Last year Rhys Millen drove his Hyundai Genesis Coupe drift car, lightly modified for Pikes Peak use to the fastest time up the mountain, ever. This year, the Millen-Hyundai pairing is aiming to repeat the overall win, and defend his overall fastest time to the clouds.

This year's car won't be a Genesis Coupe, though. Instead, a Pikes Peak-specific prototype called the PM580-T (the T is for tarmac). Powered by a Lambda V-6 engine, using rear-wheel drive and traction control, the new race car is based heavily on the previous Hyundai-Rhys Millen Racing PM580 prototype.

Previous runs at the Peak with the PM580 (which still had to negotiate a bit of dirt road before the road was fully paved) met with frustration, as weather and mechanical issues interfered. Hyundai and Millen ran the Unlimited Class PM580 in 2010 and  2011 before switching back to the Genesis Coupe for 2012.

This year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race week kicks off June 24. Qualifying runs June 26-28, with the official timed race day on June 30.