Valkyrie Racing's upcoming 'Project 356 World Rally' ice challenge has hit the perfect trifecta when it comes to extreme. From racer and philanthropist Renee Brinkerhoff who is spearheading the completion of her 7th continent of endurance racing, coupled with a humanitarian effort to combat child trafficking -- to Jason de Carteret, famed world-record holder in polar exploration, serving as her navigator and finally, to the completely re-engineered 1956 Porsche 356A vintage vehicle that has been transformed with solar panels and a crevasse bar to sympathetically traverse Antarctica's challenging terrain and withstand the severe weather conditions. The impending 573 km ice trek, scheduled to begin December 5, 2021.
The Porsche 356A gets a combination of skis, tracks and a crevasse bar with a dual-sided solar panel
After more than 18-months of re-engineering the road-going vintage Porsche 356 for Valkyrie Racing's coldest and most dangerous endeavor, UK-based Senior Chassis Design Engineer Kieron Bradley has succeeded in creating a one-of a-kind ice machine - it's an engineering marvel. With reinforcements to the chassis ranging from aesthetics to safety and environmental considerations, a combination of skis, tracks and a crevasse bar with a dual-sided solar panel are the outward retrofits first noticed, with a particularly bold and aggressive design for the overall exterior.
The tracks are positioned at the rear of the car and the ski and track combination increase the flotation by as much as 300 percent compared to 4x4 cars
But according to Bradley, not only do the skis make a good looking technologically advanced statement, but they were specifically designed to be supported by all the other components to make less of an impact on the snow than a footprint. "The ski and track combination increase the flotation by as much as 300 percent when compared to Antarctic 4x4 support vehicles on 42" tires - and the 356 will be gliding and leading the tracks throughout the entire journey."
