Porsche 911 sets record for the highest altitude driven by a car

The Porsche 911 sports car has reset the record for the highest altitude reached by a driven vehicle by ascending the world’s tallest volcano – surpassing the marker set by one of the most iconic off-roaders of all time.

On 2 December 2023, a 911 Carrera 4S which had been extensively modified by Porsche completed its two-week climb to the west ridge of the Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile – reaching an altitude of 6734 metres above sea level.

The previous record of 6694 metres was set in January 2020 by a pair of Mercedes-Benz Unimogs, which were being used as support vehicles on a different part of the same Chilean volcano.

Porsche chose two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and Pikes Peak hillclimb record holder Romain Dumas as the driver of one of the two modified 911s, named ‘Doris’ and ‘Edith’.

While both cars were based on the current ‘992’-generation Porsche 911 Carrera 4S, the car-maker claims ‘Edith’ – the record-setting car piloted by Dumas – was lighter and more agile than its sibling.

Both cars are powered by a twin-turbo 3.0-litre ‘flat’ six-cylinder engine – running on synthetic fuel made by the Porsche-backed HIF company in Chile – which is mated to a seven-speed manual transmission and all-wheel-drive system. 

Porsche also fitted ‘portal axles’ to the 911s, providing an additional 350mm ground clearance and reducing its gear ratios for better low-speed control.

Another innovative piece of technology on the Porsche 911s was a steer-by-wire system, removing the physical connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels, and replacing it with electric components and motors which move the front wheels based on how the steering wheel is rotated. 

The record is unlikely to be surpassed as the west ridge of Ojos del Salado is believed to be the highest accessible surface for a vehicle in the world – likely cementing the Porsche 911’s place in the history books for the foreseeable future.