a 610 horsepower V10 kicking at your spine, you can lap Santa's sleigh next year. Currently, the Carrera GT has a buy it now price of $457,325 with around six days left on the auction.
Not flashy enough for your tastes? Stroll on down to West Hollywood and you'll find a similarly untitled 2004 Ferrari Enzo up for grabs with a sticker of $1.8 million. Technically a Euro-spec car, the Enzo isn't legal to operate on US roads, but could be modified to satisfy Uncle Sam with a little effort. The seller calls this car the "last brand-new Enzo in existence" and with 175 miles on the clock, that may be a true statement. You can head over to eBay Motors for a closer look if you're feeling spendy.

Man steals Porsche, brags on video, then crashes into wall

Here's your daily reminder that thieves are morons. This also serves as reminder that not everything you do needs to be committed to video. A man in Gloucester, a city in southwest England, was stupid enough to steal a Porsche Boxster and then take a video in it. Oh, and of course, he crashed it. Now, we'll give this dimwit, 25-year-old Jamie Lee Sharp, some credit – he didn't actually admit that he stole the car on video, at least based on the 45-second clip released by Gloucester police and hosted by The Guardian. According to the story, there was more footage, which included Sharp driving the car and phoning friends, before he crashed it into a wall. It's not clear if the crash was caught on video, though. Following the crash, Sharp's accomplice, 26-year-old James Honeywell, abandoned him at the scene of the wreck. Both thieves were arrested following the January incident, though, and were just recently sentenced by British authorities following guilty pleas. The crown awarded Sharp's actions with a four-year stay in one of Her Majesty's prisons for burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, drunk driving, and driving without insurance. Honeywell got 35 months burglary, aggravated vehicle taking, and failure to appear at court. His license was also suspended for nearly two and half years, too, The Guardian reports. Related Video: News Source: The GuardianImage Credit: Gloucester Constabulary Government/Legal Porsche Convertible Videos viral video crime