The current Porsche 911 in its various variants is primarily known for being very fast on asphalt. And particularly easy to master. If you want to go off-road with a Zuffenhausen car, Macan or Cayenne are more suitable. But now two 911s have reached altitudes that no Porsche has ever tackled.
The RD Limited team of three-time Le Mans winner Romain Dumas set off on an expedition to the highest volcano in the world, Ojos Del Salado in Chile, with two modified Porsche 911s. The journey only ended at 6007 meters due to an ice wall. No Porsche has ever traveled higher on its own. The temperatures were as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius, the oxygen content in the air was only half as high as at sea level. The two vehicles are based on the current 911 Carrera 4S. The 450 hp 3.0-liter six-cylinder boxer was left in the standard condition and combined with the seven-speed manual transmission. Both 911s were given a massive roll cage and bucket seats with special seat belts. Massively modified Above all, however, the vehicles were equipped with portal axles that allow for a ground clearance of 35 centimeters, as well as a shortened gear ratio adapted to the large off-road wheels. In addition, the cars are equipped with light but extremely durable underbody panels made of aramid fibers in order to be able to master rugged rocky landscapes safely. The Porsche Warp Connector, originally developed for use in motor sports, enables a connection between all four wheels, so even when extreme entanglement, the axle loads remain as constant as possible, thus guaranteeing optimum traction. In addition, the engineers installed manual differential locks and a steer-by-wire system. The body was modified for the trip up the volcano to create enough space for the 31 centimeter wide off-road tires in the wheel arches and to create a to attach a winch. The coolers were moved from the front to the upper rear area to protect them from damage in extreme terrain. One of the two vehicles is designed in the look of the Porsche 963 LMDh racing car. The look of the second vehicle was designed by the Style Porsche team in Weissach. “More than 30 years ago, a team of Porsche engineers installed all-wheel drive in a Porsche 911 for the first time to answer the question: What if?” said Frank-Steffen Walliser, Head Whole vehicle architecture and characteristics. “I’m very proud that this curiosity and ambition still drives our development engineers to push boundaries and test new ideas.” (aum)
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