Chris Lennon Joins Bloomberg's Hot Pursuit! to Talk Pikes Peak and the Electric 911 RSR
High adrenaline in a tranquil setting with the 911 RSR “Casper”
Chris Lennon, racer, author, and owner of the 1973 Porsche 911 RSR at the center of our Pikes Peak project sat down with Bloomberg's Hot Pursuit! podcast last week to talk about the car, the mountain, and what it's going to take to do something that's never been done before.
The Car, The Mountain, The Goal
The car is a 1973 Porsche 911 RSR, a tribute build Chris has raced up Pikes Peak multiple times, including a class win in its gas-powered configuration. That alone is a Pikes Peak résumé most racers would be happy to retire on, but Chris and the team rebuilt it instead.
The RSR was converted from internal combustion to fully electric power, with the goal of returning to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2027 to beat its own previous record and the 10 minute barrier. This has never been done: no team has taken a previously winning gas car, converted it to EV, and gone back up the same mountain to try to beat the time its gasoline record.
That's the story Bloomberg wanted to hear.
How the Conversation Came Together
Hot Pursuit! is Bloomberg's weekly car podcast, a sharp, knowledgeable show that sits at the intersection of car culture, the auto business, and motorsports. As the 2027 attempt started picking up momentum for Chris and the team, Bloomberg reached out to Chris for a feature interview.
The episode is hosted by Hannah Elliott and Matt Miller, both Bloomberg staffers who know the auto world about as well as anyone covering it. Hannah is Bloomberg Pursuits' staff car critic: she's been reporting on EVs since the early days of the Model S and writes regularly on Porsche, design, and where car culture is headed. Matt is a Bloomberg TV anchor who covers the European auto industry, speaks German, and is an unapologetic motorsports nerd. Between the two of them, they brought exactly the lens this project deserves: one part design and EV transition, one part racing and engineering.
“That’s not a race car” - Nobody
In Chris's Words
A couple of thoughts from Chris after the interview:
"It was great to have a chat with Matt and Hannah, who are so engaged and knowledgeable in the motorsports community, and who represent such a respected organization as Bloomberg."
"We got to dive into our unique story of being the only team to take a previously winning car, changing it from gas to electric power, and then try to beat its own record."
Listen to the Episode
The episode runs about an hour and covers Chris's background, the book he wrote on Pikes Peak (The Peak of Racing), what it takes to prep a car for the Hill Climb, and the details of the 911 RSR EV conversion.
Spotify: Listen on Spotify
YouTube: Watch on YouTube
This is the start of the road to 2027. More content from the project is on the way: track days, garage shoots, team profiles, and the engineering story behind the conversion. Subscribe to the newsletter and check back often as the project develops.
Chris after a run with the EV converted 911 Porsche RSR.