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This Classic Porsche 356 Will Be Attempting The Antarctica Land Speed Record

Renee Brinkerhoff and her Valkyrie Racing team have been racing all over the world for a cause for the last several years. She’s driven across terrain on six of the Earth’s seven continents in a vintage Porsche 356, raising money to support the fight against human trafficking. Most racers would stop there because simply making it to Antarctica isn’t simple, never mind racing a classic Porsche there.

Although public perception is that such vehicles are unable to perform such incredible feats, we have photos of a very modified Porsche 356 sitting on tracks and skis shared via magnetomagazine on Instagram. Yes, this really happens.

Antarctica will be the culmination of the company’s incredible work on, and dedication to Project 356, which began in 2017 and has continued for 20,000 miles across six continents’ most hostile climates. The journey to the final continent is being chronicled on the team’s Instagram account presently.

The final section of this driving tour will cover 356 kilometers in Antarctica, a tribute to Brinkerhoff’s old Porsche that she’s using for the expedition, because of course, if you’re going to be doing something so crazy, you might as well do it in style.

The Drive reports that the 55-year-old Porsche is equipped with track conversion on the back axles and skis up front. There’s a winch point at the rear, a survival kit that includes an ice scraper and other essentials, and a unique rear window that might be used to exit the vehicle in an emergency should it break through the ice. Such a calamitous scenario should hopefully not happen because of the tracks and skis, which have a very soft surface footprint.

Following the 356-mile journey, The Drive says Brinkerhoff will race across the frozen ice runway of Union Glacier, where a new speed record may be set.It’s unclear whether the tracks and skis will stay on the vehicle for that or if it’ll go with studded tires for the race given that the skis will add more drag. But given that the runway can accommodate large planes, it’s reasonable to assume that concerns about breaking through in a lightweight 1956 Porsche 356 are slim.

The event is set to take place in December, bringing Project 356 to a close. To combat human trafficking, Brinkerhoff and Valkyrie Racing have already raised $500,000 to fight against human trafficking.

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