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VW ID R seeing red in new livery for Tianmen Mountain run in China

It'll be heading to Big Gate Road, which has more than 99 hairpin turns.

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The ID R looks ready for its rookie debut as the point guard for the Chicago Bulls.

Volkswagen

The Volkswagen ID R electric race car is already pretty darn accomplished. Not only did it break the overall record at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, the automaker picked up the EV record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife just before that. The ID R isn't done yet, though, and now its sights are set on China.

VW on Friday unveiled a new livery for the ID R ahead of yet another blast down a wild and twisty road. This time, the electric race car will head to China's Tianmen Mountain, where it will snake its way up Big Gate Road, which has 99 different hairpin turns as it ascends towards Heaven's Gate.

There's a lot of Chinese symbolism baked into this road, which is why VW gave the ID R a new look for its latest attempt. The livery is a bit flashier, with a heavy emphasis on red. Previous liveries featured dominating shades of gray and blue, so this is definitely a departure, but given the ID R's new task, this new getup is much more appropriate.

The ID R packs one electric motor on each axle for a net 680 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The body has been adjusted to suit each track, and it's likely that there will be some tweaks to the aerodynamics once again. It's an unbelievably capable car, as its record-holding status proves. It's being used to promote VW's upcoming ID line of electric vehicles, which will reach China in 2020, along with several other markets including Europe and the US.

VW isn't the first automaker to make its way up Tianmen Mountain. In early 2018, took the refreshed to the same location, where it took all 99 hairpins before climbing 999 steps on a 45-degree incline. Something tells me the ID R will not be attempting the stair-climbing portion.

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That's a whole lot of wing.

Volkswagen
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Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.

Article updated on August 9, 2019 at 8:39 AM PDT

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Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
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