‘Experimental’ Porsche 911 off-roader scales Chilean volcano

Neglect the Cayenne Coupe Turbo GT, there’s a brand new contender for craziest SUV within the Porsche vary.

An ‘experimental’ model of the 911 Carrera 4S has scaled the best volcano on the earth, Ojos del Salado in Chile.

At 19,708ft (6007m) tall, it compelled the event staff to sort out temperatures as little as -30 levels, boulder-filled glaciers, and impenetrable partitions of snow.

The largest change to the 911 are a pair of portal axles, which elevate floor clearance on what was as soon as a pavement-hugging sports activities automotive to a Land Rover Defender-beating 350mm. There are manually-activated differential locks on each axles, and Porsche has fitted what it calls the Warp-Connector.

Based on the corporate, it’s a motorsport-derived system that ensures there’s a mechanical hyperlink between all 4 wheels to ensure traction is maintained even when the physique is flexing over excessive terrain.

Porsche has fitted decrease gear ratios for higher efficiency at a crawl, and to compensate for the swollen off-road tyres that substitute the low-profile rubber commonplace on the highway automotive.

The cooling {hardware} for the engine has been moved increased on the automotive, permitting more room beneath it for higher floor clearance, and there are light-weight aramid bash plates below the physique to guard all of the important oily bits. Porsche says the underbody safety permits for “sliding over rocks”.

“This was a very memorable and particular second in a spot that’s each lovely and brutal on the identical time – I assume the one machines anyplace on the earth increased than us in the present day have been plane!” mentioned Romain Dumas, driver and staff chief.

“For the staff and the automotive it was about studying – and proper out of the field, the automotive was robust and nimble. We have been laborious on ourselves and actually put it within the deep finish for its first check, but it felt at residence.”

Though it’s unlikely we’ll ever see an off-road 911 with the identical stage of {hardware} because the automotive that took on the volcano in showrooms, Porsche has been seen testing what could also be generally known as a 911 Dakar on the Nurburgring with a raised trip peak.

Whereas the brand new Dakar may develop into the primary of its type for the reason that 1978 911 SC Safari, Porsche has toyed with reviving the concept earlier than.

In late 2020 the automaker launched a clutch of pictures detailing 15 ideas it had developed however by no means publicly revealed earlier than, considered one of which was a 911 Safari.

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