A specially modified Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, driven by the famous French racer Romain Dumas, stormed the slope of the Ojos del volcano for two weeks. Salado in Chile, to surpass the previous altitude record set here in 2019 by Unimog trucks – 6694 m.
Romain Dumas, of course, went to the Ojos del Salado volcano not alone, but accompanied by a whole team of technicians and doctors. There were two expedition vehicles, they were named Doris and Edith. Romain Dumas drove Edith's car – it was she who was qualifying and climbed to a height of 6734 m above sea level.
How did a sports car, albeit a well-prepared one, manage to surpass a team of Unimogs, which were originally developed as all-terrain vehicles? The answer is simple: skill, which Romain Dumas and the Porsche team lack, and luck – this year there was less snow on the approaches to the top of Ojos del Salado than usual.
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Porsche's journey to the summit took two weeks, not because of the slow pace of progress, but because of the need for the team members to acclimatize to the altitude and thin air. The record was achieved on December 2 at 15:58 local time, after which the team, having thoroughly enjoyed the triumph and gorgeous views, went down – also with pauses for acclimatization. Edith arrived at the record height pretty battered, with a lot of scratches from rocks and a layer of volcanic dust, but the equipment never failed.
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The factory Porsche 911 Carrera 4S for the expedition were heavily modified with the help of well-known components suppliers. For example, Schaeffler specialists have written a special control program for driving on steep slopes. The engine (3.0 l, 450 hp, 530 Nm) and gearbox (7-speed PDK automatic with two clutches) remained standard, but the all-wheel drive system and suspension were made, essentially, from scratch. To radically increase the ground clearance to 350 mm, wheel gearboxes are installed, the track is widened for off-road “bast shoes” with a powerful hook, the bottom is protected by light composite armor. The body is as lightweight and widened as possible, sports carbon fiber buckets with 5-point seat belts are installed in the cabin, and an expeditionary roof rack is installed on the roof.
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Curiously, throughout the expedition, Doris and Edith's sports cars were fueled with synthetic, environmentally friendly eFuels fuel, which Porsche produces in Chile at a pilot plant launched late last year. Porsche expects that synthetic fuel will extend the age of the internal combustion engine in the coming era of electric vehicles.
Recall that last year Porsche released a limited cross-version of the Dakar 911 coupe.
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