A COMBINATION OF DESERT DUST COATING THE DASH, A HUGE INCLINE AND BRIGHT MIDDAY SUNSHINE HAS RESULTED IN PRETTY MUCH TOTAL BLINDNESS APPROACHING THE BROW OF THIS PARTICULAR HILL.
I’m not actually in the desert, but Porsche hasn’t washed the 911 that I’m driving. Just can’t get the staff these days, can you? Although in fact, this particular car won’t be washed ever again, because in December 2023 it climbed the west summit of the Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile and set a new world record for the highest altitude driven by a wheeled vehicle. And that’s ‘wheeled vehicle’ rather than ‘car’ because Porsche nicked the record off two Mercedes Unimogs. Impressive.
So, the volcanic rock stuck in the wheel arches is now officially known as patina and the blinding sun is courtesy of California, because before this gap yah 911 heads off to spend the rest of its life in a museum, Porsche has handed TG the keys for a play on some off-road tracks in the Santa Monica mountains. We won’t be troubling the new record height of 6,734 metres above sea level, but we should be able to get a decent feel for the 911 Dakar’s rock-crawling cousin.
Although frankly, there are two slightly different cars here to get to grips with, and it’d be fair to say that both have been fairly heavily modified to allow them to get the better of a Unimog. And nature itself.
Denne historien er fra Annual Issue 2024-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra Annual Issue 2024-utgaven av BBC TopGear India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Does It Fly?
2024 TVS APACHE RR 310 ₹2.75 Lakh - ₹2.97 Lakh (ex-showroom)
Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02
It is rare when you come across a moment where a company brings out a vehicle into the market without knowing who exactly they want to sell it to.
Aston Martin Valkyrie
The Aston Martin Valkyrie still looks like nothing else on four wheels. Probably because it isn’t.
ONE-MAN BAND
We are a cynical bunch of people as we try our best to narrow down our vision and focus on the things that are lacking.
CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND
Finally, the Yezdi Adventure won’t be suffering from an existential crisis anymore.
ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
ALTHOUGH IT IS A PERENNIAL ORDEAL FOR ANY MOTORCYCLIST to feel sad while parting ways with a motorcycle, it became even sadder for me this time around.
TVS APACHE RTR 310
THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS - “IT IS A MENACE ON WHEELS”.
ACE OF BASE
What happens when you take Porsche's old school entry level model and give it a very not entry level upgrade? This is a 914 as you've never seen it before
MOMS KNOW BEST
Volvo's XC90 was the stereotypical Soccer Mom car. So how will the all-electric EX90 be received among the soccer pitches of Orange County?
THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION
Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar’s future, or gone mad’?