09/13/2026
🔥 Porsche took a 911 where almost no sports car has ever gone before: more than 22,000 feet up the world’s highest volcano.
It sounds like a movie script, but Porsche actually built two heavily modified 911s for one of its wildest engineering projects ever. Known as Edith and Doris, the cars were created specifically for the extreme terrain of Ojos del Salado in Chile, the highest volcano on Earth.
Led by three-time Le Mans winner and Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas, the High Altitude project was designed to discover just how far a 911 could go when the road completely disappeared.
The cars were based on the Type 992 911 Carrera 4S and retained their twin-turbocharged flat-six engines and seven-speed manual transmissions. But almost everything needed for extreme off-road driving was transformed.
The 911s received portal axles that increased ground clearance to around 350 mm, specialized off-road tires, lightweight carbon-fiber seats, harnesses, roll cages and strong underbody protection. Porsche also developed its Warp-Connector system to help maintain traction when the cars were dealing with extreme suspension articulation.
The environment was just as challenging as the vehicle. At more than 6,000 meters above sea level, oxygen levels are dramatically lower than at sea level, while temperatures can fall to around -30°C. The team also had to deal with volcanic rocks, ice, snow and steep slopes.
The first expedition in 2022 reached around 6,000 meters before snow and ice stopped the climb. The team returned in 2023, determined to go higher.
On December 2, 2023, Edith reached 6,734 meters, or 22,093 feet, setting a new altitude record for a four-wheeled vehicle.
What makes the achievement even crazier is that this was still a Porsche 911 underneath all those modifications.
A car famous for racetracks had been transformed into an extreme mountain machine and it proved just how versatile the 911 platform can be.
💬 Would you take a 911 this far off-road? 🏔️🔥