In a recent press release, Porsche shared that the Taycan Cross Turismo EV accomplished a record-breaking feat: driving from the lowest drivable point in the US — the Eagle nickel and copper mine in Michigan — to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado. According to the German automotive brand, the distance traveled by the electrified station wagon was more than 2,250 kilometers with a vertical distance of nearly five kilometers.
Porsche released a short film about the Taycan Cross Turismo’s journey on its official YouTube channel. The video can be viewed here.
“It started as a ‘what if?’ – a passion project, mixing our love for cars and travel and taking it to extremes,” explained JF Musial.
Musial and his team are usually behind the camera, creating automotive films and TV shows. Motivated by curiosity, they’ve driven a Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo on a record-breaking journey from deep underground to the top of a mountain.
“We wanted to drive from the lowest point in America to one of the highest, Pikes Peak – where we’ve spent countless hours filming the famous hill climb. The project relied on a lot of goodwill, and a car that’s pretty much unique in its mix of abilities,” added the young filmmaker.
The lowest point in America is Badwater Basin in Death Valley, at 86 meters below sea level, and for Musial and his team to go any deeper, they have to try further underground. Their journey took them to the Eagle Mine in Michigan — the only mine in America where a car can be driven to sufficient depths, down a ramp usually used by specialist mining vehicles.
Due to the Taycan Cross Turismo being a pure BEV vehicle as well as being capable off-road with raised ride height and all-wheel drive, it met Eagle Mine’s criteria for being allowed to drive through the portal and into the tunnel itself. That said, the capable station wagon was able to make the trip down the rabbit hole without any modification and using completely standard road tires.
“It was fitting to have the Porsche Taycan drive to the bottom of our nickel and copper mine, as both elements are essential to electric vehicles. After numerous risk assessments, safety discussions, and detailed planning, our mine team was up to the challenge. We are proud to have worked with Porsche to safely execute and complete a new world record,” said Eagle Mine Managing Director Darby Stacey.
And so, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo made its way to the lowest part of the excavation — a depth of 540.8 meters below sea level. Now to make its ascent, the Taycan Cross Turismo began its relentless journey to its next destination, the 4,302-meter summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado.
The journey took Musial and his crew across six states climbing 4,842.967 meters — or just over three miles — without ever leaving the ground.
In total, three groups of drivers working in tandem took on the driving duties. They conducted the whole attempt by the book, with separate, sealed GPS devices monitoring their route and altitude throughout – along with an analog altimeter and witness logs to satisfy the strict Guinness World Records requirements.
The team of men and women, of friends and now record-breakers, covered a total of nearly five kilometers straight up, and 2,274 kilometers along the ground, in 33 hours and 48 minutes.
Photos from Porsche
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