Scott Birdsall and his 1949 Ford F1, affectionately named “Ole Smokey,” are no strangers to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. In fact, the two have been competing at the legendary race for the last several years after the pickup debuted at the 2016 SEMA Show. After an unfortunate crash back in 2018 and some other teething pains, all that hard worked paid off today as the vintage pickup set a new record in the Exhibition Class for the fastest diesel-powered vehicle up the mountain.
Birdsall’s record-setting time was 11:24.065, according to the PPIHC’s official leaderboard. That was good enough to top the previous record-holder, Uwe Nittel and his Mercedes Benz C300D 4MATIC, by just over 13 seconds. The classic Ford F1 has been powered by a couple of different turbocharged Cummins diesels over the years, including a 5.9L that produced 1,200 horsepower and 2,000 lb-ft of torque. This year, Birdsall ran a bigger 6.7L Cummins and a brand new transmission as well.
It’s an impressive feat, indeed, especially when we consider the fact that an old pickup truck isn’t the best choice for someone wanting to navigate Pikes Peak and its 156 turns over the course of 12.42 miles. Forced induction helps a bit with the thin air as the pickup ascents to 14,115 feet above sea level, but only so much. The old Ford is also rear-wheel-drive, while many vehicles that compete at the mountain are all-wheel-drive.
Pikes Peak is annually filled with the latest and greatest in high tech, purpose-built vehicles. Some of which manufacturers spend years and countless dollars developing specifically to reset records. So the fact that an old, patina’d, diesel-powered pickup can still hang is all the more impressive.
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Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.
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