Subaru Motorsports USA driver Scott Speed has driven all sorts of rally courses, NASCAR, and even Formula. He was tested this past weekend, though, as he sprinted up in a Subaru WRX: Project Midnight and set a new ascent record on the Mount Washington Auto Road during the Paul Giblin Memorial Climb to the Clouds.
The aptly named Speed ascended the 7.6-mile course in 5 minutes, 11.982 seconds on Sunday. The death-defying in-car video of his climb as he put the pedal to the medal is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn.
Speed cut every corner he could on the windy path up and above the treeline. One mistake could have been fatal.
“After I saw the time, it feels awesome!” Speed said in a Subaru press release. “I’m glad to be able to throw down a time that was so much faster than any of us expected. … This was a big mental challenge for me. It was so exciting. I pumped my fist at the finish line, and I don’t normally do that.”
Subaru Motorsports driver Scott Speed marked his Subaru WRX: Project Midnight with the iconic Mount Washington sticker and signed his record-breaking ascent time on it. Credit: Peter Lapinski 
The windy roads of the Mount Washington Auto Road were no match for the experienced Scott Speed who set a new ascent record there on Sunday, Aug. 9. Credit: Matthew Stryker
The last record was set by Travis Pastrana with a time of 5:28.67 in 2021 at the wheel of the 862-horsepower Airslayer STI, before the road was fully paved.
The crew ran two days of half-course runs on Friday and Saturday. On the big day, a thick fog settled down on the upper half of the mountain in the morning, which meant the team could only do a half run early. The last ascent, on Sunday afternoon, was the only chance they’d have for the record.
Despite the weather delays, Speed took his chance when the skies cleared.
Subaru called the car, built by Vermont SportsCar, the quickest and fastest WRX race car they ever built, combining “extreme weight reduction, advanced aerodynamics and and a highly developed SUBARU BOXER powertrain.” Paired with Speed’s skills, it helped the manufacturer complete a five-for-five, as each time it has participated in the Climb to the Clouds, it set a new course record.