ROME – With the Porsche 911 on the roof of the world. Surpassing the previous record of 6,694 meters set in 2020 by a pair of Unimog U 5023 4x4s, an e-fuel-powered Porsche 911 reached an altitude of 6,734 meters, thus becoming the highest land vehicle in history. The new world record was set by pilot Romain Dumas who, despite the prohibitive conditions (temperatures down to -20° C), “climbed” to the top of the Ojos del Salado volcano, in Chile, the same location conquered by much more equipped with Unimog.
The undertaking was made possible thanks to the support of an international team made up of members from Chile, France, Germany, the United States, Canada and Switzerland and the technological contribution of various partners of the Stuttgart company. At altitudes above 6,000 metres, Porsche points out, the density of the air is only half that of sea level, and to climb the western ridge of the volcano, up to almost reaching the summit (located at 6,893 metres), the 911 he had to overcome “extreme” passages both from the point of view of the rocky bottom and the extreme slopes.
“I will never forget this experience – declared Romain Dumas – It was an extraordinary feeling to drive where no car had ever gone before, the 911 managed to reach higher than any other land vehicle. We managed to conquer the summit on its crest west, the highest point that could be reached. It was a proud moment for the entire team and we are grateful for the support and trust of all our partners, who made this project a reality.”
The two Porsche 911s used on this expedition were powered by synthetic fuel produced at the Haru Oni pilot plant and then blended according to current fuel regulations. For this record, the car and team returned to the Ojos del Salado volcano where they had already been in 2022 but, on that occasion, on an exploratory route, they had “just” exceeded 6,000 metres. Just to give a reference, the height reached by the 911 is almost two thousand meters higher than the summit of Mont Blanc. The record car is a Porsche 911 derived from the current generation Carrera 4S, appropriately modified with special preparation for off-road, while the engine is the standard one, i.e. the tested three-litre six-cylinder boxer engine with 450 HP, in this case combined with a 7-speed manual gearbox.