This 1918 Pierce-Arrow is, literally, the sweetest car ever

The sweetest car of all time is in Colorado Springs. Continuing a holiday tradition at The Broadmoor Resort that began in 1964, a team of 15 Broadmoor pastry chefs created a large gingerbread display for the holidays, and this year’s project was a full-size replica of the 1918 Pierce Arrow Touring Car that competed in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb eight times from 1924–32.

Broadmoor executive pastry chef Adam Thomas led the two-week project; you can watch a time-lapse video of the build above. What you don’t see is what it took to bake enough gingerbread to make it all happen. According to the Broadmoor blog, the Pierce Arrow display required:

• 375 pounds of all-purpose flour
• 47 pounds of molasses
• 6 pounds of “secret holiday spice”
• 482 pounds of sugar
• 412 pounds of butter
• 300 pounds of dark chocolate
• 425 whole eggs
• 700 egg whites
• 2 pounds of yeast
• 100 pounds of white chocolate
• 200 pounds of brown sugar
• 1 pound of baking soda
• 1.3 pounds of baking powder
• 100 pounds of honey
• 8 pounds of salt
• 1 pound of activated charcoal
• 10 pounds of joy
• 3 pounds of holiday cheer
• 15 whimsical pastry chefs
• 2 magical wood workers

The gingerbread display pays tribute to the 1918 Pierce Arrow Touring Car owned by Spencer Penrose, whose chauffeur (Harry McMillen) and master mechanic (Angelo Ciminp) transformed into The Broadmoor Special in 1922. The Special’s top finishes in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb were fourth in 1926 and ’30.

The car is on display at the Penrose Heritage Museum, which is owned and operated by the El Pomar Foundation, a charitable organization established by Spencer and Julie Penrose in 1937. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. –5 p.m. and Sunday from 1–5 p.m. Admission is free.

You’d have to agree that the Pierce Arrow is so sweet you can almost taste it. Just please don’t indulge that suggestion.